Masseria Tutosa Hotel Residence — Hotel in Ostuni

Our experience was appalling. A shell of former charm hiding a borderline scam. Through booking.com I booked a "villa" for our family. The receptionist did recommend an “apartment” for families but never disclosed that the "villa" is actually a completely separate, weather stained little house, 10 minutes’ drive away. Only after we had completed check-in at the hotel reception were we told we needed to drive there. When I expressed that this wasn’t what we agreed to, we were eventually moved into an apartment on the hotel grounds at no extra cost. False advertising and bait-and-switch tactics aside, the actual apartment was in poor condition: Furniture and kitchenware were old and low quality nowhere near a 4-star hotel. There was one steak knife for four people and bent, mismatched and incomplete utensils. Bathroom fixtures were rusted and covered in limescale, with exposed wiring and plumbing. No cleaning service was offered. We had to ask for new towels, despite a sign in the bathroom indicating they would be replaced. Trash was never collected we had to dispose of it ourselves. Wi-Fi was virtually unusable throughout the complex. Despite there being several networks, none worked consistently, and the only reliable signal (presumably the owner’s private network) was inaccessible to guests. This made working remotely — something we specifically needed — extremely difficult and frustrating.

A/C limitations and power issues: Using the oven would trip the breaker. So did the cooktop if any other appliance was running. There was a sign requesting guests not set AC below 20°C. Even the reception was stifling, as staff were not allowed to run cooling for themselves. Beds were a joke: The "double bed" was simply two singles pushed together — incredibly uncomfortable for couples.

There’s no reliable mobile reception or Wi-Fi on the property, so we were completely cut off.

Accessing the property is overly complicated, with sensors and fobs placed in illogical, inconvenient places. Perhaps most bizarrely, the owners live in the hotel in one of the rooms and treat the grounds like their backyard. They feed their cats food scraps outside their door. The cats constantly wandered into our apartment. The owners also drive and park inside the gated complex, even though guest vehicles are not allowed further making it feel like you're staying in someone’s private, poorly managed home rather than a hotel. Staff were polite and tried their best, but they were clearly untrained and underqualified for hospitality work. There was a general sense of confusion and a complete lack of professional standards. For example, asking for bedroom keys took three days, toilet paper wasn’t restocked unless requested, and even that couldn’t be done in the afternoon. I got the sensation the staff are aware of these shortcomings but are unable to do better due to the owners’ politics. I think the staff were instructed to satisfy the guests requests, but the sheer volume and scope of unacceptable things for a 4 start resort is just too much for the employees to account for. Details were neglected, like no benches to sit on the lawns, exposed wiring in the rooms, cheap, thin towels, utility and maintenance doors left open and things in a generally unkempt state. Breakfast was mediocre and plagued by wasps, making it difficult to enjoy even that. The experience ended as awkwardly as it began: when returning late with my tired children the night before check-out, the receptionist insisted on discussing our bill, despite my polite requests to handle it in the morning, I ended up having to walk away. I travel weekly and all over the world for both business, we stay in 5-star resorts to modest family-run hotels. Masseria Tutosa was, without exaggeration, the worst value for money I have ever encountered. It presents itself as a 4-star hotel but delivers a worn-down, Airbnb-style experience at premium prices. Avoid this place. It is neither honest in its presentation nor equipped to provide even a basic hotel experience, let alone...

Imagine opening a beautifully wrapped big Christmas present and discovering a pair of socks in there but also then also discovering that the socks have been worn before! That is this hotel. ||||The setting is beautiful and has all of the potential to be a remarkable place but sadly it is not. Starting on a positive, the olive groves are stunning, the gardens would have been beautiful in their day, the buildings are well kept and, once you have fought through the foot long grass, the pool is lovely but that is about where the positivity from me stops.||||We booked an apartment for 5 people. The photos looked charming but the reality was more like a tiny cheap motel like apartment with little comfort and certainly no charm. The place resembled a youth hostel. ||||Basic uncomfortable beds with neon lights and really horrible cheap sheets (I actually didn't realise how important thread count was until I spent 5 nights curled up in those polyester horrors). ||||There was a small ample kitchenette with a kitchen table but that was about it for our 3 bedroom apartment for 5 adults. Nowhere to sit and relax, a tiny terrace that was over looked by massive floodlights at night and, to top it all off, the bathrooms were tiny, had limited hot water and were basic (imagine a youth hostel from your backpacking days).||||I really don't know what this place is trying to do. It is not a hotel as there are no amenities (apart from a buffet breakfast served by a lovely lady) and it is not an agristurismo or self-catering style holiday as the apartments are ghastly and have no charm or area to relax in. It is beautiful on the outside but has no charm and clearly lacks love. Overall, I am not sure who it really caters to. ||||You can probably pick up how disappointed I was! I would not recommend this place as I really don't know who it caters to. I just hope someone else takes over because it has all of the potential to be a very special place. ||||Thankfully we had a good gang so we laughed the time away by visiting some great places around Puglia and drinking some...

Stayed for for 5 nights in April/May and the hotel was just getting ready for the summer season. First impressions made me fell in love with the place, and was true to do that after the visit.The staff were very friendly and helpful.The Swimming pool And Restaurant, were not open (off season).Breakfast was served in our apartment and delicious fresh home made marmalade was excellent.The rooms vary in sizes and facilities and some rooms are new.I heard they are going to upgrade some of the rooms.Very quiet not far away from main road and convenient location to see and explore the surroundings towns, beaches and restaurants. The old farm house(400 years old) has been converted into Suites and has still got the traditional stone floors.(Very authentic).The owners were very helpful in making our stay very comfortable.Would Recommend to people who wants peace and quiet and yet not far from...