Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita

This is the place to get the best experience in Matera, the rooms are fantastic and the breakfast is in an old church. The staff is efficient and friendly and the do not miss the aperitivo.... recommend as well to take a guide for 2 hours.

I was recommended to this place by a friend and so I booked it as a surprise birthday trip for my husband. When I booked, there was a neat option to add some additional products to the booking. I added two in-room massages, a bottle of red wine in our room upon arrival, and a birthday cake and a bottle of prosecco to be delivered Saturday. Before arrival, they were so quick and easy to correspond with. They provided detailed directions to get to the hotel in addition to three parking options. Upon arrival, we called a number and were quickly greeted by an individual that assisted us with our bags and parked our car (we used the valet option). We were graciously upgraded from a classic to a superior room. The room itself was so unique - safely lit candles softly spread throughout the room greeted us in addition to the pre-ordered bottle of red wine and a bowl of fresh fruit. A shower option was replaced by low, large tub for which they provided wonderful smelling bath products. Of note, reception was manned 24-hrs a day so you could always reach someone. The breakfast was buffet style, but due to COVID, the staff members would walk you through the buffet and fill your plate for you. It was an enormous and delicious spread that included meats, cheeses, cakes, juices, jams, breads, small sandwiches, etc. It was held every day from 8-10 am and all guests were required to wear a mask until they sat down to eat (masks were provided if a guest forgot theirs in their room). Additionally, the hotel scheduled breakfast times with their guests so there were never too many individuals in the breakfast area. The two in-room massages were right on time as was the delivery of the adorable small cake and bottle of sparkling wine. We got two 60-minute massages and they were wonderful and relaxing. Our room had two large, fluffy robes and slippers, so we felt very spa ready even before our massages. At the end of our stay, we bought two candles and a bottle of the bubble bath since we loved them so much during our stay. They had these products at the reception area, in addition to others, and they wrapped them up for us individually. We were even given a small candle in addition to the ones that we bought as a going-away gift. The hotel itself is a short (7-min) uphill walk to the main areas of the city. There are numerous restaurants, churches, and museums within walking distance. We visited Baccanti, Il Riccione, the Gelato Laboratory, and the museum Casa Noha (buy tickets online at casonoha.it). We had the most amazing stay and shortly after leaving we received a discount code for a future stay, either at this exact hotel or at their sister hotel in Abruzzo. We are definitely going to use that! We cannot recommend this place enough. It is simply a gem!