Relais Masseria Sant'Elia — Restaurant in Martina Franca

We spent a 10-day family holiday at this establishment. The property is a beautiful 17th century "masseria" in Valle d'Itria. ||After accurate restoration work - executed in a very discreet way with the objective of preserving the original character of the place - the “masseria” is now in pristine conditions. The reception and bar area is housed in the old stables, while the rooms and the restaurant are located in the old buildings. The outdoor area is very ample and includes a garden with olive and fig trees and a small pool. We are at the top of a little hill here, so the sight is beautiful.||The setting is really idyllic and ideal for long stays. By contrast, due to its remote location, I would not recommend this place to guests that just stay for one night. ||Rooms are not opulent but contain all the facilities you might need (including a safe and a small fridge with free bottled water).||The room rate provides good value and includes breakfast - not a fully-fledged American breakfast, but still quite abundant and fresh. I should mention that guests may also have lunch and/or dinner at the property, but this needs to be especially arranged with the hotel management and may not be possible every day.||A part of the beauty of the place, what makes the difference is the warm hospitality of Ms. Ida, the energetic owner of the establishment. She clearly loves the place and transmits her positive energies to all the guests. I should also commend her right-hand man, a young gentleman called Mario Antonio, who has clearly bought into the vision of Ms. Ida. In the good hands of these two people your stay cannot be anything...

This property was very difficult to find, even using the GPS in the car. The best tip, which we couldn't use, is to contact Sant Elia and receive the link to Google Maps and follow the directions on your phone. Once found, it was worth every hassled minute to find it. The pool was apparently a recent addition and most welcome after a long journey in 40 degree temperatures. Our room was large, occupying 3 trulli cones and extremely comfortable. Our hostess, with very little English, was most welcoming and accommodating, but her young manager, Mariantonio was a gem. He provided excellent recommendations for eating out and places to visit. His pride in his district and town [Locorotondo] was obvious.||Dinner was available if requested at breakfast time and extremely good value. All food was home-made using local, seasonal produce, and after our first dining experience, we had to ask for less courses. Non siamo italiani!||Thoroughly recommend this masseria as it was one of our highlights in 3 months of...

This property was very difficult to find, even using the GPS in the car. The best tip, which we couldn't use, is to contact Sant Elia and receive the link to Google Maps and follow the directions on your phone. Once found, it was worth every hassled minute to find it. The pool was apparently a recent addition and most welcome after a long journey in 40 degree temperatures. Our room was large, occupying 3 trulli cones and extremely comfortable. Our hostess, with very little English, was most welcoming and accommodating, but her young manager, Mariantonio was a gem. He provided excellent recommendations for eating out and places to visit. His pride in his district and town [Locorotondo] was obvious.||Dinner was available if requested at breakfast time and extremely good value. All food was home-made using local, seasonal produce, and after our first dining experience, we had to ask for less courses. Non siamo italiani!||Thoroughly recommend this masseria as it was one of our highlights in 3 months of...