Residenza Il Sole Monopoli - Bed & Breakfast

Place looks impressive when you arrive. Very attractive garden and pool area. Lovely welcome from a woman who was manager/main point of contact. Surrounding area is not fantastic. Main road nearby and electric pylons right up close. Location is fine for Monopoli if you have a car which is only a few minutes’ drive away. 25min walk, some of it without footpath or a 20 euro taxi ride otherwise. Our studio apartment was spacious with a private terrace – garden view supposedly but really no view. We were quite fortunate to be on the shady side of the building. Other guests commented that their room got baking hot. Rooms look better in the pictures than in reality. They are cheaply furnished and feel more like a student dorm. They have however spent money on the important things – good mattress which was very comfortable and good shower. Place was very clean. Breakfast made to order was very good and served by a charming lady who also made lovely coffee. Pastries available on the buffet side board were poor and there was no juice made available.||Pool area was lovely to relax in and food we ordered here was also very nice. Good service from the man looking after the bar area there. Unfortunately we were driven back to our room on the first day by awful wood smoke from an adjoining property. I later learned that the owner lives next door though surely they would not be burning wood to disrupt their guests!||I was in touch with the manager on the number provided to see to the shower seal which had failed and was causing bathroom floor to flood and be dangerously slippy and a broken toilet seat. These were seen to quickly. Unfortunately whoever did it failed to check the seat which broke again on first use. ||I was most annoyed to see a bill left for 12 euro for replacement of towels. This was not included on the T&Cs on booking and at an average price of 240 euro per night during our stay, this is just too high a price to justify an extra towel charge. I happened to be present when another couple was checking in and they were told towels would be changed ‘on request’ but not that a charge accompanied the request. ||When leaving, I explained both verbally and in writing that I would not be paying the towel charge for two sets of replacement towels due to: |• It not being in the T&Cs, |• It being performative greenwashing imposed on their customers and,|• it being a tax on loyalty (three couples each staying one night pay no extra for their towels but a couple staying three nights get charged). ||I also explained when I was leaving that one set of towels remained unused and I had put them to one side on a shelf in the studio. The manager agreed that I would not pay the towel charges and she also refused payment for a bottle of water from the fridge in the room.||A couple of days after we left I received a message from Booking.com (I had made the booking through the platform) to say that they had been informed that we had left the accommodation without paying the linen charge of 24 euro and a bar bill of 35 euro. I was stunned and very angry. If there was a dispute over any payment why had the manager not communicated with me via text message as she had before over the maintenance issue? She had agreed not to charge me the towel charge so to defame me with Booking.com is more then infuriating. Regarding the bar bill, my husband chose to pay in cash at the end of each day so that he could leave a cash tip as well. But of course that meant we had no proof of him having paid. I paid the bill with a credit card link provided. But trust broken and lesson learned – we used credit cards for every other payment in Italy throughout our trip and too bad if that meant we couldn’t leave a tip for service. ||I would have had some reservations anyway about recommending the property as is clear from the initial part of my review. The latter part of the review should make it clear why I could not possibly recommend it.

Would not recommend. The location is beside a power station and a truck yard, which is strategically hidden in pictures posted by the hotel. The worst part, is young unsavoury locals are allowed to use the pool facilities and take up the premium sunbeds which would other wise be used by paying customers. They were loud and obnoxious and ruined what could have been a relaxing atmosphere. All because they were friends with the bartender. Unacceptable when you are a paying customer and they are not. The rooms are like boxes and loud. You can hear the other rooms unlocking/opening/closing their door and clearly overhear everything in the next room. Definitely not a ‘luxury 4 star hotel’ as described. The first time we used the safe all holiday as we did not feel our belongings were safe in our rooms.

