Hotel Grotta Palazzese

What the property says

Hotel Grotta Palazzese sits in the old center of Polignano a Mare, perched above the sea on top of the cave that houses its namesake restaurant. It has 18 rooms, which the hotel describes as suspended over the water. The proposition is simple: the Adriatic under the window and a dinner table in the rock below.

The restaurant terrace was created inside a natural cave. The hotel says the place has been used for parties and banquets since 1700, and that the terrace holds up to 150 people.

Plan the stay around the view and the dinner, since the cave is the main event.

The rooms

The hotel describes light-filled rooms with large windows and private terraces over the deep blue of the Adriatic. Views are not identical across the 18. The page for one Premium room says it looks onto the town alleys instead. Ask which view comes with the room you are offered.

The top of the range is Suite 900, on the top floor of the Palazzo del Suono del Mare, with a private elevator. It has a private panoramic terrace of 250 m² with a white marble Jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a relaxation area and a wet bar.

Suite 151 is another way to go: two rooms, a bio fireplace and a shower with a panoramic sea view. The page for that suite also lists a free shuttle to and from Bari airport on request and subject to availability.

Food and drink

The cave restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and reservations are made only on the hotel’s own site. Hotel guests get a table reserved along the railing over the sea. The menus are set for the whole table, so everyone eats the same format.

The rules are strict and stated. Dinner is capped at 2 hours so the table can serve the next turn. Men may not wear shorts or sandals at dinner, a booking holds for a delay of up to 20 minutes, and the management can cancel in extraordinary weather because the terrace is open to the sea.

The hotel also runs Casanova, a restaurant on the first floor of the Palazzo del Suono del Mare, with the sea visible from every corner. The palazzo is also the hotel’s venue for weddings, receptions and private dinners.

The setting

The cave is the setting. It is made up of two caves of different sizes, and the restaurant terrace looks out to the sea on one side while the vault shelters it from above. The hotel’s page also mentions a watercolor of the place by Jean Louis Desprez, dated 1783.

Around it is the historic center of Polignano a Mare, where the hotel stands, with the sea directly below. Pick this hotel for the site itself and for the old town on the doorstep.

Good to know

• No children under 12 are admitted in the rooms. The restaurant welcomes children under 10 until the 4:30 pm turn.
• The restaurant accepts reservations only on the hotel’s own site.
• Dinner is capped at 2 hours, with a dress code: no shorts or sandals for men.
• No pets are allowed in the rooms. The restaurant generally does not allow pets either, but welcomes small ones kept under strict supervision.
• A reserved free parking lot in via Madonna d’Altomare has a shuttle car to the restaurant.
• The Premium 352 page lists services for guests with disabilities.
• The hotel hosts weddings and events in the Palazzo del Suono del Mare.
• Opening months for the rooms and a pool or spa are not stated on the pages we read.
• Price band: 4 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples marking an occasion and anyone who wants a night above the sea will get what they came for, provided the dinner rules suit them. The Palazzo del Suono del Mare takes weddings and events.

Families with young children should look elsewhere, since the rooms admit no children under 12. If grounds and a spa decide the trip, Masseria Auraterrae has two infinity pools and a barrel sauna, and Borgobianco Resort & Spa Polignano has a spa of nearly 1,000 m².

Getting there

Hotel Grotta Palazzese is in Polignano a Mare, in the Monopoli and Polignano area.

The hotel’s contact page says the site in the town center is easy to reach by any means, and recommends entering Polignano from the south. A reserved free parking lot in via Madonna d’Altomare comes with a shuttle car to the restaurant.