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- MariMar Apartments –
- P.IVA 08154610722 –
- Nr CIS LE 07505732000019887 –
- CIN: IT075057B400027570 –
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Who we are
Enjoy your holiday experience at our apartments in Otranto.
Book directly on this website, prices are more convenient compared to the ones of the booking portals.
- Apartments located 200 meters from the sea
- Central location
- Private pine forest
- Private external area
Ciao!
I am Annalisa
MariMar Apartments was born on a part of land made mystical by the hypogean complex built in the early Christian era and by the nearby church of the Madonna dell’Altomare. The name MariMar is the Spanish version of Maria Altomare in honor of the patron saint of fishermen and also to remember my paternal grandmother Maria Altomare.
The history of Marimar
My father, a young agricultural engineer, arrived in Otranto in the late 1950s to direct and manage a reclamation project for the surrounding areas. He fell madly in love with the sea and with the local countryside. He dreamed of having a piece of land that could unify the sea, the land and history. He found is in via San Giovanni and bought it with his savings.
It was necessary to safeguard the hypogeum that was collapsing. The project had a long procedural process due to the numerous approvals of the institutions responsible for protection.More than ten years. With my tenacity and experience as an administrative lawyer I made my father’s dream and vision come true.
The recovery of the Hypogeum
The Hypogeum has been recovered and these apartments with touristic purposes have been built. The Hypogeal system “Grotte San Giovanni” is actually the first example of “Negative art” which means to build by removing and not by adding.
The future of Marimar
I would like to realize in our pine forest a botanical garden, which includes medical herbs, spices and perfumes, which would be physically connected to the Hypogeum, so that it will create a single path through a spectacular system of the site. That’s because the Basilian Monks used to cultivate medical herbs next to the Idro river.
I take care of all the apartments as if they were my home… and the dream continues!
Thank you for choosing my hotel and I wish you a peaceful and happy stay.
The Hypogeum
[…]There is only light. The light that dominates Otranto like an alchemist dominates its elements. […]
This is how Roberto Cotroneo describes Otranto in the book dedicated to the city. Otranto is truly an alchemy, the place where opposites coincide, where East and West take up the race with history.
To the city on the surface, dazzling with sun and teeming with colors, happens at night when the winds creep into the cracks.
Coming to Otranto means experiencing emotions in layers, from the deepest one that has its roots in history, to the lighter, superficial and colorful aspect.
The Marimar Apartments residence is the synthesis of these souls. Comfortable and a stone’s throw from the sea, it offers a unique opportunity to its guests: the opportunity to visit the underground system “Grotte San Giovanni” which is the exclusive property of Marimar Apartments, which guarantees its protection.
The structure of the Hypogeum
The hypogeum, dating back to the early Christian age, occupies the limestone base that houses the pine forest, a green oasis of the residential complex.
Recently restored and placed in safety, the hypogeum was excavated in the early centuries of Christianity and used by a Jewish community.
The central room leads to a circular dependence, which ends in a quadrangular hall, and to a long dròmos, dotted with numerous small rectangular and semicircular rooms, equipped with cells and closed by stone parapets up to a height of about one meter.
Inside the hypogeum it is possible to admire graffiti of Christian iconography dating back to different eras, such as the chrismon, Greek and Latin starry crosses and numerous names of people written in Greek, most of which are now illegible, from which they can be distinguished in a only a few letters sharper.
How the Hypogeum was used
The original destination of the entire complex was supposed to be, presumably, that of warehouse of the late Roman period for goods arriving in the nearby port, waiting to set out on the final stretch of the Via Traiana-Calabra.
Probably reused by the Byzantines in the Golden Otranto period, it was later transformed into an oil mill around the 1600s before being definitively abandoned.
Inside there are still traces of three Calabrian presses while there are no signs of the millstone, although it is assumed that the grinding took place in vain and that the dròmos was the connection with the area of the presses, given that the dròmos tanks were used for host the freshly ground material to be conveyed after squeezing.
The collapse of the Hypogeum
At a stratigraphic level, the loop area is more on the surface than the upper plateau, and it is believed that this caused the collapse of the hypogeum, due to the weight of the carts loaded with olives that arrived on the plateau.
Visit the Hypogeum
The complex underground system extends on the opposite side of the road with other cells and corridors and can always be visited by our guests.
Our apartments
The reviews of our guests
Get to know Marimar better through the words of those who have already lived a comfortable holiday experience at our apartments in Otranto.
Ida C.
