Masseria dei Monaci - Hotel Ristorante - 4 stelle

We spent 14 wonderful days at Masseria dei Monaci, the ideal place to unwind. Salento’s charming villages, beautiful beaches and walking trails are nearby and lively Otranto is just a few minutes away by car. Valle d’Itria is also easy to reach for a day trip. This former monks’ dormitory has been tastefully redesigned and the rooms are spotless for which a special thanks to the housekeeping team! The setting is peaceful, with views of both countryside and sea. Each morning, we enjoyed the varied breakfast (sweet and savory, something for everyone), while lunch by the pool and dinner in the lovely dining area outside were always delicious and prepared / served with great care. Most of all, it was the warmth and professionalism of Germana, her family, and the entire team that made our stay so special.

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

The Masseria is beautifully designed, intimate and a quiet retreat from the bustle of Otranto centro. The rooms are modern and, impeccably clean and very comfortable. The grounds are beautiful. Stay for dinner. The food is delicious and beautifully prepared.

Unfortunately, our stay was a little disappointing. On the positive side, the room was as expected, and the daily housekeeping was exceptional. Unfortunately,the hotel facilities listed online are a little misleading. We stayed during the first week of October, the poolside bar was closed, as was the hot tub, there were also a couple of occasions where the indoor bar was also closed/unstaffed. You need to request everything from staff (different types of towels, use of facilities, sunbed cushions, even milk for cereal) which means that staff are overworked and forgetful. When mistakes were made, the staff were apologetic which was appreciated, but it didn’t feel like a calming, luxurious experience that we had hoped for. The restaurant serves only seafood and they could not accommodate any vegetarian options when asked (I feel this should be stated in the hotel information available before booking) which meant that we needed to drive to Otranto every evening where there were thankfully many accommodating restaurants. The breakfast wasn’t great. I had contacted the hotel in advance via ******* for info on excursions, but they never responded. The vibe of the hotel felt like there was a lot of rules and you were often being watched by staff, which meant that we felt reluctant to spend our time there like we’d intended. The surrounding area is beautiful, but in comparison to other hotels and considering the limited service/facilities, this hotel is overpriced in our experience.