Hotel Monte Sarago

We booked a family room for three for our stay in Ostuni.?? The hotel is situated on a busy street about a 10 minute walk to the centre of Ostuni old town. We loved: Reception and restaurant staff were all very friendly and helpful. Breakfast in the ground floor restaurant was good with the usual selection of cereals,?? breads, cold meat and cheese, salads, fruit and a lovely choice of cakes and pastries. ?? It also had hot streaky bacon (although a bit undercooked) with scrambled or boiled eggs.?? The restaurant on the second floor has a great viewing balcony overlooking Ostuni old town.?? We had a really enjoyable meal there one evening. Housekeeping came in every day and left the room immaculate. There is a car hire place practically next door to the hotel with free parking opposite.?? We hired a car for two days at a very reasonable price to explore other towns in Puglia. The stop for the bus to the beautiful sandy beach at Villanova (6km away) is just a few minutes walk from the hotel.?? But check timetables (especially for your return trip) as they only run every few hours.?? This was in May, they may run more frequently in high season.???? Google Maps gives the location of the stop and times for the buses. We didn't use the spa facility but other reviews say it is excellent. Could be better: Our first impression was that some areas of the hotel are rather dark and gloomy. The downstairs bar wasn't open for drinks on our return from town in the evening, but we were able to sit at the bar in the restaurant on the second floor for a drink before bed. Our family room for three was adequate with a comfy king size bed, pull out bed for our son, and ample wardrobe space.???? But it was tucked away in what seemed like an unfinished annexe at the back of the hotel. Cement floors and a couple of plastic chairs outside the room are not worthy of a 4 star hotel.?? It could be improved with better lighting, flooring, some modern artwork and some beautiful Italian ceramics. The window in the room had bars and overlooked a dark and overgrown garden area.?? Worth booking a room with a better view. The shower cubicle was rather small, but the shower worked efficiently. NB:?? The hotel no longer has an outdoor pool, despite various reviews and advertising for the hotel showing one.?? There is an indoor pool within the spa but I believe you have to pay to use this facility.?? Overall though, we really enjoyed our mini break at this hotel, and it is a good base for exploring other towns in the Puglia region. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because we received great service.

We were initially disappointed by this hotel having arrived from a 5* boutique hotel. However, the Monte Sarago is in a good location and our room had a beautiful view of the old town and looking out to sea. It was spotlessly clean and the bed was very comfortable. Breakfast is completely self service and in a rather canteen like room with no outside views but the hotel restaurant and bar has lovely views and an outside terrace. The staff were really helpful and gave us recommendations for restaurants and helped us plan a train trip to Lecce. They are the star turns at this hotel and overall we???d recommend this hotel as a good base for a stay in Ostuni.