Masseria Sant'Anna

Why it’s on the Edit

Masseria Sant’Anna is a hotel in an 18th-century fortified structure at Marina di Palese, a seaside district on the coast north of Bari. It was built under the Bourbon occupation as a watchtower, to guard the coast against raiders and pirates, and it housed the Royal Guard and knights in transit.

The hotel keeps the look of a historic rural residence. It describes antique handcrafted furniture and a warm, home-like atmosphere.

It is listed for a different reason from most masserie: a practical stay very close to Bari airport, for people who want a historic building near a flight, a trade fair or a family wedding.

The rooms

There are 12 rooms, all air-conditioned. They are doubles or twins, an extra bed can be added, and some have a private balcony.

The hotel describes the rooms as elegantly furnished and equipped with the main comforts. Each room has a satellite TV, a safe, a private bathroom, a desk, a minibar, a hairdryer, a wardrobe and free Wi-Fi. Room sizes are not confirmed here, so ask when you book if space matters.

The hotel receives guests around the clock, and laundry is available for a supplement. If you leave early, the lobby bar serves coffee and a croissant before the breakfast hours.

Eating and drinking

Breakfast is a continental buffet with traditional Puglian products. It runs from 7 to 10 in the morning.

The hotel describes the Puglian items one by one: a bread with a thick crust and a soft, honeycombed crumb, a twice-baked durum wheat rusk, a custard-filled pastry from the Salento, and an olive oil extracted only by cold mechanical methods, with acidity below 0.8%.

The restaurant is a hall furnished in rural style, reserved for group banquets at company meetings, birthdays, events and weddings. The hotel also says the restaurant opens only for dinner, in two sittings, and closes on Sundays. Confirm with the hotel which version applies on your date.

Gluten-free and intolerance-friendly products are available on request.

The setting

The setting is a coastal residential quarter, quiet and elegant by the hotel’s account, with a furnished garden in the original forecourt where guests can have a cocktail. The sea is close, and the hotel pitches it as a base for a seaside holiday on the north coast of Bari.

The beach is not the hotel’s own: guests receive a favorable agreement with Il Titolo, a bathhouse with sand, an outdoor pool, a bar and a restaurant, open from June 15 to August 31. A gym and a wellness and beauty center are nearby.

The hotel names the center of Bari and the Fiera del Levante, the trade fair, as a short ride by metro or bus. It also has two meeting rooms for 2 to 40 people, with audiovisual equipment to rent and high-speed Wi-Fi.

Good to know

• Pets are not allowed.
• Il Titolo beach club is open from June 15 to August 31, and you get an agreed rate.
• The restaurant hall is for group banquets. Dinner service is described as limited, so check.
• Reception is staffed 24 hours.
• There is a business point, free Wi-Fi and two meeting rooms.
• Children’s policies 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

It suits travelers who want a historic building near Bari airport, business guests with a meeting room, and families who come for a wedding or banquet in the hotel’s hall. It also works for a short seaside stay in summer, through the Il Titolo agreement.

Look elsewhere if you want a countryside masseria, and ask first if a pool on site or a spa matters. For a palazzo in the city, see Palazzo Filisio, and for a city boutique hotel, Dilman Boutique Hotel. The Bari and Trani hub lists more.

Getting there

Masseria Sant’Anna is in Palese, in the Bari and Trani area, and Bari is the airport you fly into. The hotel says the airport is very close.

The hotel is close to the motorways, so it is easy to reach by road. It also points to a metro or bus connection into Bari, so ask the reception which stop to use.