Donnosanto Residence

The apartment was clean and pleasant, with everything we needed in the kitchen and enough towels for a few days. Parking is available inside the residence or along the street. It’s a handy base for visiting Ostuni, Alberobello and Monopoli, though we couldn’t find a nice beach nearby. One receptionist was very slow, and another didn’t speak English, which made communication difficult.

The villa feels modern, with bright, elegant lighting inside and out, and was worth what we paid. It’s on a quiet street, less than 100 m from the beach, and there’s parking in the courtyard plus a shower by the courtyard entrance. Inside, the living room and kitchen are spacious, with an induction hob but no microwave. The bedrooms are roomy and the beds comfortable; there’s also a large dining table with plenty of chairs, and a furnished balcony upstairs with a panoramic view. The bathroom was clean but long and narrow. Towels were clean, though there was no soap or shampoo.

We stayed just two nights to explore the area, and for that the hotel did the job. It was fine, though nothing special. Our room was large and clean, and the mini fridge worked well, but there wasn’t a single glass, just one mug, and the in-room safe didn’t work. The extra bed was raised and so uncomfortable that we worried our daughter might fall out at night. The balcony was nice, with a partial sea view, but there were no screens between balconies, so you could see the neighbors and had no privacy. Breakfast was decent for the price and a good start to the day. Courtyard parking is limited, but if it’s full you can leave the car on the street out front, so parking wasn’t an issue for us. The bigger drawback is the village itself. It’s a small residential place with summer houses and little to do, no shops, very few restaurants, and those are quite far away. Without a car, you’re stuck. The nearby shore, about a five-minute walk, is rocky and shallow, hardly what I’d call a beach. The more average beaches are a 10-15 minute drive north or south. This isn’t somewhere I’d choose for a week or longer beach holiday. It works better as a two-night base for places like Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Alberobello, Ostuni and Zoosafari, which are beautiful and worth a visit. In August high season we paid 120 Euros a night for three people with breakfast, a normal price when hotels in the area seemed ridiculously expensive.

The staff were very nice, and the breakfast was really good, especially for Italy, where it’s often just cake. The beach is a short distance away, with shops and restaurants close by. We were there out of season, so it was quiet and pleasant. The room was clean and had a good bathroom, though it wasn’t luxurious. My one complaint was the tiny television, mounted so high on the wall that you had to stand right in front of it to see the picture.