EscapeToItaly: Holiday Property in Puglia

"Dawn and I had a wonderful, wonderful time. The apartment was superb on all fronts; the location, facilities and the privacy of the sun terraces were all tip top. Galatina is charming, quaint and best of all has no 'foreign' tourists - wonderful!

We would have no hesitation about recommending your apartment to others and we'd certainly consider returning."

"Just got back into the UK yesterday, after one of our best holidays for many years, so we're feeling a bit flat at the moment! We loved Puglia and Galatina in particular. It was refreshing to visit somewhere so genuinely unspoilt - I think we heard English voices twice in our week in Salento.

We had two great nights in Tana Del Lupo - i told Francesco that the visitor's book in the apartment is full of glowing reports. Several evenings, we didn't need to eat in a restaurant, as we were so well supplied with "aperitivi caldi" in the bars!

The apartment was ideal and wonderfully fitted out. The roof terraces were a great place to relax after a day of sightseeing and the weather was so good that we spent a couple of sunny afternoons up there.

We can't think of anything that could have improved our stay. There was everything we needed in the apartment; we never really used the lounge, as the weather was so good, we spent most time on the roof.

We are seriously contemplating buying something of our own out there, partly as a rental business as you have done, but partly so we can spend more time there. Whatever we do, we have learnt a lot from your professionalism and obvious enthusiasm for your property and the area. Are you thinking of selling??!

We spent one night in Lecce and, if any of your guests are interested, we can thoroughly recommend L'Orangerie D'Epoque; a fantastic B&B in the centre, but set in a beautiful quiet garden, full of orange trees, at 90 Euros a night for two. More expensive, but also recommended, was the Ostuni Palace hotel, in Ostuni - what a fantastic place!

Thanks for helping make our holiday so memorable, for all the right reasons!"

"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Galatina. The apartment was great - nicely finished, well equipped and comfortable. We even got used to the steps! The air conditioning was very welcome as it was pretty warm while we were there.

Thanks also for your excellent booking and pre-trip communication, info and advice."

"We had an absolutely fantastic time! The weather was superb and the apartment was fabulous! After only a day or 2 the apartment felt like home, so it was a wrench to tear ourselves away yesterday! Can't really think of any way you could improve the apartment, we found it had everything we could wish for, and more! Also, in a great location for seeing the area, spending time at the beach and with excellent restaurants within walking distance.

We found the locals extremely friendly and welcoming, they must have been laughing at our pigeon Italian, but we think the fact we made an effort to speak the language almost endeared us to them a little (especially the guy in the Polleria round the corner who was giving us free tasters of his range of salamis!).

The kitchen facilities were great, we stayed in and cooked lovely local food on a few nights, and loved the terraces during the days and at night with a glass of prosecco or 2.

All in all it was a perfect holiday for us, after holidaying in various parts of Italy over recent years we really think we've found one of our favourite regions! We wish to express our great thanks for making it a 2 weeks to remember, we would definitely love to come back!

Best wishes and thanks so much again!"

"We've had a great time in Galatina! We love it to be in the middle of the Italian life, not one made for tourists. And this we've found at your apartment and its surroundings. To have breakfast on the terrace with absolute blue sky, the noise of a Vespa or a ringing bell was absolutely amazing. Everything was like in your discription and we enjoyed it very much.

Galatina is the best place to start from to all coastlines and cities. This part of Italy is one of the nicest we have seen before. Only the flight was not so ideal for us from Northern Germany - we had first to fly from Hamburg to Cologne and later from Cologne to Brindisi. But the 2 weeks in Puglia were worth of it.

I hope so much one day to come back to Galatina, your apartment, to "Tana di Lupo" and "Eros"-Ice."

"I have to say we had a fantastic time and loved the apartment. We spent quite a few hours on the roof terrace reading and watching the world go by, and were astonished that whilst we were sunbathing the locals still had their winter woollies on! In the evenings if we didn't go out we watched DVDs - all those ones you get in newspapers and never have time to watch at home.

The weather was very kind to us and I swam in both seas, albeit quite briefly! We loved the area, and the town of Galatina. The people were friendly, to the extent that the Tana del Lupo proprietors bipped their car horn and waved at us on passing.

We didn't go to Galatone to the celebrations on the Monday as we were very tired that evening but I was pleased to watch the firework display from the upper terrace - we were woken up by the explosions at midnight... a bit different from staid England.

Just a couple of suggestions and comments. It may be a good idea to warn visitors arriving on the Sunday flight that there may be a long wait for food in the evening as most places don't start serving until 7.30-8. We also feel a lot fitter from walking up the steep stairs regularly! Well we had to, to counteract the effects of enjoying the Salento wine.

Thanks very much again"

"We have nothing but praise for the way we were looked after by Cristiano on arrival but especially by Paul who was a great help and comfort especially on the last days ... [unfortunately David & Bernadette were effected by the ash cloud].

