Masseria dei Monaci

Everything is top quality, starting with the computers at the reception

We had a wonderful stay at this peaceful and beautifully restored masseria just outside Otranto. The setting is serene, surrounded by olive groves and close to the coast, with a perfect blend of rustic charm and modern comfort. One of the highlights of our visit was the fish set menu – fresh, flavourful and beautifully presented. The staff were warm and welcoming, and the whole experience felt authentically Salento. Highly recommended for anyone looking to unwind and enjoy the best of Puglia.

I recognise that Instagramabilty is important for developing the image of a property but I came away with a sense that the brand was more central to the management approach than the customer. Perhaps in native Italian the rules of the club would have come across less institutional. The mini town house design of the rooms allows a lot of them to open into the central courtyard which at night looks amazing and would be perfect for a wedding takeover. Do not imagine the coastal setting comes with easy access to the water never mind a beach. The seafood only / no choice one sitting description of dinner meant we didn’t even think of giving it a go. Breakfast was beautifully presented but after a few days I longed for ordinary breads rather than sweet tarted and for other savoury choices than cheese and salami. Great coffee; very efficient service - and huge shout out to housekeeping staff who keep the rooms and yard spotless and leaf free. Strong northerly winds battered the palm trees and the sound is inescapable. Pool area well equipped with high end sun beds and offers shelter From wind. Pool area opens at 10-00 which is frustrating if you like a pre breakfast dip. Though size Of Poll does not really allow a swim. Second of two 3 night stays in Puglia and totally outshone by considerably lower cost family hotel where the front desk was set up to create interaction with guests Rather than supervise them. In fairness we were allowed use of pool area after checkout at No cost

I have given the hotel enough time to change their decision to refund us the difference of the room we ended up with vs the room we actually booked. They declined (even with intervention from Hotels.com as a Gold member) to do ANYTHING. We paid £1800 in advance for 6 nights for a Junior Suite with private pool. We had no intention of cancelling because this was an important holiday for us, intended to relax & unwind. The room smelt like indoor public baths & bed linen was very damp. Hotel declined to even acknowledge this like we were mad. We asked for another room - preferably a better room. They only had Deluxe Double available. We opted for this as health wise (for anyone's lungs) it was unwise to be here. They were gracious at this point. (NB: they will be scathing with their response as you can see from other reviews. I can confirm my review is 100% accurate & we are v considerate seasoned global travellers). The room was OK & breakfast the following am was delicious. My advice would be DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL. They lied to Hotels.com (when I needed them to step in) about the room they put us in & Mgr was never available to speak to them. We left after 2 nights, because there was nowhere comfortable to sit when not in the bed, the 'sofa' was TINY & the chairs looked great but were not functional. VERY VERY distraught about this experience, All we wanted was a refund for the downgraded room. There was also supposed to be a restaurant; that wasn't open either!! NEVER AGAIN!

Close to harbour town with great restaurants.