Great location if you have a car to get into town. The staff are AMAZING. The breakfast is nice. Rooms are nice. I wanted to get up at 8:30am every day but if you plan on sleeping in take early plugs because the noise from the kitchen and our drain pipes were so loud it was impossible to actually sleep past this time. The pool is lovely but had some house type music playing pretty loud the entire time. The staff again are superb. Location is lovely. Breakfast was nice. Pool was amazing.

|Quiet B&B with only a few rooms. You are pretty much on your own but can call for staff support if you need anything. The breakfast is really nice and plentiful. It is held in a side room upstairs. Outside or inside seating. Very particular and polite waitstaff. The pool is pretty and clean with a small bar. Best Mohito ever. I believe they rent out the pool area so non guests use it also. It was quiet though with nice pool beds. Only open till6:30. The grounds of the property are surrounded by an olive grove and it is fenced in and secure. We were in a large upstairs bedroom (no lift but wide staircase) bed was comfortable but furniture is tired. Bathroom is basic but good hot water. Good Wi-Fi. The website pictures show it to be more posh than it really is.|Cons: lacks life. It could easily be spruced up with a fresh coat of paint in some places, new bedspreads, decor.. Flowers and plants could change the entire vibe. Maybe cool music piped in to public areas.. there is an unsightly power plant in front of the complex and the road is busy so some traffic can be heard. The location is too distant to the historical city with an unsafe walk. No service available to get there if you don’t have a car. There was just something missing that made the place feel odd. Maybe because there was lack of much staff. I think it was too pricey for what it offered.

Absolutely beautiful pool area and garden, was a great little sanctuary from the world and very intimate. . Rooms are a good size and very clean. Staff are friendly. The only thing that let it down for us was that we didn't have a car, and it was a good 30 mins walk into town. We thought there was a shuttle into town but no-one seemed to know about it . We did not manage to get a taxi and were not able to book one, even when we were leaving. The staff couldn't get us one either! Luckily we were going on to Polignano di Mare so we walked to the station which was a 17 minute walk. Would highly recommend, but a car is a must. ||||Also our window overlooked the owners pool and I loved watching their Frenchie dog having the time of his life swimming in their pool! What a happy dog!!

The B and B was set in large and well laid our grounds, the highlight being the wonderful swimming pool - ideal in hot weather. There were lots of places to sit, or sunbathe, and the atmosphere was very relaxing. The room was very comfortable, with an excellent, clean, modern bathroom. Very Reliable Wi-Fi and quality AC all appreciated. There was a sumptuous breakfast buffet each morning, with fresh coffee served to your table. We appreciated the fresh fruit, juice and hot options. Great cakes too! The downers for us are: we did not have a car so it was a bit of trek to the old town - 30 minutes, 17 to station. The last part does not have a pavement so is not great on foot. On arrival and departure days, lifts to and from station would have been a nice touch. We had expected more of family feel, with family hosts - there were "staff" who were pleasant and helpful, some rather reserved, and often not there. A fridge and coffee maker are available but a kettle would have been a great help. Still, we loved Monopoli and the area around, and the B and B with pool was wonderful overall.

It was beautiful, comfortable, safe. Private courtyard for parking. Two minutes from Monopoli by car. The staff was amazing, friendly, helpful. We were really spoiled. So quiet and relaxing and the house was unbelievably beautiful.The AC was so quiet couldn't hear it at all. So clean. The breakfast was really great, fresh cakes and breads and fresh eggs and bacon. Great coffee. Had a fridge so evening suppers on the magnificent balconies, wow. Beautiful pool area. Thank you for a great stay, I was sad to leave and would go again in a heart beat. A special thanks to Antonella and Tom.

Our 2nd stay here. We stayed in a garden apartment. Huge bed plus very comfy sofa bed, pillows and bedding excellent. Ample storage even for 4 people. Quality furniture and fitments. Our apartment had private terrace. It’s difficult to find fault with this luxury b&b. Spotless clean. Breakfast served from 8.30 and had plenty choices, including hot selection, fresh fruit, water, coffee, juices etc. Very peaceful. The villa is set away from the road, so no road traffic. Has an electric gate, so is very secure. Pool area very pretty with comfy sun beds. Pool safe as no deep end. A car is essential as no path to walk into town. Many thanks to all staff for a first class stay. Regards.||Emma & Barbara Paul, Liverpool