Charme & Chic Studios - Bari Centro

Getting into the studio took several hours, and the wait was miserable after a long journey with all our luggage in unbearable heat. We’d agreed to arrive between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM, even though the official latest check-in time was 3:00 PM. At first, nobody answered the phone. After many calls and messages, someone replied half an hour later to say the room still needed cleaning and would be ready in 15 minutes. We understood and waited. Another 30 minutes later, no one answered again. After more attempts, we were told it would take another 15 minutes, but even an hour after that call the room still wasn’t ready. The delays made us suspect it could be a scam, and we began searching for somewhere else to stay. A few hours after finally getting in, we found that the place didn’t fully match its description and the service was extremely poor. The studio is in a noisy area. Water is re-filtered and smells like sewage. The furniture, bathroom fixtures, floors and finishes were in deplorable condition. There was no hand soap, just an empty dispenser, the towels were poor quality, and everything smelled musty. Cleanliness was below standard. I think only the bedsheets had been changed.

I never got into the room. The website said the office was open daily from 9am to 7pm, but when I got there, bars covered the windows and doors and I couldn’t even enter. Nobody was there to help me check in. I tried contacting the hotel through its website, but got no reply, no check-in email and no entry link. I then walked all the way to the property, but no one was there either, and I couldn’t speak to anyone. The site says the office is open and guests can check in there, but that wasn’t true in my case. No communication, no room. What a fun stay in Bari. This hotel is a complete scam. DO NOT BOOK HERE.

The location is very good, but the apartment itself is dark and not somewhere you’d want to spend time. There are two apartments, and the one facing the street is extremely noisy, with a constant smell from the restaurant below. The kitchen smelled awful from the sewer, and the shower hose leaked. The single bed was broken. There was only one regular glass for three people, plus one wine glass. I told the apartment service about these problems. Nobody acted on them; all I got was, “we will inform the owner”.

Charme & Chic Studios was a lovely, very clean place to stay, and the administrator was friendly and really helpful. It’s close to great cafes and restaurants, and ideally placed for exploring Vecchia Bari. The Cathedrals and the Fortress are only a five-minute walk away. I had a very pleasant experience and hope to stay at Ch & C again on my next visit to Bari.