Grotta Palazzese Beach Hotel

Very rarely do you come across a hotel that is so hell bent on refusing to provide a single bit of service whatsoever. Well this hotel takes the award for this. What ordinary hotels anywhere else in the world would do, this one will not. They are so rude and obnoxious that can drive what begins as a simple, relatively pleasant conversation into a loud argumentative refusal to offer any kind of service whatso ever. There is a reason that every other hotel in the area is sold out, yet this one still has rooms... Don't say you weren't warned. There are SO many options in the area... yes this place is in the media for its famous restaurant, there is not a single bit of 5 star service present. They really should take a look at who their front of house staff are and question if they are the right face of the company. I wont ever be booking here again! It cost me EUR550 to book a room just to get through the gate as was refused entry to even view a room! There must be a reason for this... maybe when people view it they don't want to stay???

This hotel property and private beach are gorgeous. The staff was also lovely. However, this is FAR from a 5-star hotel. The place had 2-4 couples there for our entire 3-night stay. However, they put us in rooms right next to each other. And, our deluxe w-patio room overlooked the parking lot when there were many empty rooms with patios on the beach side. And, our room was smaller than most standard hotel rooms. There was no luggage rack or room to sit other than the bed. The breakfast was included and it was delicious. However, that is really the only amenity offered. I was shocked to learn that if you wanted to use the private beach as a guest, you had to pay 200E more than the already high price of the room. This is not how you treat 5-star guests. If you must, add 50E a night to the rooms and let the guests use the only amenity you have. There’s no bar, no lounge to socialize with other guests, no spa, no pool and literally nothing else offered. As gorgeous and expansive as the property is, there could be a lot more to offer. The dinner menu was brief and expensive. There was no welcome drink or happy hour/cocktail hour offered for guests. There are a million small ways to make this a true 5-star hotel and it stopped short. They did provide us a shuttle to the cave restaurant on their other property which was great and that experience was 5-star all the way (which we paid for). We planned our entire Italy holiday week around this as the ending hotel over my husband’s big birthday and we left disappointed for the $. :(

Lovely hotel, exceptionally nice staff. Just a pointers when staying here. Ensure you tell a driver that you are staying at the Grotto Palazzese Beach hotel and not the Grotto Palazzese hotel. They are related but not in the same location. The Hotel is located directly above the famous Grotto Restaurant as where the Beach hotel is located approx 4 kms away. Also another point is that the Beach hotel charges you $200 euro to use their private beach for the day, something I have never come across before. As mentioned the staff are so lovely, we checked out early and they kindly gave us take-away breakfast. If you are heading the Cave Restaurant, what an experience, its was amazing!!!!!

For starters, there are two Grotta Palazzese hotels in Polignano a Mare. This is NOT the hotel IN the town with the cave restaurant. Many of the reviews here either meant to book that hotel and were upset (I mean that is your own stupidity for not researching or even just looking at a map..) OR they were writing a review on the hotel IN the city center with the cave restaurant. THIS IS NOT THE CAVE RESTAURANT HOTEL LOCATION. This is the other property. This is a very beautiful little beach hotel, perfect for couples or families just wanting to relax, stay on the beach, and maybe do some exploring. The beach is beautiful. The breakfast is wonderful. and the service was exceptional. It is 5 star service, despite what the reviews say. Also worth noting, the snacks and minibar in the room are INCLUDED (minus alcohol), replenished daily, and water bottles are served at the beach for free also. This is huge!! The room size is also not "tiny" as other reviews claimed. I had a double room and it is more than enough for 2 people. Obviously this person saying this has never been to Paris, Rome, Milan, or any other European city lol. The size is good. HOWEVER. Things I wish I knew before booking: LOCATION- This hotel is about 12 minutes drive from the center of town. Which I did not mind, until I found out it is a 15euro tuk tuk ride into the town. So it is 30 euros round trip to go to the town. Very pricey. TIP: If you have a rental car, it is worth it, parking is free. PRICING- if you dont have a car, it makes eating on the property an even bigger problem. Do you pay 30 euros to go into town for lunch? OR pay 30 euros to eat a CLUB SANDWICH. Im not kidding. I almost wish I took a photo of the menu because I have stayed at many places in the world that are far more upscale than Polignano a Mare... and never paid these prices. Sodas were 10 euro, a liter of beer was 30 euro!!!! and the cheapest food item was a vegetarian poke bowl for 25 euro, which was terrible. While the next day I opted for the 30 euro club sandwich and it was very good... a club sandwich for that price is just laughable. Also the room service charge is 25 euro on top of these prices. TIP- again, if you have a car, eat elsewhere. WIFI- only available IN the rooms, so be mindful, you will not have service at the hotel beach or restaurant. The service here is really exceptional though. From booking a taxi 1 hour prior to my arrival for me, meeting me outside to bring my luggage in, the service at the beach and breakfast. While I did not use the concierge, he did come to the beach to make dinner reservations and recommendations. It is 5 star service and if you have a car, want something relaxing with a nice soft sandy beach, traveling with family/couples, I do recommend.