Lindinuso holiday villa: Torre San Gennaro

This was our first stay at Casa Mare but our third with Debbie and Bob. We already arrived with high expectations for the welcome basket and facilities and we knew that the descriptions would be accurate or if anything slightly understated; all of which was true. Casa Mare is a fantastic location, 24 seconds walk from the sea, great for sea swimmers and a huge pool and hot tub for those that like their water tamed. The kitchen is well equipped and with a seemingly endless supply of tomatoes and peppers from the garden we ate out much less this year than in previous years.
In addition to Cipolla Beach, which is unspoilt and on the doorstep, the other beaches in the area are range from simple, to one beach bar to a whole town; so you really can take your pick (Our current favourite is Torre Rinalda, one small beach bar, warm shallow waters, sandy).
Towns such as Otranto, Lecce and Gallipoli are well known; also worth exploring are smaller towns such as Oria, which can be incorporated into an out and about day. Other ideas for a different kind of day trip include the various wine and food producers in the area, listed in Sapori e Vini; markets, for there are many [Casal’abate everyday and huge on a Sunday], Sagra (seasonal food based festivals) and various ruins.
There is no shortage of great places to eat. Debbie and Bob and the visitors book can tell you where in on form but from simple Mom and Pop style through to top of the range cooking it is all there; plenty of fish and all local and seasonal.
This area is very much home to Italian’s on holiday, not much English is spoken but people are friendly and if you make even the slightest effort to speak the language you will be rewarded. The shops at Lendinuso include two butchers, a patisserie, with a fruit & veg stall in the morning and a small supermarket so you can get everything you need within walking distance or you can go for a wider range at one of the bigger supermarkets only a few kilometres away.
Bob and Debbie provide a fantastic service, above and beyond the call of duty in our case as we had to seek some medical help. The welcome pack means you can knock up a first meal easily, the wine and lemoncello are also very welcome. The Casa Mare Cats have inspired me to start storytelling, so I may be back for a few more chapters!

We spent 2 weeks as Case Mare with our friends and their son, 3 kids in all (6,9 & 9). The villa is very well equipped and extremely comfortable. I was a little worried about heat at night as the 2 bedrooms at the end of the corridor 'share' the air con but we slept comfortably every night. That may have been in part due to the amount of vino, sambuca and limoncello consumed (not by the kids of course). The well equipped kitchen and gas barbeque were well used and we ate well in when we felt like it.

The pool is just fantastic and a great size. Always warm when we were there but it was August and very very hot.

Bob and Debbie were around and are a really lovely couple. We saw them most days but they do not intrude and it's actually great to have them there with all their knowledge of the area, The green folder they produced is also a great source of info. The cats appear mainly in the evening and the kids absolutely loved them.

Lots of great towns/places to visit nearby. Lendinuso on the doorstep appears at first to be not much of a place but at night the locals come out and there is a great little supermarket/bar by the square where there is things going on during the summer at weekends. Also a great pizzeria/restaurant a little further on. Note - the prices in this area are jaw droppingly cheap .

All in all a great place to visit and lovely villa to stay in.

First of all, to our surprise and above our expectations, everything that represents Casa Mare looks much better than the photos showed on the site. Starting with the pool which is enormous and well maintained almost every day by the owners to the vast kitchen where you can feel free to move and cook with pleasure. The rooms are large, the beds excellent, the bed linen absolutely clean and smooth - Made in England :), weekly changed by the owners, the living room is equipped with everything you need , from listening music to watching a DVD on pretty sophisticated and well maintained Panasonic Plasma and a new generation Samsung DVD.
No matter where you stop in the yard, you can easily find comfy seating - a deck chair, and even a table where you can leave your coffee cup or your lemonade. The grass is daily watered and everything looks so fresh.
Honestly, we felt so good in this home that we only swimed in the sea two or three times (although the sandy beach is awesome).
Although we were worried by the idea of spending our holiday in the same place with the owners (being used with owners living in different areas not in the same house), we truly felt the british common sense, so that sometimes we forgotten that someone else lives in the same place with us. Debby and Bob are such extraordinary people who make their presence felt only when you need some help or if you just wish to ask a question.
One last thing... The welcoming basket was more than an honorific gesture, and frankly the feeling we had the first time when we entered in the house was to say "home sweet home". There is nothing missing, you will find there almost everything you need (especially concerning cooking), and if you have any concern about something, you will find a manual on the kitchen table where you can read the answers to many of your possible questions, written in a very precise manner... there are written also some trip advices, maps or some small warnings about italian road traffic legislation.
This was one of the most wonderful and peaceful holiday we ever had. Thank you.