Hotel Lafayette

We kept the room we’d booked, which had been newly renovated and was pretty and functional. The safe was great, the first one I’ve found big enough for my things and laptop. Breakfast was nice, with a fair selection and great service. The hotel was almost empty, so we asked about an ocean view room, but there was a 30 euro extra charge. After seeing it, we passed because the view was over the roof.

The staff were pleasant, parking was free and onsite, and it was easy to reach by car since it’s beside the highway rather than in the scenic city center. The lobby and restaurant looked beautiful. That’s about all we enjoyed. Maybe this hotel is better in high season, but I wouldn’t recommend it off-season. We were the only guests, so we hoped for especially good service and a great room. Instead, things were just acceptable, and the price was much too high for what we got. We chose the hotel for the sea view and balcony. The balcony did have a sea view after looking over the wide roof, but the room itself did not. A narrow door opened onto a walkway about 20 feet long leading to the large balcony. The pool and outdoor areas were closed. The restaurant felt more like a ballroom set up for a private party, which was awkward. One man seemed to handle everything there, including serving us breakfast. Breakfast choices were limited and weren’t replenished the next morning. The room was so small there was barely space to lay out my carryon suitcase. The bathroom was small too, with water damage between the shower and the wall beside the bed. Both nights, it sounded like a dance party was happening, though we didn’t see any other guests. We could still hear music in the middle of the night. They offered another room, but it had no sea view, which was half the reason we picked this hotel. There were plenty of empty rooms with sea view balconies. The location isn’t handy either, since you still have to drive to see Puglia. There are much prettier places.

We had a great time here with our family, and the kids loved the pool and beach. The hotel is right by the sea, with elegant, comfortable rooms, good facilities, and friendly, professional staff. Assigned sun beds and good food at the restaurant made it easy to relax and enjoy fresh local dishes.

The room was elegant, but I can’t give the hotel a good rating. There were no brochures and we weren’t given information about where or when breakfast was served. One receptionist didn’t understand English and used Google Translate. We also had to ask before they gave us the Wi-Fi password, and the air conditioning was only turned on after we intervened. The pool was closed because the season had ended, even though it was 30C outside, and the beach gate was locked with a padlock. Breakfast was a big mess. People kept saying there were no more scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, butter, ham, and only one slice of cheese left. The man said he’d bring more, but came back ten minutes later with only scrambled eggs, enough for two people. Nothing else happened for the next 15 minutes, and people left disgusted and hungry. We stayed here two years ago and things were much better then. It’s a shame, but the hotel seems to be going downhill. I think you can find something much better for this price.