As for Galatina, we got what we were looking for; a delightful town in which we were able to live like citizens of the place, making friends with local tradesmen and enjoying their produce. My wife's fluency in Italian was a great advantage in that respect. She particularly wants to thank you for the excellent kitchen facilities. The train service to Lecce and Gallipoli was very convenient for the little tourism we went in for...

Thank you very much for all your help; we shall certainly recommend the place to friends and a return visit is certainly to be envisaged."

"We loved the flat. Our time in Galatina rescued our Christmas; we had longer days, warm weather, fresh, locally-grown food and wine.

The weather was excellent -- it was warm for a while every day and even a bit hot on the last day. We made little day trips to Gallipoli where we bought a fresh fish for dinner. We went to Otranto one day, and Nardo another day along with Santa Maria del Bagno on the coast for lunch. All amazing little places. Galatina was the perfect little Italian town. We just walked around a different bit of it, trying to get lost, every day.

The flat is gorgeous: quiet, small but spacious, surprising. We used the kitchen and terraces every day and evening. Ate fresh oranges, greens and pasta. Drank nice local wine and prosecco. Cristiano [who did the meet and greet while Paul returned to the UK for Christmas] was nice, efficient, dependable.

I don't have a bad word to say. I'd be really curious to see what it's all like in the spring/summer/autumn. There were no problems with the flat. We knew it was going to be cool at night, and it was. The space heather was useful every once in a while to warm things up, but we slept throughout the night with no heat no problem.

Thank you very much for making it all so easy to arrange and navigate."

"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay despite the variable weather. The apartment was very comfortable, well equipped and the perfect location for us. It was also nice to meet Paul who was particularly friendly and helpful.

Galatina is an interesting and historic town that we had great fun exploring, including sampling the local specialty cake (probably too often) and eating at the many restaurants and bars. We found the locals friendly and helpful and also very patient when trying to understand what we were saying.

A great holiday and we look forward to a return visit when the better weather comes."

"We were delighted with the apartment. Everything was there that we needed as well as the lovely environment to live in. Thank you very much for that and also the extra advice and help we got whenever we needed it, both before the holiday, and while we were there from Paul.

If we go back to the area in the future we would have no hesitation in using the apartment again. So we may well be in touch again sometime in the future."

"My sister and I adored Galatina. Exploring the town center provided us with many hours of amusement -- drinking coffee and eating rustici, visiting with shopkeepers, getting lost and finding ourselves again (and again), trying to sort out the customary closing hours, using our meagre Italian phrases and so on.

We were astonished at the range of shops in such a small town and basically shopped ourselves silly. We had a wonderful time!

We used the local train to take day trips to Lecce and Otranto and that worked just fine for us. I know there's lots and lots of exploring to be done in the region (and we'd love to be able to do that in beach weather someday), but we totally enjoyed our car-less visit.

The apartment was everything we expected -- your web site does an excellent job of presenting it and it is really lovely. The bed was comfy, bedding plentiful, the place wonderfully roomy! We cooked a couple suppers and really appreciated being able to make tea, do our laundry and spread out. We also appreciated the basics on hand in the kitchen -- cooking oil, tea, etc.

We would both love to return someday and to bring our husbands and families."

"We introduced ourselves to the Wolf Restaurant [Tana del Lupo], which was amazing, but so was the one next door (forgive me, I can't remember the name!). And the tarantula restaurant ... Oh and the bars on the square, the coffee shop round the corner ... And the hairdressers! lol!

We went over to Torre dell'Orso, but found we preferred Baia Verde near Gallipoli! Very boring, but we enjoyed the sunshine here for 3 days!!

We had a bit of rainy weather, so made our way through the David Attenborough DVD's, which were welcome :-)

All in all, a great holiday, and one I will recommend!"

"We had a wonderful time travelling around Puglia. Galatina was special because we enjoyed your apartment so much. The apartment had everything that we needed that made our stay totally enjoyable. Roy and I especially loved cooking great food in your well equipped kitchen and sitting outside on the terrace in the evenings eating and drinking the local wine. I really cannot recommend any way to improve the apartment, it was perfect for us.

Thank you for your help when we arrived. You gave us just the right amount of assistance and attention; we appreciated your recommendations for places to visit and eat. We tried some of them but I think our favourite place to visit was the botanical garden (can't remember the place name but I wrote it in the visitors book in the apartment).

We will visit Puglia again and would definitely wish to return to your apartment."

"We had a great time in Galatina. In terms of the apartment, it was furnished to a very high standard, much more than we might normally expect. We also loved the location and other features of the property, in particular the roof terraces.

