Puglia hotel recommendations

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I’m overwhelmed with trying to find a hotel for me, husband and 12yo this summer.

We would like to stay in Otranto or another town in Salento on the east coast. We would like a hotel with a pool, air-con and parking that is within walking distance to restaurants, so we can both enjoy wine with dinner. So many of the hotels with pools seem to be Masseria׳s which are in the countryside. Child has sensitive skin and some gets rashes in the sea, so having a pool to cool down in is a must.

The Don Ferrante in Monopoli has a very small pool on the roof. Monopoli is lovely. Looking at my booking.com bookmarks - appartemento Corallo in Otranto has a pool and seems to be easy walking distance to town. Also Borgo di li Santi. https://www.vittoriaresort.it/eng/
https://www.hoteldeglihaethey.com/

The reason the majority of hotels with pools are masserias in the countryside is that the towns are small, and things are set close to each other, so no large spaces for pools.

First off, Salento is the bottom bit of Puglia, so basically south of Brindisi. Otranto is lovely, but also Gallipoli on the western coast.

The Acaya hotel would fit the bill in terms of pool, but again it’s in the middle of the countryside. Only about 10 mins if that to the closest beaches, though.

Not technically Salento, but the Borgo Egnazia resort (where the G7 took place) in Fasano has pools, and a shuttle bus takes you to the beach. It’s €€€€€ though, and I found it antiseptic.

My son also has sensitive skin, and has suffered from rashes at the beach. I’ve found the purer water off the rocks is better. Santa Catarina on the western coast of Salento is gorgeous and the water is incredibly soft on the skin. The hotel Gran Rivieria is half way between Santa Cat and Santa Maria, and includes a shuttle to the beach or sunbeds over the rocks opposite the hotel, with access into the sea.

Your other option are the residences/holiday villages like Robinson. They’ve got some further down past Gallipoli towards Ugento and Santa Maria Di Leuca (gorgeous beaches).

We spend all summer in Salento (Italian family); the sea and rock swimming is wonderful. Porto Selvaggio is my absolute favourite place for the purest water, but it’s a hike down and back up again.

Thank you so much for your recommendations!