Trulli with Private Pool in Puglia for 8 people

Positive: gardens and swimming pool setting are wonderful. The inside of the house is simple and solid. However, the online posting for the unit is different from what we experienced: 1) The owners live in the main part of the house. This information cannot be found anywhere on the website. The pictures displayed on the website (and the advertised price) give the impression that one rents the entire property exclusively. While the owners are not seen much, they and their family/staff/guests come and go as one would expect in a normal home setting – passing in front of the rented part of the property. 2) Cats and a dog are on the property (dog is behind a fence). We had no issue with this as we are pet owners. However, we could have been allergic/ scared of pets which would have ruined our holidays. In addition, the online description for this unit describes that pets are not allowed on the premises. 3) While it says that the house can take 8 people, this is only possible when giving up the living room. 4) A newly added bedroom (our impression) did not have proper curtains – light enters the room easily. 5) The kitchen is simple and run-down with basic facilities. All other properties we rented before were better equipped. Quite basic things are missing (no toaster, no tray, cutlery is only sufficient for one meal (then one needs to clean in order to have sufficient cutlery for the next meal)). 6) The bbq place is not well equipped. Bbq utensils are minimal if any. Note that we have not made use of the bbq. 7) Terrace seating equipment is minimalistic (much more basic vs. advertised). While one can have breakfast outside, tables have to be moved together and tables (normally would allow for the seating of two only) are more akin to a simple café than a home. 8) Pool: paint is coming off the walls/ pool floor. We are not sure why (cheap paint? Low quality job performed?). Communication: the owners only communicate in basic English. For the issues to discuss (given that they we, we tried to discuss) we were referred to online-communication. This was not convenient (also given that internet connection speed of the unit is slow). Particular incident: we asked for separate towels for the pool (pictures on the internet show the pool with towels on the beds next to the pool). We were informed that the rental price for the unit did not include pool towels. Summary: price / offer ratio are incomprehensible to us.

It was very hard to decide what star rating to give this property. When we booked it, we were completely under the impression that we would have the whole place to ourselves. Nothing in the description suggested to us that the trulli complex is attached to the owners' house (connecting door is kept locked from their side). Although we had our own entrance door, the driveway, parking and access paths are shared. In fact, the owners (Francesca & Giuseppe and children) need to walk past the kitchen patio to get to their front door. Had we known the set-up we would never have booked the place. However, I can't bring myself to give only one star because I think that if you were planning to book a granny flat, in many ways this is a very nice one. The bedrooms and en suite bathrooms are very well done, the whole place was spotlessly clean, and the pool and garden are beautiful. (The pool is ramped, so is no good for lengths, but great for playing about in, relaxing and diving.) The kitchen has suffered from wear and tear, and needs some repair to the cupboards. The kitchen equipment, crockery and cutlery are adequate rather than plentiful, but I expect that the kitchen will gradually become superbly well equipped as I only had to mention the lack of an oven glove & tea towels to Francesca for her to arrive later that day with everything we needed. The big outside table and chairs in the photo weren't there during our stay. Instead there were three rather unsteady small folding tables with matching chairs which we found too impractical/uncomfortable to use. We used the kitchen table and chairs instead. There is no dining table or chairs by the BBQ (which we didn't use), and I think it would be a good idea to get them. We all found the stools rather uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time. Francesca comes across as a genuinely warm and welcoming person, keen to ensure that you have a good holiday. It's about a 30 minute walk into Castellana Grotte (longer if you saunter), along fairly quiet roads (downhill then uphill both ways). There are cycle lanes and routes nearby. Castellana Grotte has a good feel about it, and it's buzzing at the weekend. It's a good base for exploring the area.

From the friendly and welcoming initial emails, to the fantastic welcome and tour around the Trullo villa, we all loved our visit to Puglia. Guiseppe and Francesco were great hosts and have the most beautiful property which we could have spent all week staying in at, but wanted to see the local area and what that had to offer to. We would recommend this to anyone who wants to treat themselves to a stunning property near Bari/Brindisi and obviously Matera. We can't thank the hosts enough and would happily go back again in the future, Grazie mille a voi!

We had a great stay. The house is as described, with a lot of space and a very nice pool. This region in Italy is wonderful.

With 2 families we have had a fantastic holiday in this villa. A big and beatiful garden, excellent swimming pool. Clean house and helpful hostess Francesca. We never had such a fine residence. In the neighbourhood many places of interest, such as Locorotondo, Alberobello, Monopoli, Lecce and the caves of Castellana and the beaches. We can recommand this villa very much and we thank Francesca and Giuseppe for our excellent stay. It was great!!!