I know that you won't always be able to meet and greet as Paul did for us, but this also reduced the stress of arriving and leaving greatly, and where that's not possible, just having an English speaking voice at the end of a phone is something I'm sure other guests will appreciate in case of problems.

We really hope to visit again in the future. Thanks again to both of you for all your help before and during our holiday."

"We really enjoyed the apartment, and loved the small town feel of Galatina. Even in the 30 degree heat outside, we were able to get the bedroom cool with the air-conditioning, and the shutters on the bedroom window functioned as black-out blinds, allowing us to sleep blissfully.

Having the ability to prepare food was really useful, especially during the siesta period when most places closed. The roof terrace was amazing: we were sat out one night after a great evening in Lecce and saw shooting stars.

Galatina itself was perfect for us - no crowds of English tourists, no 'tourist menus' at restaurants; just genuine regional food and the ability to walk peacefully around the town amongst the locals.

Thank you for all your assistance - we did hire a car in the end, and visisted Torre del'Orso (peak season crowds...) and Lecce: the rest of the time we were happy to relax and enjoy Galatina and the apartment."

"We found the apartment fantastic - extremely comfortable and ideally situated, both for the town, and for visiting various other parts of the peninsular. Having looked a couple of times at the TV programme, we're sure that you made a very wise choice.

When we left Galatina, we moved north to Martin Franca for a week. Our two weeks in Puglia were very relaxing and enjoyable, and certainly a welcome break from the rigours of London life."

"We had a super time and the apartment was great. The bed was comfortable, great to have the
two bathrooms, we enjoyed using the terrace off the kitchen and spent lots of time reading
on the comfy couches.

We had a car and think that it gave us a lot of leeway to explore. We enjoyed buying the local food and cooking in the apartment every evening after our days' adventurer so for us the cooking utensils were a must.

We had a truly lovely week. Paul was extremely welcoming and of help through out the week, which made being in such a foreign environment much easier. And the apartment was really beautiful, comfortable and stylish ..... you guys did a really great job of making it welcoming.

I would definitely suggest others visit and stay in your place ..."

"We had a superb holiday, I absolutely loved it! The apartment was perfect - even better than I thought it would be from the pics - plus had all the amenties you could want.

Great food, wine and beaches! Paul was really helpful too. Oh, I want to go back!

Thanks so much for helping make our holiday relaxing and enjoyable. I will definitely reccommend to family and friends!"

"We had an excellent time in Galatina, this was due to yourself and Paul's help. Your detailed information and assistance made sure we were off to a good start.

We loved the apartment and Puglia itself, sadly there wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted in the time we had.

We would definitely like to stay at the apartment again in the near future as we are currently learning Italian at college."

"We had a great time in Galatina. The apartment was well equipped and comfortable. Paul explained the new projector to us, so we were able to watch the DVDs on offer. We always found somewhere to park and enjoyed the week very much.

The sun terrace off the kitchen is convenient and very private - ideal for eating outside or just sunbathing. The welcome pack you sent us is extremely useful and well thought out - very clear and practical.

Thank you again for all your help and please send on our thanks to Paul for his welcome and advice!"

"We enjoyed the days in the lovely apartment very much! Everything was perfect. Galatina is really a very nice place!

Unfortunately there was a little bit of rain, nevertheless we enjoyed sitting in the kitchen, reading books and looking outside on the nice terrace.....

Thanks a lot for all"

"We had such a great time in Galatina. The town is lovely, very Italian and not at all touristy. We got by by being able to count to 5 in Italian and being able to smile and shake our heads, or nod as necessary!

The town house was great, and the perfect bolt hole for us. We even managed to get the digital projector working and watched a few of your DVDs! I already miss the roof terrace, and am sat in my study now wishing I could have breakfast out there!

We did lots of exploring, thanks to your guide book. I think the biggest surprise was a beach we found north of Gallipoli, past Porto Cesareo. It was like the Caribbean, bright blue sea, powdery white sand, the sun was shining and we were the only ones on it. Bliss!"

"I enjoyed my stay very much and the website shows and describes the apartment exactly as it is ... Everything was very comfortable, and everything that I needed in the kitchen was provided.

I loved La Tana del Lupo restaurant! Francesco and his wife were very kind, and I very much enjoyed the food. I also loved the various pastries I bought in Galatina, particularly the pasticciotti for breakfast!

Many, many thanks to you and Paul for all your kindness and a wonderful stay. Who knows, I might well return one day."

"We spent a lovely relaxing week in this well-renovated apartment and enjoyed every minute. The old town of Galatina is very historic and we could not have been more central. Despite having a very basic knowledge of Italian we managed to make ourselves understood as the locals do not speak English. Everyone is very friendly though so it didn't matter.

The facilities in the apartment are really good, the kitchen being the place where we spent most of our time as it leads on to the private roof terraces. We made some gorgeous meals after we found the local fish market and good meat counters in the local supermarkets.

