Corte Altavilla Relais & Charme

We arrived around midnight and were a little puzzled by the layout: the two bedrooms were separate, with steps between them. In daylight, though, the hotel and its surroundings looked beautiful. Breakfast was excellent, and the staff were warm and quick to help, including with arranging a rental car, finding a bus, and booking a taxi for our last day. I’d happily come back and recommend staying here.

The hotel is tucked into the historic center, but it was remarkably quiet. I spent nine days there and slept wonderfully. My room stayed spotless and had everything I needed. I also appreciated the water left in the room and arriving to find the air conditioning already running. Breakfast had plenty of choice, with lots of delicious fresh-baked items and as much as I wanted. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel restaurant, too, and the chef often came over to check how we liked the food. Dario and Alessandro were especially attentive, and the whole team made sure we had what we needed. I’d gladly recommend the place to anyone visiting the area.

The hotel is in a charming spot in the old town, and we had a lovely stay. The breakfast buffet has a wide range of food, plus complimentary made-to-order items such as omelets, pancakes, coffee, and fresh orange juice. Service was quick and very courteous. Many staff members have been there for 20 years, and housekeeping did a great job. The air conditioning worked well, and wooden shutters kept the room completely dark for sleeping. I’d suggest staying 3-4 nights rather than a full week, since dinner options in the immediate neighborhood may start to feel repetitive. You can’t park directly at the hotel. The paid lot belongs to the hotel, and costs €10 per day. Google gives a needlessly long route from there; it’s only about 300 meters if you take the stairs past the castle. You’ll need a code to enter the reserved lot, so call reception for it. Street parking is difficult.

The staff were lovely, and the old building is spotless and well placed among the old town restaurants and bars. We stopped for one night on our way north from Salento to Bari. For 147 euros, though, our room felt more like a pension than a relais: bare white walls, tile floors, and no decor. There weren’t any tea or coffee facilities or separate shampoo and conditioner, which seemed odd for a spa hotel. The air conditioning was extremely loud, as was the lift shaft, and we were in room 113. Breakfast was fine, just not the feast the website led us to expect. I’d maybe stay again if they could promise a better room. It felt like we may have got the last unlucky one. If I’d known the air conditioning would be so noisy, I wouldn’t have booked, and I don’t think that room should have been offered in that condition. I mentioned the issues at the desk and would have been pleased with a refund, but couldn’t be bothered to pursue it.