Masseria San Domenico

A bed for the night in Puglia

By Jeremy Atiyah

Published: 04 September 2005

The location
A converted masseria, which means farmhouse, with a watchtower at its heart. It is constructed from beautiful white stone with baroque flourishes and set in more than a hundred acres of olive groves and orchards. The province is rural Puglia, deep in Italy's heel, roughly 45km (28 miles) south of Bari.


The USP
Probably the most exclusive hotel in Puglia - visitors without reservations are not even allowed into its grounds. Facilities include a private beach and seawater swimming pool, an 18-hole golf course, a first-class spa/thalassotherapy centre and tennis courts.


The comfort factor
Rooms have French doors that open straight out onto olive groves. The beds are of the highest quality.


The bathroom
All the luxuries you expect.


The food and drink
The breakfast is a vast buffet in a huge sunny room. Dinner is even more splendid, in the San Domenico restaurant, with its columns and 300-year-old vaulted ceilings. It is a pricey and formal affair, but not wholly removed from the peasant simplicity of cheaper restaurants in Puglia; most of the fruit and vegetables, and the olive oil, come from the estate. Dinner for two without wine costs around €110 (£80).


The people
Restaurant guests wear jackets and ties and suchlike finery. The bar, with its private little niches, creates a sense of discreet exclusivity.


The area
The rocky seashore is a few hundred metres away and the small fishing village of Savelletri di Fasano three minutes' drive. Nearby too are the extensive ruins of the ancient city of Egnazia. A further short drive away is the lovely Valle d'Itria with its trulli and historic towns.


The access
Many of the rooms are in ground-floor annexes with no staircases to negotiate, although none are specifically modified for people with disabilities. Children welcome. Pets not allowed.


The damage
From €350 (£250) per room per night until the end of September.


The address
Masseria San Domenico, Strada Litoranea 379, 72015 Savelletri di Fasano, Brindisi, Italy (00 39 080 482 7769). The hotel is a member of Great Hotels of the World (0800-032 4254; www.ghotw.com).