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Does it seem like everyone you know has gone, is going or is talking about going to Puglia? Here are Indagare’s top picks for Puglia hotels and resorts to make your home base while exploring the heel of the boot in Italy's rugged coastline, charming ancient cities and towns, miles of olive groves and vineyards (and appealing food and wine experiences) and its incredible history, art and architecture. Whether you’re looking for a sprawling full-service, family-friendly multi-pool resort in Puglia, where you can flop and drop together, a romantic smaller-scale hotel with all the amenities, or a more intimate boutique-style palazzo to call your own, these are our top picks in the region right now. Contact Indagare for assistance in booking the hotels in Puglia that are right for you.
Best for: Older couples, foodies and architecture and history buffs looking for delicious food or a cooking school experience and a base in the south of Puglia.
Rooms: Nine suites; the master suites with balconies are the best options. There is no room service, but the staff is warm and friendly and the lovely owners are looking to creating memorable, authentic experiences for their guests.
Vibe: Intimate five-star boutique property set in a 1,000-year-old castle. The labor of love of former Pepsi CEO Massimo d’Amore and his wife, Diana Bianchi, it has been in Massimo’s family for four centuries.
Location: Ugento, in the south, not far from Gallipoli and Leuca
Keep in mind: The Puglia Culinary Centre is a major draw, offering cooking classes and local market tours with its chefs, so make time for a class or a morning trip to the local market. Don’t miss the 16th- and 17th-century Baroque frescoes throughout the hotel. In 2020, they are also opening a wine-tasting center.
Top activities: Cooking classes, art tours, boat charters to nearby grottoes, day trips to Salento beaches, Leuca, Gallipoli or destinations further afield such as Lecce and Otranto or just spending time in the garden. Guests also have access to the pool and facilities at sister property, Masseria Le Mandorle, nearby.
Where to Eat: Il Tempo Nuovo, the hotel’s restaurant, serves delicious meals in a modern dining room (with a glass floor showcasing ruins of the 900-year-old Norman tower found during the restoration).
Best for: Art and design lovers and minimalists not expecting four-plus-star service or a prime location in an under-the-radar southern Puglia town.
Vibe: Authentic, one-of-a-kind 18th-century palazzo-style property.
Rooms: A Design Hotel with nine spare, design-focused suites—no two are alike—this is a sister property to the G-Rough hotel in Rome. Takeovers of the entire property are a possibility, and Indagare can help arrange them on a weekly basis for the right guests.
Location: Near the southern tip of Puglia’s Salento region in a small, dusty town called Gagliano al Capo.
Keep in mind: The 2,100-square-foot apartment suite with three bedrooms can also be taken over for longer stays. Other rooms are quirky and unique (one has a bathroom down a narrow stairway and feels a bit like a cave); several have frescoes on the ceilings and mosaic floors; it also showcases the owner’s art collection.
Top activities: There is a small pool and an upstairs bar and living room, but guests will likely want to head off property during the day to explore the area towns and beaches (and eat). There is also a contemporary art scene in the Salento and the hotel was formerly the family home of Francesco Petrucci, the founder of a local non-profit devoted to promoting contemporary art and artist residencies in the area.
Where to Eat: There is not yet a restaurant on site. A local chef comes in to prepare light snacks and breakfast (or even lunches upon request) for guests. Beach clubs and Lo Scalo, a perfect seaside restaurant with a view, are just 10 minutes away by car.
Who Should Stay: Art lovers and those in search of on-the-cusp, undiscovered places.
Contact Indagare for assistance in booking the hotels in Puglia that are right for you.
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. At many of them, Indagare members receive special amenities.
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