“The best family resort we’ve stayed in.”

A lovely family owned resort hotel set in beautiful grounds. We ate in the restaurant the 3 nights during our stay . The food was excellent and all sourced locally- as was the wine. The staff were brilliant and especially attentive. A special mention to the lovely Alice who spent near an hour wit... more

A lovely family owned resort hotel set in beautiful grounds. We ate in the restaurant the 3 nights during our stay . The food was excellent and all sourced locally- as was the wine. The staff were brilliant and especially attentive. A special mention to the lovely Alice who spent near an hour with us encouraging me to speak only in Italian. She was patient and gave me great confidence. A wonderful experience in a beautiful part of Puglia. You must visit if in that part of Italy.

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“A beautiful resort location well worth a visit”

I could not have more praise for this family run resort. The experience was made even more enjoyable by the professional and courteous staff, from front desk to dining and house keeping, there was nothing that was too much for these guys to make our holiday experience so enjoyable. A special ment... more

I could not have more praise for this family run resort. The experience was made even more enjoyable by the professional and courteous staff, from front desk to dining and house keeping, there was nothing that was too much for these guys to make our holiday experience so enjoyable. A special mention for the restaurant, we dined here the first night and enjoyed it so much we returned for a second evening and we’re not disappointed. Located in a quiet village a few km from Otranto, a very good base to explore southern Puglia and Otranto.

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“Outstanding Resort”

This would be the best Hotel Resort we have stay at. Well located to explore local towns returning to a beautiful swimming pool facility in the afternoons. Staff are very friendly and professional. The Restaurant Food was impeccable and a credit to the Chiefs and Owners. We only ate off site once... more

This would be the best Hotel Resort we have stay at. Well located to explore local towns returning to a beautiful swimming pool facility in the afternoons. Staff are very friendly and professional. The Restaurant Food was impeccable and a credit to the Chiefs and Owners. We only ate off site once as their food was to die for 😊. Highly recommend Resort and we will definitely be back when next in the area.

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“Bright sun filled days at this wonderful family run resort”

We’d booked most of our trip to Puglia before turning our attention to our downtime after our tour with Puglialy (see separate review). All the coastal hotels and resorts in beautiful places like Polignano a Mare or Monopoli were either incredibly expensive or cramped or simply didn’t have the fa... more

We’d booked most of our trip to Puglia before turning our attention to our downtime after our tour with Puglialy (see separate review). All the coastal hotels and resorts in beautiful places like Polignano a Mare or Monopoli were either incredibly expensive or cramped or simply didn’t have the facilities we wanted. Coastal towns can also be completely swamped by day trippers. So it was a considerable relief and pleasure to find the 55 room Mulino a Vento. It’s a very beautiful, calm & elegant resort 10 minutes drive from Otranto. We arrived an hour or so before check in but our rooms were ready so we were delighted to get settled in before lunch at the pool side bar/restaurant. The lunch menu is small but very good and we had very pleasant lunches for our 8 day stay. We’d originally booked for 6 nights but the prospect of a 6am flight led us to stay for another 2 in favour of a more reasonable 12pm. We were very glad we did as 8 nights seemed about right. Enough time to settle in, get to know everyone and have a really nice relaxing time. Other guests came and went during our stay. Our next door neighbours were in residence when we arrived but left before us. Others stayed for a couple of nights and there was the odd group passing through that arrived late evening, had a wine tasting and/or a meal before rushing off early in the mornings. We thought the group of cyclists very enthusiastic and pleasant. The guests in June were mostly couples with a sprinkling of families. I imagine that balance changes during July and August. They were generally Dutch, Italian or German. The only other English speakers we saw were Australian, - something we noticed all over Puglia actually. We found that most people were considerate of other guests, though not all, especially around the pool. The rooms are set in bungalows in rows of 3 or 4 in the grounds surrounding the pool. They’re all a good size, beautifully and elegantly decorated in a rich cream colour that reflects the local limestone. We found the beds a bit firm but we slept very well every night so it didn’t really affect us terribly. There was a massive double wardrobe with loads of clothes hangers and a safe. Tea making facilities were provided but no milk or coffee so we didn’t bother using it. The windows had mosquito blinds on which are useful if you plan on keeping your windows open. We didn’t but I still got bitten several times, - probably at the restaurants. We had a wide veranda to linger on with a glass of wine, savouring the evening light or having a night cap. There’s a handy drying rail for wet clothes on the veranda. No Iron. The bathroom was recently refurbished to a very high standard with a really great shower and Biancamore products. There a daily service by a wonderful team who cheerfully greeted us with choruses of buongiornos every morning as the trundled the trollies out and again in the afternoon as they returned. The pool was a delight. It starts off very shallow at one end – 10cms at most and gets steadily deeper until it’s around 2m. There’s a very handy ledge around the edge for loitering on towards the deep end. It was a bit chilly in the mornings in late June but warmed up during the day. By August I imagine it’s warm. Towels are hired from reception for €3pp. I’m not sure what happens if you require fresh ones, - probably another €3. We were mildly concerned that without a hire car that we’d be isolated and trapped at the resort but it transpired that we had little interest in going offsite. Car hire could be arranged but we only wanted to visit Otranto so they organised a car to drop us off and collect 4 hours later for €30. This was perfect, enough time to explore the castle, cathedral, historical centre, do a bit of shopping and have lunch. We also encountered our cyclists, passing through in a peloton of waving and greetings. There’s a really good supermarket called Conad City about 10-15 minutes walk away should you want supplies. We went once but didn’t feel the need subsequently. There’s a Masseria restaurant called Agriturimo Le Tagliate in walking distance which other guests said was excellent but as we were on half board we didn’t bother visiting it. We’d taken the half board option for ease & convenience but it turned out to be an excellent decision. I wholeheartedly recommend it as the food at Mulino a Vento is absolutely stunning. HB means a 3 course meal of your choice from the full a la carte menu. The specials have a modest supplement. There is an extremely good wine list with some of the best wines I’ve ever tasted. I feel that the restaurant deserves a separate review but we weren’t visiting the restaurant but staying at the resort. However should you want a great dining experience near Otranto the restaurant at Mulino a Vento is well known in the area for fine dining. The menu is excellent. I can recommend the all the dishes and we ate pretty much everything in 8 days but the Aubergine Parmigiana, Risotto, Cod Tempura, Rabbit Ragu were all favourites. There’s an extensive massage/spa treatment menu by Diabasi. We all had a massage and I enjoyed mine immensely. Other activities were a Mill tour, Wine and Olive Oil tastings. We did all these except the wine tasting as we’d had several during our tour already. The staff in their smart uniforms are terrific. Nothing is too much trouble and I cannot fault any of the service at all. I didn’t catch everyone’s name so it seems unfair to only mention the ones I did but you all know who you are and who we are too. Thank you very much for looking after us so marvellously during our stay, This is a very friendly, warm family run resort and our memories are bright sun filled days, a cooling pool, warm golden evenings, dusky nights broken by starlight and twinkling garden lighting. I’ve always thought that there’s little in life that can’t be made better with the addition of fairly lights and this is in evidence throughout. We have a really great time here and it is with a great deal of pleasure that I heartedly recommend this resort.

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