Our story
In 1994 we dove headlong into the adventure now known as Kocanda, purchasing the restaurant and two buildings that now hold a hotel and spa. At that time the original restaurant, known to locals as Hovadinec (not a complimentary term), had long ago given up the ghost and its service and menu left much to be desired. As much as we longed to carry on the pub’s more-than-50-year tradition, there really wasn’t anything worth carrying on. We had bought a ruin. The early years weren’t easy. When things finally started to look like they were going our way, the great flood of 2002 hit. Everything we had built was washed away. But we pulled on our rubber boots, grabbed buckets, and started over. We didn’t intend to give up.
We managed to save the restaurant, gradually ridding it of its old name and reputation, and give it a brand new name – Kocanda, which in the Old Czech language means “pet” or “darling.” We felt it was a perfect fit for our approach to our work and our guests.
We strive to give every guest what they want. We and our cooking staff regularly visit gastronomical training to keep up with the latest trends. Each year we invest into new equipment for the kitchen.
Our serving staff also gets regular training. Working with our employees is one of our priorities, as well as one of our most demanding tasks, for the future.
We take joy in making Kocanda grow. In 2012 we realized a long-time dream, opening a beautiful hotel above the restaurant. The hotel is a great place to stay, located right on the bike trail near the beautiful Elbe River not far from Decin’s town center. For those seeking accommodation in Bohemian Switzerland, Kocanda is an excellent base for trips to the national park.
In late 2012 we opened a playground on the lush green riverside next to the hotel and restaurant. We made sure it had a big sandbox, jungle gym, slides, zip line, climbing wall, toboggan, and other fun equipment for kids. There’s nothing like it anywhere in the area and we are sure than children from 3 to 12 years old will have the time of their lives there.
We love sports and in 2013 we managed to add a multipurpose sports ground where you can play football (soccer), field hockey, tennis, volleyball and other sports. Two years later we added a workout area.
Forced to close our doors during the Covid pandemic, we used the downtime to build a private spa that now serves hotel guests and the public.
We are glad that our dreams so far have come true and that Kocanda has grown into a magical place with a wonderful atmosphere, where people feel at home and like coming back.
We managed to save the restaurant, gradually ridding it of its old name and reputation, and give it a brand new name – Kocanda, which in the Old Czech language means “pet” or “darling.” We felt it was a perfect fit for our approach to our work and our guests.
We strive to give every guest what they want. We and our cooking staff regularly visit gastronomical training to keep up with the latest trends. Each year we invest into new equipment for the kitchen.
Our serving staff also gets regular training. Working with our employees is one of our priorities, as well as one of our most demanding tasks, for the future.
We take joy in making Kocanda grow. In 2012 we realized a long-time dream, opening a beautiful hotel above the restaurant. The hotel is a great place to stay, located right on the bike trail near the beautiful Elbe River not far from Decin’s town center. For those seeking accommodation in Bohemian Switzerland, Kocanda is an excellent base for trips to the national park.
In late 2012 we opened a playground on the lush green riverside next to the hotel and restaurant. We made sure it had a big sandbox, jungle gym, slides, zip line, climbing wall, toboggan, and other fun equipment for kids. There’s nothing like it anywhere in the area and we are sure than children from 3 to 12 years old will have the time of their lives there.
We love sports and in 2013 we managed to add a multipurpose sports ground where you can play football (soccer), field hockey, tennis, volleyball and other sports. Two years later we added a workout area.
Forced to close our doors during the Covid pandemic, we used the downtime to build a private spa that now serves hotel guests and the public.
We are glad that our dreams so far have come true and that Kocanda has grown into a magical place with a wonderful atmosphere, where people feel at home and like coming back.