Puglia holiday help

[EmmaStone]

I’m going round in circles trying to plan a holiday in Puglia. It’s for me and DH, DD (21), DS (19) and DD’s boyfriend may join us.

We’re happy to hire a car to explore, but would like accommodation that the ‘kids’ can have some independence - so a walk around the town, or a train station. We are normally self caterers/villas, but we’ll only go for a week, and I also fancy some pampering. DD has requested walking distance to a beach. DH (and I) have to have air con. Would love a pool. We’ll be flying in and out of Bari.

Looking to travel in September. Budget for accommodation up to £3000 (that would have to be really special)?

I think it’s mega bucks, but have a look at Borgo Egnazio resort, near Fasano. It’ll have all the pampering and pools, plus shuttle bus to the beach, but as I said it is very expensive. Not my taste when I went there, but it’s very popular with celebrities.

You really do need a car in order to explore. There are some great towns like Ostuni, but they’re a drive to local beaches. Polignano sul Mare might fit the bill? Or Monopoli? Most fancy resorts or masserias with pools will be out of town though, so you need a shuttle bus or car to get to the town itself or the beaches.

If you were flying into Brindisi, I’d have suggested somewhere like Gallipoli. Lovely town, great atmosphere at night and easy for your adult children to mooch around. Bari, I’m not so familiar with (we’re in Salento, further down).

Puglia isn’t the best for beaches. It’s more about pools! I’d visit the beautiful old towns, eat great food and relax around a hotel pool. DD did similar a few years ago and they didn’t go near a beach.

Polignano sul Mare is definitely worth a visit, both for the beach & the old town. And if you go, look out for La Rotellina on the street above the beach - they do panzerotti, a Puglian deep-fried pasty. I recommend the ginger, ricotta & pear flavour.

Ma che sta dice? ! We have amazing beaches, especially down on the Ionian side in Salento. Maldives, Ugento, Porto Cesareo etc etc all absolutely cristalline. You just need a car to access them. The rock swimming is also perfect, and I prefer this. Porto Selvaggio, near me, is a protected marine park and the water is amazing.

In Puglia there are literally the best beaches in the whole Italy. You do need a car and I would recommend you stay somewhere in the middle (not too north or too south). Puglia is very long as a region - you should stay in the middle (like Ostuni, Carovigno, Torre Santa Sabina) so you can explore both sides (Monopoli, Polignano, Bari north and Lecce Otranto Gallipoli Porto Cesareo south)

We loved Borgo San Marco, near Fasano. You will need a car as it is not within walking distance of anything. But a really beautiful, relaxed hotel with incredible food. Really lovely pool area and just all round nice vibes.

Go to Matera. It was in the last Bond film ( at the beginning). I also liked Monopoli. There are lots of gorgeous sleepy towns though. Alberobello(so?) was in the Race Across the World lady week.

Thank you all so much, this has helped confirm some of my thoughts, and I’m now settled on staying near Ostuni. And yes, we’ll definitely be frequenting the stunning beaches as well as the gorgeous towns! We’ll definitely have a car, and will look into DD hiring a car too for some independence.

I stayed in Ostuni when I went to Puglia about 5 years ago. We did a number of day trips, great holiday and the food was fab.