Borgo San Marco

Borgo San Marco, Fasano, Puglia - Explore & Book

"Of all the masserie (fortified farmhouses) in Puglia, this stands out for its easy-going atmosphere, its wonderful grounds and its no-nonsense prices. Built by the Knights of Malta to guard the Adriatic coast from Saracens, it's medievally handsome: a monumental tower, cool vaulted rooms, a wedding-cake chapel. Its 90-hectare grounds offer all the space you could need: shady lawns, a walled citrus garden and a glorious beach-edge pool, festooned with delphiniums and bougainvillea. It's been in the Amati family for 200 years and the current owner added his own eclectic touches to the 1981 restoration, while maintaining its prized olive oil production. You'll find, in the stone-flagged drawing room, a gleaming 1950's MotoGuzzi beside the huge-wheeled frantoio (oil press); in the rustic rooms and suites scattered about the tower and outhouses, a vigorous mix of Puglian whitewash and burnt pastels, of brightly quilted stone beds and classic muslin-draped four-posters. A fun, bohemian and totally unpretentious place. Highs A wonderful arrival: past century-old olive groves, through a monumental gate and into a court dominated by a four-square ochre towerPretty but not overdecorated rooms, a mix of boho-chic and historic grandeurFamily-friendly, with a choice of suites for up to 5 peopleSat between Fasano and the sea, you're well placed to explore the area's pretty beaches and charming hill-top townsAll the ingredients of a masseria - 500-year-old tower, vaulted rooms, olive groves, sea horizons - but none of the pretentions of its pricier neighbours Lows The constant hum of traffic from the nearby motorway can shatter the illusion of rural blissRooms in the courtyard-facing outhouses are simpler, and others are quite a walk from the hotel facilitiesThe restaurant only serves a set menu (with mixed feedback) and closes for winter; but our dinner was amazingWiFi is only available in the reception area – not in rooms or other communal areasStaff are stretched to the point of being noticeably absent" - Michael Cullen