Masseria Rosa Relais

We were welcomed by lovely staff who got us settled in quickly, and even early. The old farmhouse style room had a huge bed and a kitchenette with a coffee machine. The A/C worked like a dream. Quaint setting, and the pool area was simple, peaceful, and lovely.

The two cute cats were the best part. Otherwise, this place felt wildly overrated at 4.7 stars, and I wondered if the reviews were fake. We paid EUR 590 for three nights, which felt like a joke. The place seemed run down and in need of maintenance, and our room with the Whirlpool smelled bad, as others have mentioned. Breakfast was the bare minimum, nothing special, and we had to ask for every extra. The staff weren’t welcoming or interested in guests. They stayed in the kitchen playing on their phones, so we had to go in there repeatedly to ask for things, and still didn’t get everything. I’d stay away.

Our hosts were friendly and full of useful information, and the apartment had all the space and conveniences we wanted. It was clean, and the thoughtful details made it feel carefully put together. Sleeping in a trullo was a unique experience. We ordered breakfast on arrival for the next morning and ate it in the communal area. The food was very nice. For dinner we tried Il Guercio di Puglia, one of the four restaurants recommended by our hosts, and were very happy with it. Our stay was as close to perfect as possible. We’d recommend the place and stay again.

The apartment was a very good value, and I highly recommend it. The rooms are spacious, much more like apartments than little bedrooms. After walking around Alberobello, Locorondo, and Marcia Franca in the summer heat, we were glad to have the pool. Many businesses and museums close between 13:30 and 17:30, so it’s a great time to relax there. The pool at Masseria Rosa never had more than 12-15 people around altogether.