BB A Casa Di Gioia

Deborah and Francesca made us feel at home, looking after us throughout our stay and suggesting beaches and towns to visit. This new, well-maintained B&B has a kitchen and an inner courtyard, and the breakfast was especially good. It’s in a very quiet area, just steps from Porta San Biagio, one of the city’s main entrances. A great base for Lecce and all of Salento, with everything reachable in 30-40 minutes by car. Recommended for a holiday full of sea, sun, wind and beauty!

The organization was disappointing. When we arrived to check in, the room wasn’t ready. The owner said it wasn’t check-in time, although we’d agreed by phone that we could come then. We changed quickly, luckily, and came back that evening. Breakfast, which reviews had praised so much, was also a letdown: we ate the same things all week and found it dry, with no Nutella or any other spread. The main entrance and the door before the room have to be left open, and we weren’t given keys. We were locked out once and had to wait for someone to let us in. Cleaning wasn’t daily as stated on booking, and toiletries weren’t complimentary. The room itself was large, spacious, cool and air-conditioned, and I couldn’t fault the property otherwise. The location was excellent for walking to Lecce center and for getting around Salento, with anywhere reachable in 30-40 minutes by car.

I’ve never had such a disastrous stay. I booked a week with my son, but there was no hot water when we arrived, the bidet was broken and the bathroom was empty. I called the manager, who sent a plumber two days later, but I wasn’t reimbursed for the inconvenience. Breakfast was awful too, with rotten fruit, a tart that was a week old and nothing else fresh. The room wasn’t cleaned once in seven days, even though they’d said someone would come.

The room was spacious and clean, and the two women who run the place are the best. Very nice, and they even had gluten-free pastries at breakfast!