Bellariva B&B e Relax

Avoid staying here. The owner was terribly rude and tried to charge me $900; once I asked for an itemized receipt, the amount dropped to $139. I’ve never been charged for mandatory room cleaning before, and I was yelled at when I tried to turn down the thermostat. I would steer clear of this place.

We only learned about the €300 charge after we got home. It had been put on my credit card without my knowledge or consent, and we were never told about a problem during the stay or at checkout. After checking out, we were accused of theft, which we believe had no basis. We’ve emailed several times asking for an explanation, evidence, or a refund, but the hotel has not provided a valid reason or responded appropriately. As of Aug 14, they still would not return our money, so we’ve opened a formal dispute with my card company. This has caused a lot of stress and inconvenience. In all my travels, Bellariva Monopoli has been the most disturbing and unprofessional experience I’ve had. No guest should be treated this way. Avoid this place. There are plenty of lovely hotels in Puglia, and this isn’t one of them.

Claudio and his team were friendly and helpful, and the B&B and our room were spotless. Our breakfast came to the room, so we could eat it outside on the terrace. The beach across the street is swimmable, and it's a short, beautiful walk along the harbor to Monopoli's old town. Although the B&B is near a fairly busy intersection, there was little to no traffic noise at night; during the day, the thick windows kept most of it out. Bella Riva was a very good choice for our stay. Thanks, Claudio and team! Mel and Joan

We appreciated being offered cold water while we waited, and Expedia eventually found us another hotel we chose and gave us a compensation coupon. But the room we had booked here wasn't available when we arrived. I had messaged the owner twice, once two days ahead and again that morning, to ask about checking in before 4pm, and got no reply. Those messages also made clear we were coming, but nobody contacted us to cancel or sort out the booking, whether the issue was Expedia's mistake or not. When we arrived early, the owner said an Expedia error meant there was no room and offered one at his other hotel. We declined because its view, location, and level didn't match what we'd paid for here. He kept pushing us to accept it, which my wife and I found rude. We then spent an hour and a half outside in the warm weather trying to resolve things with Expedia. The owner was pushy, and the service was bad.