Grand Hotel Masseria Santa Lucia

I too stayed at the hotel as part of an Inghams Tour but as this was not the hotel I had originally been told Inghams were using, I was very apprehensive after having read the previous negative reviews. My room in the main part of the hotel was a good size, with an excellent shower. The lighting in the bedroom was very dim but the bathroom was very well lit with a magnifying mirror incorporating a light. The television was a good size with a Sky box. A list of television channels would have been a helpful addition. The wifi in the bedroom was non existent, although the signal was strong around the reception area & on the small terrace outside. I would have expected a card with the wifi code to have been in the bedroom. The food was marginally better than I had expected, although at times, it was quite disappointing both in the choice of dishes & their presentation. On our last evening, the main course was a choice of either mackerel or a platter of mixed cheese. Much as I love cheese, I did not consider it to be an acceptable main course. On our first evening, when we arrived late, it was irritating the menu for our meal was written in German. They were aware we were on the Inghams??? tour & were not part of a German one. The drinks were expensive & the only snack available for lunch on our last day was an unappetizing looking cheese & ham sandwich. Again the presentation & quality was awful & I am glad I saw the standard before I ordered one. The hotel is very isolated & without a car I would not recommend it or consider staying there again.

Went on Inghams "Best of Puglia Tour". The Room was good and no real complaints other than the floor could have been cleaned more regularly. With a small outside secluded patio area and at ground level it is easy to walk dust and dirt into the bedroom. The hedging surrounding the patio needed to be trimmed as we ended up fighting though over-hanging thorns and other branches to get to the seating. Tea and coffee making facilities in the room would help in the morning and when returning from trips. Hotel Catering & Bar Very Poor and had to complain to the manager about the quality of the evening food and the positioning of the tables. The service was not good either, not helped by the positioning of the tables. The group had three tables, the chairs for 8 of the group were up against a back wall which meant the waiters could not serve from behind ( they had to pass and take away plates across the table!!). The food was tasteless and sometimes inedible. I could not understand why we were on a different menu to the rest of the restaurant; surely the cost difference was a small price to pay to protect the Inghams name. The lighting was also poor and when eating fish with bones, not ideal. Some flood lighting was installed after the complaint. We all sat down at 7:30, but didn???t finish until around 10:00. The rest of the restaurant were in and out in 90 minutes. The group were treated like second class citizens. One evening 8 of us took taxis to Ostuni (5 miles away) and had a good meal and wine, with a great atmosphere for 25 euros each. Not sure why the hotel could not have provided the same. The swimming pool bar also closed on a whim; I was chasing around to order a mid-day sandwich. The bar also ran of certain soft drinks (Sprite, Fanta etc.) and this on the first night and was not corrected throughout our stay which I???m told was down to a lack of ordering. Good food is part of the holiday; the lack of it sends the wrong message. The hotel was isolated and walking to other places was not possible, something that is pleasing and part of the holiday evenings. Definitely not a 4* hotel, but could be with better food and service.

I loved the faded decadence about it but rest assured this hotel is not luxury. Linen, beds and rooms are clean but very basic. No tea/coffee making facilitis. Basic minibar. No extra toiletries just shower gel. Food is thrown at you at dinner and similar to a big busy Butlins type fare. Breakfast is a fee for all with everyone stuffing extra food into their bags for later. Whole hotel is t really geared for English speaking. Small tv in room. No comforts especially if it rains. Pool is decent but I???d rate this as a 2/3 star. Service is a bare minimum Raw sewage (actual big fresh lumps of it) and nappies floating in sea area to right hand side of garden/rock/sea area