Corte dei Donno

The walls are a little thin, so you can hear every noise from the neighboring room. Otherwise, this place is outstanding: there's a private terrace for meals, a nice pool area, and even a jacuzzi on the rooftop. Each room has a furnished kitchenette, and you're only a few minutes from Gallipoli and some amazing, relaxing beaches.

We found a hidden gem in Salento, surrounded by greenery. The owners were incredibly kind, and the four of us had five relaxing days here. The pool is spacious, and the breakfast area is very well appointed. An enchanting place.

The outdoor spaces are nice, and the facilities have potential, but the place needs a lot of rethinking. Reception was nonexistent and communication happened by text. They were very firm about rules and counter-rules, but lacking in everything else. The house felt poorly maintained and not clean overall. The sofa and kitchen sink were dirty. In the bathroom there was a stale smell, and the shower and sink were clogged, so I bought drain cleaner and used it. The cabinet drawer was clearly broken, and I couldn't open the one underneath unless I pulled it out myself. There wasn't even a glass for toothbrushes, and the bathroom window was broken. At my request, these were fixed haphazardly. The kitchen was missing basics: a salad bowl, tablecloths, sharp knives, and kitchen towels, among other things. There were only three dining chairs, though the house was listed for four. The towel hooks behind the bathroom door had been removed and not replaced, so I bought some myself. The Jacuzzi pool had a problematic cleaning system. Even though it ran 20/24 hours a day, the water turned completely cloudy, and the noise kept us from enjoying the outdoor area, let alone the uninviting, dirty pool. We switched the system off ourselves because no help was provided. We were only told it shouldn't have been turned off and that the robot would have fixed the problem. The barbecue was listed as for exclusive use, but we still had to ask for it. We left a day early, yet were still told to check out by 10:30 a.m. So many "buts."

Customer service was poor. There was no reception, and almost nobody was on site to help, even with self-check-in. The resort was neglected, with maintenance problems left unresolved: broken windows, doors that wouldn't close, a shower that leaked onto the bathroom floor, and cold water at busy times because of a shared solar-powered boiler. Apartment cleaning was generally superficial and poor; after I complained, they gave the apartments an extra clean. The pool wasn't very clean, and shared spaces weren't well cared for, including plants that needed trimming. Breakfast was lacking in both quality and quantity, with vending-machine coffee, defrosted pastries and bread, and no fresh produce.