Portoselvaggio holiday apartment: Santa Maria Al Bagno

We have just returned from staying at this luxury apartment in Santa Maria al Bagno and we were very impressed with both the location and accommodation.
Firstly we felt the attention to detail demonstrated a desire by the owners, to ensure their guests had a wonderful stressfree stay. Apart from a small garden by the poolside ( wonderful pool and spa which were rarely used by other guests),we were also offered umbrellas and loungers and a bar-be-que both in the garden as well as by the poolside.
Inside we were supplied with everything needed for those days spent touring around or on the beach- parasol, freezerbag, guidebooks and maps etc.
Even for the teenagers there was a library of DVDs and a games console plus a football and board games.
The beaches in the vicinity were as amazing as our information pack suggested and the owners had even supplied separate maps of nearby supermarkets and restaurants.
Gallipoli nearby is well worth visiting both by day and night and in just over an hour you can reach Alberobello and the famous 'trulli'.We also loved Otranto and Porto Badisco.
However, the true joy of staying in this property is the lack of hoards of tourists everywhere.It is like stepping back in time to an unhurried world where the roads are relatively car-free, car-parks are free on the sea front and prices in restaurants don't leave you shocked. The food is great particularly for fish lovers and the locals are delightful.
When you stay in this apartment you are being offered all modern conveniences, a poolside location with amazing beaches minutes away yet you are still able to enjoy the slow relaxing pace of southern Italian life which is fast disappearing. Thanks again to the owners for introducing us to an area of Italy we have now fallen in love with.

A group of my girlfriends and myself stayed here for the first week of July and weren't dissapointed. The apartment looks exactly as it did in the photos, it was clean, well furnished with everything you'd need on a holiday. There were a few books, games and dvds already in the apartment which we made good use of as well as outdoor seating and your own BBQ. We were lucky enough to have the pool area pretty much to ourselves the whole week and we had no problems with other guests in the appartment block who were all friendly. The appartment is only a few minutes walk from shops and all the locals are very friendly and helpful, no one really speaks english but everyone was always willing to help and point. I would recommend taking the Italian phrases book out when going for dinner as the menus are all Italian. You definitely need a car, there are lovely beaches about 30-45mins drive which I would recommend taking a day trip to, the beaches are perfect for children as most of them are shallow water. I also recommend paying Lecce a visit, it is a lovely town to walk around and do a bit of shopping, plenty of markets, but bear in mind shops in Puglia do close from about 1pm till 4/5pm so best to go early morning or in the evening.

Overall our stay was fantastic, everything we wanted for a quiet getaway from the city. I would definitely recommend the apartment to anyone looking for an authentic coastal Italian break.