If you like historical places, and no Brit tourists this is the place for you!"

"Firstly we would like to thank you for a truly fantastic holiday. The service we received from point of enquiry through to booking the holiday was excellent.

Andi and I had a great holiday and it was exactly the special experience we were hoping for. My advice for future visitors to Puglia would be don't spend time trying to find recommended beaches, just drive down either coastal road and explore to find your own version of paradise, that said Torre Mozza (public beach) was our favourite beach.

My holiday mantra is "there is a big beautiful world to explore so never visit the same place twice" however we both had such a wonderful experience I believe we will return one day. We will be gushing about our holiday to all our friends and family and recommending your apartment.

Once again many thanks for helping to make it such a memorable holiday."

"We had a wonderful time in Galatina and the quality of the apartment was instrumental in our having a great holiday. We were very sorry to leave. The apartment was well stocked with the basics such as towels and kitchen necessities which added to us feeling at home. We really appreciated the attention to detail and how sympathetically the apartment had been renovated.

... Any future holiday tenants may be interested to know there are great fish mongers selling at the indoor market opposite the old theatre.

It was a comforting feeling to know you and Paul were at hand for any queries or concerns. I would be very interested to know if you have any other properties to let within Italy as we were so impressed with your service."

"We had a really great time at your apartment and I've already recommended it to several people. Loved Galatina too and all the suggestions of places to eat. That made a big difference to the holiday. Can't think of anything I'd really change about the apartment as it was perfect for us.

The drive down [from Rome to Galatina] was great. We stayed just outside Rome the first night at Grottaferrata but probably could have got further as the flight was on time. The next night we stayed at Barletta which we really liked although the guidebook didn't. There were tons of places to eat and there was a real party atmosphere so I'd like to go back there. We came down the Appian way for a while so diagonalled across the country. One stop would have been enough and I expect you could do it in one go but it would be a bit tiring.

On the way back we went up past Taranto and then on the motorway up through Basilicata ... Basilcata was very quiet roadwise with mountain scenery. I think it could be done in one go ... probably about 7 hours of driving.

We'd love to come back to your apartment again. I'm quite keen to come in cooler weather to do some walking, although the beaches were so good the summer is attractive too. All in all it was a great holiday!"

"We loved the apartment and can't fault it at all. It's well equipped with everything you could need. The roof terraces were great ...

Galatina was a fantastic base and we can't believe how much of Puglia we managed to see. The town had plenty going on and we really enjoyed seeing Buona Vista Social Club in the main sqaure.

We would recommend the apartment to friends and family and would consider booking again in the future. Hopefully we'll return to Puglia, we really enjoyed it. We found some fantastic beaches, towns and had some fantastic coastal drives ...

Thanks for the experience and hopefully it won't be our last visit."

"... the holiday was good. The apartment good with all round good amenities.

In your details there should be included the fruit and veg shop a 5 min walk left out of the entrance to the main road. Plus straight on if you miss the first supermarket there is a good one further down which has excellent choices of cheeses, meats etc. It's a nice walk (10 mins) and interesting to see the flour mill on the left.

Excellent for getting around the lower part of Italy. Went all round. So a memorable visit. Would (and will) recommend it to others. Good value."

"We had a really enjoyable week in Puglia and found plenty of places to visit, there is a lot to see and a week is probably not long enough ...

The apartment was just as we expected from your website ... The outside patio area with the lovely plants was very pleasant at night after we got back from eating out, and the awning was definitely a good idea as it was very hot. Thank you again for being very helpful and accommodating. We would recommend it to friends."

"We thought Galatina was the nicest and most interesting of all the towns we visited in the area during our holiday. All the narrow winding streets close to the apartment are great to explore and you feel like you're getting an authentic taste of real life in southern Italy. We also loved the roof terrace of course!

Oh, and if you don't speak much Italian but happen to speak German then you'll find more local people speak German than English."

"A wonderfully situated apartment in the old town of Galantina. Perfect for exploring the peninsula.

Take time to go into the centre of the local towns and exlore the narrow cobbled streets. Sant'Isidoro was the top beach to visit (recommended in the information pack) and the drive from Isidoro to Taranto was probably the most scenic although the Adriatic Coast was also very pretty. Sant'Andrea cove was also very picturesque and worth a longer stay."

"We had a great time and enjoyed the apartment, particularly its location which is so central to the town ... The roof terrace is fantastic our only disappointment is the weather which did not allow us to use it. As far as equipment the kitchen has everything and is easy to use...

The local police gave us a tour in their police car after I started to talk to them and tried to find out about internet cafes, agriturismos etc. We had great fun! We felt we discovered Galatina. We thought the apartment was great and ideal for exploring the towns like Gallipoli, Lecce, Otranto etc. I am sure we will return one day and would love to stay in the apartment again."