Villa Marim is not a villa with a sea view. It is a villa above the sea — built on a natural rock formation in Stara Baška, southern Krk Island. The Adriatic is below the floor of your terrace. On the first morning, the sound of the water on the rock will wake you before the alarm does.
The Location
Stara Baška, southern Krk Island. 45 minutes from Rijeka Airport by car. No ferry needed — Krk Bridge connects the island to the mainland, and it has been free since 2020. It is 40 minutes from our other two villas in Vrbnik; the two locations couldn't be more different.
Vrbnik is wine village, cliff, olive grove. Stara Baška is rock, sea, silence. The village is genuine — not a tourist settlement shaped around its beaches, but a fishing village that existed long before tourism arrived and continues on its own terms. In August it is quiet. In May it is almost empty.
The Villa
200m² of living space across two floors. 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms. Private pool. SPA area. A large terrace with unobstructed views toward the open Kvarner Bay and Cres Island on the horizon. Built in 2018 — our first villa. Everything we have built since has come from what we learned here.
The orientation of the villa was chosen for the view: southwest across the Kvarner Bay, with Cres Island across the water and the open sea beyond. Every room faces the water. Sea views from every single bedroom — not a marketing phrase, a literal description of how the building sits on the rock.
The Rock
The villa sits on a natural limestone rock formation that rises out of the sea at the edge of Stara Baška. The rock is the foundation of the building — you can see it in the base of the walls, emerging from the ground floor and continuing down into the water below.
Stone steps carved into the rock lead down to a small private cove at the base of the cliff. This is where guests swim in the morning. The water is 3–4 metres deep at the base of the rock, clear to the bottom, with no sand — just the sea floor of white limestone and sparse Posidonia seagrass. You jump from the lowest step and sink into water that is that specific colour of the Adriatic that photographs cannot reproduce.
A Typical Morning
You wake up at 6:30am to the sound of the sea below — not surf, not crashing, just the persistent gentle movement of the Adriatic against the limestone. It is the sound of a large, calm body of water being itself.
Coffee on the terrace. The sun comes from behind the Krk hills to the east and reaches the terrace by 7am in midsummer. By 8am you are in the private cove below, 15 steps down from the terrace. By 9am you are back on the terrace with nothing planned and the whole of the Kvarner Bay in front of you.
That is the morning. It does not require optimisation.
Who This Villa Is For
Villa Marim is for people who want to disappear. Couples, small families. If you want to walk to a wine bar at 10pm, book Villa Moana or Villa Manatis in Vrbnik. If you want to be alone with the sea — genuinely alone, not hotel-alone — this is the villa.
Comfortably: 4 guests in 2 bedrooms as primary, with the remaining 2 bedrooms available. The villa holds 8 but at 4–5 guests it has a quality of space that feels different. Everything is available, nothing is crowded.
Stara Baška Village
2 minutes from the villa on foot: Restaurant Mariana (100 metres — fresh Mediterranean, delivers to the villa on request). Boat rental from the harbour. Self-drive speedboat available without a licence for vessels under 5kW. The harbour is small, the boats are good, and the person renting them has worked from the same spot for 20 years.
From the water: Zala Beach is 10 minutes by boat — accessible only by sea or a 45-minute hike, turquoise water, no infrastructure except a small seasonal bar. Oprna Bay is 15 minutes — a sheltered cove with limestone walls and water calm enough for children. Both are worth the boat trip.
Stara Baška is genuinely quiet. Even in August, you can walk the harbour at 8am and see only fishermen. That is not an exaggeration. The town has not been rebuilt around its tourism; the tourism found it as it was and the town absorbed it without changing.
The Sunsets
The villa faces west-southwest across the Kvarner Bay toward Cres. The sunset is directly in front of you — the sun drops toward the sea and the mountains of Cres across the water. You watch it from the terrace as it falls. The Cres mountains catch the last light and hold it, amber, long after the sun has set.
At dusk, the water between Villa Marim and Cres goes from silver-blue to copper to dark. It is a complete event. People stop talking during it.
"The rock. The sea. Nothing between you and the horizon."
— The owners, on Villa Marim's essential character
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Villa Marim have a private beach?
Villa Marim has a private rock terrace with stone steps leading to a small natural cove at the base of the rock — completely private, no shared access. The water at the base is 3–4 metres deep and clear to the bottom. For sandy beaches: Zala Beach is 10 minutes by boat, Oprna Bay is 15 minutes by boat.
How many guests does Villa Marim accommodate?
Villa Marim accommodates up to 8 guests in 4 bedrooms, all en-suite. For couples or a single family of 4–5, the villa feels spacious and private. For 8 guests it is comfortably full.
What is included in the Villa Marim rental?
Private pool, private rock terrace with sea access, welcome basket with local products (wine, olive oil, cheese), linens and towels, fully equipped kitchen, parking, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and 24/7 owner contact. Experiences (private chef, boat trips, jetski, massage) arranged on request.
Is Villa Marim suitable for families with children?
Yes, with awareness. The rock terrace drops steeply to the sea — children need supervision near the cliff edge. The pool is private and safe. Families with children under 6 should note the cliff access; it is manageable but requires attention. The closest sandy beach (Baška) is 40 minutes by car.
