Some of the reviews you’ll read on this hotel linger on whether this is a five star or not. To begin mine, I’d like to set the context; For those not familiar with Puglia, it differs hugely from the likes of Rome, Milan or Sorrento. The landscape is rugged and the flow of life is way less cosmopolitan. And although some of the Puglian five star hotels could compete with any of the finest in the world, they very much compete on their own authentic terms. Service isn’t necessarily silver or especially slick, but it has oodles of charm and charisma. And the term Masseria is essentially “farm” – and most Masserias were at some point in the last millennia a working farm too. Masseria Relais del Cardinale is competing with local and very swanky five star hotels like Masseria Torre Coccaro or Maizza, both of which are gorgeous but command a gargantuan price tag. By comparison, Cardinale is very competitive. My assessment after a week here is that this is a four star+ hotel finding its feet in a bid to be seen as an alternative to the big two or three truly five star starlets in the region. It just misses those things that you expect with five stars, like the reviews that mention a lack of towels by the pool, for instance. It lacks a spa or a gym and there’s the tell tale signs of a hotel opened in a hurry – like the grating around the (albeit sensational) swimming pool that cracks easily, some peeling paint and slow wifi. I wondered around the olive trees and discovered the dumping ground for dozens of unused windows tucked behind an ancient outbuilding – not a good look. There are parts of this Masseria that are dead spaces that could be used for planting crops or stunning lavender for instance. Some of the finishes in design look like they’ve been overseen by a builder rather than an architect, although the rooms are spacious, well appointed and very comfortable. And we’d agree that the pricing strategy on food and drink is overly ambitious. 8 Euros for a beer seems punitively high for what they might assume is a captive audience. And the food, whilst good and authentic, is not special enough to be priced as it is. So for this reason, we ate out most of the time. Staff, whilst helpful enough, can at times appear aloof. Despite our empathy with some of the gripes in other reviews, I would certainly recommend it to anyone who loves Puglia or wishes to visit this enchanting part of the world. It might be considered remote if you don’t have a car, but is very much poised perfectly so you can get to the incredible towns of Cisternino or Ostuni or pop down to the beach. Talking of beaches, avoid the one they recommend – it’s packed and costs a bloody fortune for what it is. In summary, this is a hotel on the verge of being a true five star, for those that obsess about such things. For value for money, it trounces the hip hotels down the road. The breakfasts are very good and the kids think this is absolute heaven. Nestled in olive groves, this is a sanctuary where you can truly unwind, and not think too hard about what you paid for the privilege.
