Bellavista Club - Caroli Hotels

We visited in the second half of September, from around the 20th, and Gallipoli, the hotel, and the beaches were pleasantly uncrowded. The weather was lovely for swimming, with air temperatures of 26-28 C and the sea at 25-26 C. A pair of water shoes is useful on beaches in Gallipoli and Salento. One beach we loved was Porto del Salvaggio, a beautiful spot among small rocks, which we reached by bicycle. A bike makes it much easier to explore the north and south of Gallipoli, including its small beaches and towns, and is handy for nearby beaches too. To get a decent mid-range bike, reserve ahead and have one delivered from the Salento region. It costs about 15 euro per bike per day. The available rentals otherwise seemed to be older city bikes, around 10-15 years old. Car hire with an automatic gearbox and bike rental may require communicating through an Italian-English translator, so a good translation app is useful. Bellavista Club is very centrally placed. The old town, with its traditional buildings and narrow lanes, is about a 600 m walk away. There you'll find the market with souvenirs, sweets, and leather goods that seemed worth a look for their quality and prices, as well as restaurants with lovely seaside sunsets. The nearest beach, by the old town, is around 700 m away. It's clean, but has no toilets, so people may not stay all day. You can try using a restaurant toilet upstairs, or take your chances with the sea. Two sunbeds and an umbrella cost 20 euro, or 15 euro after 15:00. The southern beaches in the new town are about 3.5-4 km away on foot, with beach bars, toilets, and showers that take a 2 euro coin. Drinks at the beach bars cost around 5-6 euro for a small beer, but since you've paid for the sunbeds, nobody minds if you bring your own water or beer and a few snacks. We had a four-person room that was properly furnished for sleeping, but the fridge gave us trouble. Ice built up in the open freezer and water leaked into the fridge and onto the floor. After a bit of discussion with reception, we were moved to the 12th floor, where we had a lovely view of the old town and sea. There's no dedicated parking, only paid parking, and the rooms have no balconies, so we couldn't figure out where to dry our swimwear and shoes. The breakfast was the same standard spread each day: scrambled eggs, possibly powdered, boiled eggs, ham, cheese, bread, butter, cereal with milk, croissants, cakes, jam, and usually peaches. We were on half board, so dinner was a la carte, with a first course, main course, and dessert to choose from. There was a good variety of local food, including fish every day and pasta. A bottle of local wine was the best choice to go with dinner and cost an extra 10 euro. Otherwise, dinner included only still or sparkling water. A glass of local wine cost 5 euro, and a 0.3 bottle of beer was 6 euro. Most hotel guests during our visit were Italian, so it was easy for staff to communicate in Italian. English was available too, though Italian seemed preferred and brought smiles, perhaps because of the time of year. Gallipoli still feels like an unpolished gem, with relatively few tourists. The hotel has no balconies, and parking is paid.