Ho soggiornato in un appartamento di Marimar ultimamente per una visita a Otranto e dintorni. Posizione ottimale in 5 minuti si raggiunge il centro storico. L appartamento è nuovo , ampio molto pulito e dotato di tutti i confort. C è anche un considerevole spazio esterno attrezzato per consumare i pasti all aperto. In dotazione anche bel giardino esterno sistemato per un perfetto relax. In dotazione, cosa utilissima, danno il pass per il parcheggio. Il signor Alessandro che ci ha ricevuto è stato molto gentile , premuroso , preciso nelle spiegazioni, sempre puntuale e disponibile , all altezza del suo lavoro.Grazie torneremo ancora
Camillo D.
Con questa recensione vorrei ringraziare la Sig.ra Annalisa per la cortesia e la professionalità dimostrata nei nostri confronti.Il residence Marimar è una autentica meraviglia a 150 metri dal mare e dal centro di Otranto.Bravi !!!!!
Per H.
Our apartment was great but best of all where Alessandro and the girl behind What's App, they did everything to make our stay the best. The house is located just a few steps from beach and city Center.Our apartment where really god equipt.Great place Great service
Orthilde S.
5 Sterne von ganzem Herzen! Wir hatten eine wunderbare Zeit im tollen Apartment Porto Badisco. Es passte einfach alles: super Lage gleich direkt um die Ecke zum Strand, stilvoll eingerichtetes Apartment mit großer Terrasse, schöne Garten, reichlich Platz für 4 Erwachsene, Lift, Parkplätze und vor allem überaus herzliche Gastgeber mit jeder Menge wertvoller Tipps. Herzlichen Dank für alles! Wir kommen sicher wieder!!
Simone Del C.
Appartamenti praticamente nuovi in una bellissima struttura a due passi dal mare e dal centro di Otranto. Molto puliti e dotati di tutti i confort. Gestore molto gentile e disponibile, prodigo di consigli su cosa visitare nei dintorni e reattivo ad ogni richiesta di aiuto. Gli appartamenti godono di una bellissima vista dai balconi annessi, disponibile anche una meravigliosa terrazza comune con vista mare e una pineta dove potersi rilassare sulle amache. Consigliatissimo.
Romana K.
Super ausgestattete Ferienwohnung (sogar mit Waschmaschine und Trockner). Es bleiben keine Wünsche offen. Wir fanden eine sehr, saubere und gepflegte, liebevoll eingerichtete Wohnung mit einer tollen Sonnenterrasse und einem Piniengarten mit Hängematten vor. Die Lage ist perfekt - nur 200 m von der Strandpromenade entfernt. Parkplätze mit Parkkarte sind vor der Haustüre vorhanden. Sehr netter Kontakt mit den Gastgebern. Wir würden auf jeden Fall, ohne zu zögern wiederkommen. Herzlichen Dank!
Andreea L.
Appartamento stupendo,ottima pulizia padrona di casa molto accogliente e anche lo staff,posizione del appartamento centrale e a due passi da tutto siamo stati veramente bene e sicuramente torneremoGrazie ancora di tutto un abbraccio❤️
Daria S.
We had an absolutely wonderful stay at this apartment! The location is fantastic, situated perfectly for exploring the city and accessing all the main attractions. The host, Annalisa, is amazing—she went above and beyond to ensure our stay was comfortable and enjoyable.Parking was a breeze, with easy options available nearby. Annalisa provided excellent recommendations for local restaurants, which made our dining experiences truly memorable. The apartment itself was super clean, and we appreciated the availability of cleaning service during our stay.Alessandro, the property manager, was fantastic in his willingness to help and make our life easier. He was always ready to assist with any questions or needs we had. We highly recommend this place and would definitely stay here again!
Luciano B.
Appartamento molto bello, terrazza stupenda, ma il valore aggiunto è sicuramente l'accesso alla pineta...Pulizia perfetta, host molto disponibile, ci tornerò senza dubbio. Spero per qualche giorno in più.
Marieke
Onze bus vanuit Lecce ging halverwege stuk. We werden daarna door iemand van Marimar met de auto opgehaald waar we gestrand waren. Eigenaresse stond ons op te wachten en kregen een zeer hartelijk welkom. Bij aankomst in ons appartement stond er een gekoelde fles wijn klaar ivm 10 jarig bestaan.Kamer is erg mooi en schoon. Helaas konden we niet nog 1 dag extra bijboeken omdat alles vol zat.Een echte aanrader.
Tommy K.
Excellent staff and comfortable clean apartment
flavio C.
We spent a very enjoyable 2 weeks at Marimar Apartments. Accommodation was clean and spacious, with well equipped kitchen. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and very responsive with any requests. Location is convenient, 5 minutes from lovely beach, and close to good restaurants and supermarkets. Overall, highly recommended and would happily return.
