Maison Rinaldi

We went in August 2021 as three couples, and the rooms were a mess from the start. We had booked three double rooms on Booking.com, but got one room for three, one double, and one single. They were in the basement with no windows, sunlight, or fresh air, and the beds and pillows were so uncomfortable that I couldn’t sleep during the whole stay. The pool was another disappointment. Swimming was forbidden after 6pm, and whenever we wanted to use it, we were told we needed a special swimming cap. With it 38 degrees outside, wearing a plastic cap was ridiculous. The water looked dirty and sticky, probably unfiltered for years. The place was old and rusty, and the manager was always around, sleeping in the lobby or on a bench and watching everything we did. It made us feel like intruders. We felt they only cared about money and gave guests nothing in return. At the same time, the manager held parties for family and friends throughout the hotel. His family could swim at night without caps, make noise, drink late, and even set off loud fireworks. That hypocrisy needs to change. I was very disappointed by the terrible condition of Maison Rinaldi. For this price, you can find much better places in Bari with kind, friendly service. If you don’t want to waste your money and go home disgusted with bad memories, don’t stay at Maison Rinaldi.

Our stay at mini-hotel Maison Rinaldi SrL was booked for 05-12.06.2022, and it was the worst apartment experience in our 20 years of travel. The hotel is outside the city, with no beach, cafe, or supermarket within 2 km. We had booked an airport transfer listed on the site and sent Vito our flight number and arrival time. Our flight was delayed a little, but when we came out around midnight, nobody was there. Taxi drivers refused to take us because the hotel was outside town, and it took effort to find one who would. The ride cost 35 Euros, not the 40 Euros the hotel listed. The place is a fenced house, not like the description and photos on Booking.com. The pool was unclean, with leaves and bits of debris floating in it, and its online photo was heavily embellished. There were no plants in the middle, just a fence and the owners' home, which also has rooms. Vito opened the door, but he doesn't speak English, and handed us keys to the room we had booked. The room was in the basement and nothing like the listed 20 square meters. It was only 12 square meters, with no proper window or light and nowhere to put a suitcase. A small ventilation opening only moved 10 cm. The bathroom was so cramped one person couldn't turn around, and the towels were dark and worn, like floor rags. The paintings made the room feel more like a place rented by the hour. Breakfast was described as Italian, but that meant coffee, water, croissants, and cake. Another hotel had also called its breakfast Italian, but served cheese, eggs, omelette, prosciutto, salami, seasonal fruit, fresh juice, cappuccino, good coffee, and even pieces of pizza. Trains went by constantly, making it feel like we were staying at a station. We had paid for 7 nights and decided to leave. We told Vito we wanted to go as soon as possible and asked him to refund the 6 unused nights. He said he would do it after receiving the funds, minus one night. We agreed, booked another hotel, and trusted he would keep his word. A few days later, he said he would return nothing and no longer wanted to communicate. He had earlier stressed that nobody stayed with him more than one night. Vito never refunded the 700 euros. We contacted Booking.com, but they refused to communicate with us and said to resolve it with the owner.

Trains go by constantly, about every 2.86 minutes, and kept waking me up. They also charge around €10 extra for cleaning and tourist tax. The “cleaning” was just making the bed with the same sheets. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere, serves no food, and yet says it has a restaurant. Please avoid it.

The interior was really nice, and the room was lovely. The staff were friendly too. There’s a nice seaside restaurant nearby called Doremar, and the bus stop is right by it, with an easy ride into Bari center. I hope I can come back!