The Team

Didier Van Bellinghen – Owner / Director

I jumped from a plane in New Zealand, swam with giant sea turtles in Galapagos, nomadized with Bedouin tribes in the Wadi Rum desert… This is my life!

Born in little old Belgium to a Belgian father and a Croatian mother, my sister and I were never big travelers. I didn’t take my first trip overseas until I was 23. But when my dad took me on a crazy roadtrip through Thailand, my whole world changed. I remember feeling being on a total different planet.  From that moment on I was hooked on travel.  All I wanted to do was explore, see more of the world and learn more about the people in it and so I left on a bunch of trips! And that got to me… after working for the Belgian television and living in our Western society for 15 long years, I felt the need to break out and go back to the essence of being, back… to the essence of life!

Jelena Van Bellinghen – Owner

So in 2013, I took a gap year and jumped into an amazing adventure around the world. That was the most amazing year of my life and it changed me forever! I got lost in a jungle, wandered for hours in deserts, met all kinds of amazing people from all around the world and realized how beautiful people can be. I remember staying with a very well off fellow in an ocean view condo in Hawaii one day and with a poor and humble family and all their relatives in a tiny little home in a dusty community in Fiji the very next day. Such extreme experiences but all wonderful in their own way.

Website: www.backpackingaroundtheglobe.­wordpress.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV5YUU8loBM5whMA_pO-uN8ArkrI7zm5

When I came home, I felt that I just couldn’t fit in society anymore, so I wondered… Could there be anything more perfect than to host travellers and share my passion for adventure in one of the most beautiful and secluded places on this planet? I guess it was karma that our parents bought their own little piece of paradise back in the 70’s to start their very own.  Unfortunately our mom passed away right after the start of the construction.

Mariann Kiss – General Manager

So it was clear… I quit my job, sold my house and my car to finish our parents’ lifelong dream after 30 years!  I created Cast Away with a clear concept in mind to share our beautiful seaside paradise with likeminded travellers to reconnect with nature, enjoy simple things in life and rediscover the beauty of true human contact & new friendships.

A couple of years later, I met Mariann.  She was born in Hungary but left her country to make her life abroad and at the age of  25, she chose to live and work in Belgium.   Mariann worked for many years in the European School of Brussels when we met but decided after a few months together, to quit her job and join me in this incredible island adventure in Croatia.  Right from the start, Mariann had a huge, positive impact on the project with her communication and interpersonal skills, her eye for detail, her professional approach and her intense passion for the project. Her primary aim is to improve the project every single year and offer our guests to best experience possible with the focus on environmental sustainability and a low footprint.

Goran Kozul – F&B Manager

The year is 2018.  A nice Croatian fellah who lived since his early twenties in Canada, applied to join our team.  I first met Goran in May 2018 for a try out but it quickly became clear that Goran would become an important part of our project.  At a fast pace, he developed the same passion for our project and was providing an incredible customer service to all our guests.  His spontaneity, kindness, great sense for humor and eye for detail, made all the difference for our guests.  And when we opened our beach bar “Wilson’s” in July that same year, Goran brought that whole concept rapidly to the next level. His professionalism, dedication and strong interpersonal skills did us not hesitate to hire him as our F&B Manager.