Masseria Stali, The Originals Relais

Everyone was so friendly, and the beautiful grounds were peaceful. My son was in heaven. I wish I’d booked more than three days. We ended up eating dinner at the restaurant every night because the food was yummy and the place was beautiful.

The staff were quick and accommodating, and we even bought some of their olive oil, which they can deliver too. We had dinner here and loved how fresh and savory everything was, made with their own produce. Stali is one of the best places to try local food at a masseria around Lecce, whether for lunch or dinner.

The rooms are modern and clean, the pool and facilities are excellent, and we enjoyed the food and wine. This was our third visit to Stali, after stays here in 2018 and 2019. We had booked five nights, and on checkout asked whether we could spend a couple of hours by the pool since our flight wasn't until evening. Other places we'd stayed near Brindisi, in Nardo and in Lecce, had all welcomed us to do that after checkout. At Stali, the first response was a frown and a comment that we'd need to pay 'for use of an umbrella'. When I explained we'd only sit and read at a table in the pool bar, they reluctantly agreed. I'm only making an observation, not lodging a complaint, but this was one example of how the service and friendliness may not be quite what they used to be. They knew it was our third stay, and sadly it'll be our last.

We couldn't stay after booking a night through booking.com, so we asked to cancel early. The property didn't respond until the following day, then charged us the full amount for a room we never used. Most places will usually refund despite the policy, but they did not. Not fair.