Room Service: Masseria Torre Maizza Italy
Five years ago the big question was: is Puglia the new Tuscany? Now it's: is Puglia over? Not according to Vittorio Muolo, who opened his fourth hotel in the area at the end of July. "Our guests couldn't ask for more," he tells me, with a confident look.
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Your support makes all the difference.He has to be doing something right. In this southern part of Italy - still not the most obvious choice for British holidaymakers - Vittorio's hotels are incredibly popular. You'd be lucky to find a room in sister hotel, Masseria Torre Coccaro, in high season.
However, while Coccaro is rustic and cosy, the new Maizza just up the road, hidden amongst 1,000 olive trees, is ultra-fashionable, and set to welcome a younger, rather more glamorous, crowd.
A quick scan around reveals Vittorio hasn't skimped on a thing. The elegant restaurant, overlooking the orange orchard, with chrome and minimalist creams and whites, sets the tone. He's gone for contemporary chic, all beautifully done.
With consistent warm weather (generally blue skies from April to October), there's an emphasis on lounging, explains Vittorio. He likes his guests laid-back. That means by day on the "double-bed" sun loungers, beside the enormous pool and surrounded by the scent of jasmine - by night on the deep Morroccan style cushions up on the lantern-lit roof terrace. The whole place - sparklingly new - will look even better with time.
And then there's the menu. Seventy per cent of the food is grown in the hotel's organic garden and fruit orchards - beans, chicory, zucchini, sweet peppers, oranges, wild herbs and sweet cherries - you must take the tour. Sample dishes such as fresh red tuna with capers, lamb loin in almond crust, pasta with zucchini flowers and ricotta and Apulian cheeses with honey and pears marinated in red wine.
As for the hotel's "added extras": there's a cookery school, hip beach club, help-yourself mountain bikes, Aveda spa with Turkish bath, nine-hole golf course and grounds with lovely picnic spots. But I'd say the number one "place to be" is stretching out on the hotel's private yacht.
LOCATION
Masseria Torre Maizza, Contrada Coccaro, 72015 Savelletri, Brindisi, Puglia, Italy (00 39 080 482 9310; www.masseriatorremaizza.com). You can see the Adriatic from the spy windows of the carefully restored watchtower, dating back to 1550 when knights patrolled for attacking Turks.
Time to international aiport: it's about an hour's drive from Bari or Brindisi airport, both around 50km away.
COMFORTABLE?
There are 28 spacious rooms, stylish but understated, all with cool whitewashed walls, large beds, satin sheets, gilded lamps and small grassy terrace. For a treat, two suites come with their own lap pool. All are set away from the main bar-restaurant-pool courtyard, so they're wonderfully peaceful.
Freebies: Organic Pharmacy toiletries, biscotti on your pillow, a vase of fresh flowers from the gardens.
Keeping in touch: Direct dial phones, flat-screen satellite TV, wi-fi, CD and radio player. You'll find a DVD player with 150-movie library in the main house.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Doubles from €242 (£173) with breakfast.
I'm not paying that: Il Frantoio, near "white city" Ostini, (00 39 0831 330 276; www.trecolline.it) is an olive farmhouse centre, with rooms from €176 (£125) including breakfast.
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