Kelina Charme Hotel

Why it’s on the Edit

Kelina Charme Hotel is a small hotel in an eighteenth-century noble palazzo, on Piazza Aldo Moro in the center of Cellino San Marco. It has only 8 rooms, and its own site calls it a four-star hotel.

The hotel offers a stay in Cellino San Marco, which the town’s own site calls a small agricultural center. The hotel says local guides can show you the legends and secrets of the Messapian villages if you book the service before your stay.

The hostess, Antonella, is named on the banqueting page as the person who looks after every detail of a party.

The rooms

The 8 rooms come in three types. Economy is a single room with a French bed, which the hotel pitches to business travelers and to guests who want a smart, simple holiday. Classic and Superior rooms are for a maximum of two.

The Classic room is furnished in a retro style, with antique windows. The Superior rooms have, in the hotel’s words, elegant lines.

All rooms have a bathroom with a shower, a hair dryer, a safe, air conditioning and heating, a minibar on request with complimentary water, a telephone, satellite television and Wi-Fi. A courtesy kit and daily housekeeping are included.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast is included and served from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The lounge bar is open to hotel guests and to anyone who wants a moment of relaxation, an aperitif or a cocktail party. The hotel publishes a wine list and a cocktail list, and calls the bar a comfort room where pleasure meets taste in the art of mixology.

The hotel also takes banqueting: receptions, gala evenings, brunches, business meetings and private parties, with a welcome drink and a cloakroom. It names no restaurant on its official pages, so ask where guests usually dine in Cellino San Marco.

The setting

Cellino San Marco is in the province of Brindisi, and the hotel sits in its center, on Piazza Aldo Moro. Among its extra services the hotel lists a private sun umbrella at an affiliated beach club.

The hotel’s territory page is an invitation to the wider Salento. It lists Lecce, Otranto, Brindisi, Mesagne, Porto Cesareo, Castro, Cisternino, Nardò, Gallipoli, Torre dell’Orso and Taranto as destinations, and offers guided visits to Messapian villages.

On request the hotel arranges bike rental, boat trips, cooking classes, wine and olive oil tastings and winery visits, so a stay can be built around the region even without a plan of your own. Prices for these extras are not confirmed here.

The town’s own site names the Palazzo Baronale, also called the Castle or Palazzo Comitale, on the main square, and describes Cellino San Marco as a small agricultural center. Private parking is available on site.

Good to know

• Check-in from 2 p.m., check-out by 11 a.m. The hotel is non-smoking.
• Animals are not allowed.
• Its events page records an evening held on May 18, 2023, in memory of Falcone and Borsellino.
• Other extras on request: a minibar, wellness treatments, a concierge, a cot, a baby-sitter, room service and private events.
• The hotel lists a private sun umbrella at an affiliated beach club.
• Children, a lift, a pool and opening months are not confirmed here.
• Price band: 1 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples and business travelers who want a small hotel in an old palazzo in a town, with a bar in the building and free parking, will find it fits. So will anyone who wants a base for visiting the Messapian villages with a local guide. Breakfast from 7 a.m. suits an early start.

Travelers with a dog, or who want a pool or a restaurant in the building, should look elsewhere. Tenuta Moreno is a four-star hotel in Mesagne with a pool and a restaurant. Masseria Vaccaro is a boutique hotel in Brindisi with a pool.

Getting there

Kelina Charme Hotel is on Piazza Aldo Moro in Cellino San Marco, in the Brindisi and the Messapian towns area. The hotel names Brindisi airport and Brindisi as the nearest railway stop.

A car is the practical choice for the beaches and the other Messapian towns, which are separate trips.