Stellammare Apulian House B&B

The rooms are kept very clean, and towels and beds are taken care of daily. Do check the bathroom arrangement before booking: some bathrooms are part of the room, while others are separate, though the external ones can be locked with a key. From the main hall and kitchen, a large secure entrance opens onto the corridor to the rooms and bathrooms. Getting around is easy. The train stop is about a two-minute walk away, and it's two stops to Bari Centrale. Restaurants are roughly 10-15 minutes away on foot. The sea is about the same distance, though there's no official beach there; locals do swim there with their children. The place is easy to find, and the host usually answers the phone and speaks English. Breakfast is packaged pastries and cookies, and there isn't enough for an adult, so you may want to buy your own. You get one coffee capsule per person each day. Air conditioning is only in the rooms, not the kitchen or hall, and it's preset to a set temperature and runs for only about 3-4 hours a day, which wasn't enough in summer. The kitchen taps don't work, either. Hot water is only available in the shower, not the sink.

We were moved here from the different B&B Rosa Blu we had booked, and nobody told us in advance. Noise was a big problem: trains, planes, motorcycles, cars, loud neighbours, and other guests banging doors at 2 AM. The host controls the air conditioning remotely, with a preset temperature, so you can't turn it on or off when you want. There are no mosquito screens, which means opening the windows isn't really an option.

The owner and staff were helpful whenever we needed them, usually reachable within minutes. The place was very clean, with daily cleaning and all the equipment we needed. For the price, it was a great stay, and the air conditioning was especially welcome on hot summer nights. Breakfast wasn't the best, but there are good alternatives close by. I'd recommend it to anyone traveling in the area.

I didn't realize the bathroom was outside the room, and that was really inconvenient. After showering, you have to leave the bathroom and walk back to your room. Going out also meant locking the room, bathroom and gate with the keys they gave me. The host showed me the “breakfast,” but it was just junk food. The bathroom had such a strong smoke smell that I couldn't stay in there long. I wouldn't recommend this hotel.