Relais Masseria Caselli

We stayed three nights before the busy part of the season. It was quiet, the pool wasn’t open yet, and we felt almost as if we had the place to ourselves. Our room was a beautiful, spacious stone “cave,” with a patio looking towards the pool and sea. The service and facilities were great, and the main building and gardens felt peaceful, with newer parts blending in well with the old ancient maseria. Late one night at dinner and again at breakfast, things suddenly got full and busy when two buses arrived with lots of passengers.

There’s no public transport nearby, so without a car you can feel stuck here. It could work as a secluded hotel for couples, but not for a tourist group. The garden is beautifully maintained, and the pool can be used during the day. There are a few information leaflets, some in English, but this feels like a very Italian hotel, with no international TV channels. Our shower door was jammed and missing a roller, so it couldn’t close during our three-day stay; housekeeping didn’t notice. I also found breakfast weak, though my wife disagreed, and there were no eggs. The small staff were helpful, and the hotel seemed to run itself. At the entrance, there are stairs but no luggage or accessible ramp, which left guests holding their bags unsure what to do. Some dragged them up, and I think one bag’s wheel broke. Staff helped some guests with a disabled lift next to the stairs. We later saw it was working, though it’s generally for show and only used when needed. It took staff a while to operate, but they moved a number of bags to the entrance.

The place is beautiful, the rooms are spacious and brand new, and the pool is amazing. But the rooms are humid, even with the door and window open, the humidity climbs again within 15 minutes. Breakfast is international and cheap, though I’d prefer a smaller selection with better quality. The coffee was the worst I had in Puglia, and one waiter told guests to serve themselves. The restaurant food wasn’t good either, and the menu is limited. You can’t use the pool whenever you want, since it may be reserved for a wedding.

During our nine-day high-season stay, this venue prioritized six weddings and a bar mitzvah over its regular hotel guests. We were told to stay away from the pools, had to put up with midnight fireworks and wedding-singer-style music late into the night. The stressed, unsympathetic staff wouldn’t unlock the gym, and gave no compensation for reduced pool, restaurant, bar, and parking facilities. Even when the pool was open, there was no drinks service there. The rooms smelled moldy, had no iron or ironing board, and we had to call reception to switch on the air conditioning. This far-from-pleasant events venue presents itself as a hotel or resort. Unless you’re planning a last-minute marriage proposal, avoid it like the plague.