Ottolire Resort

What the property says

In 1973 Michele, nicknamed Ottolire, and his wife Vita, little more than 18 years old, were enchanted by a group of dilapidated trulli. They bought them and, with great sacrifice and hard work, brought them back to life. The resort’s own story adds a paretaro grandfather and a trullaro great-grandfather, expert craftsmen in building and restoring these Apulian dwellings.

Forty-five years later Erasmo and Antonella, together with Anastasia and Angelo, breathed new life into Ottolire, which the resort describes as a large family dedicated to hospitality and attention to every detail. The buildings are trulli, the conical dry-stone huts of the valley, and cummerse, houses with a sloping roof.

The rooms

There are six categories: Basic, Standard, Superior, Deluxe, Executive and Executive Plus. The Basic is a 15 m² double room that takes one or two people, with the comforts of a Standard in less space. The Executive Plus is listed at 20 m², with a queen bed, exposed stone and a private courtyard with its own hot tub.

The resort says its designer furnishings, with iron and antique fabrics, reproduce local materials in a modern version. The Executive Plus page lists Wi-Fi, a smart TV, air conditioning, a minibar, a safe, a hairdryer and a kettle with a courtesy tray.

Sizes for the other four categories are not confirmed here.

Food and drink

Breakfast is a buffet included in the room price, served indoors or outdoors, with gluten-free and lactose-free products on request. Lunch by the pool is sandwiches, focaccia and salads. Dinner is à la carte, and the resort runs themed evenings, among them poolside barbecues and typical Apulian dinners.

The restaurant starts from the roots of Apulian cooking and adds touches from other European kitchens, with sustainability, quality and seasonal products at the core. The dining room is styled on Mid-Century design, blending the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and there is a terrace.

In the chef’s cooking class you learn to make focaccia, bread and pasta at home. Like every experience here, it must be booked in advance.

The setting

Ottolire stands on a small rise, with centuries-old olive groves, small vineyards and dry-stone walls around it. The resort calls itself a place of tranquility immersed in the silence of open countryside. The address is SC 107, Contrada Papariello Serafino 59.

The resort’s own list of towns to visit starts with Locorotondo, whose old center has a distinctive circular shape. It goes on to Cisternino, Martina Franca, Alberobello and Ostuni, then to Castellana Grotte and Lecce.

On site, the Orangerie among the olive trees hosts yoga, pilates and meditation classes, and the pool has aquagym. Bike tours go up to the highest points in the area for the views, and the gym is equipped, the resort says, for a complete workout.

In the private trullo suite, the spa lists a Romantic Massage of 50 minutes, an Ayurveda Abhyangam and Pindasweda session of 60 minutes and a Sensorial Path of 30 minutes.

Good to know

• The spa is a private trullo suite offering massages and a sensorial path.
• Experiences must be booked in advance and are subject to availability.
• Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out until 11 am. Reception is open 24 hours.
• Free private parking and bike rental are listed. Baby-sitting and guided tours are available on request.
• Daily room cleaning and luggage storage come with the stay, and laundry and ironing are available on request.
• The resort accepts Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Visa Electron cards.
• The pool is always at guests’ disposal, and there is a gym.
• Price band: 3 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Couples and friends who want a family-run base with a massage, a cooking class and a pool get all three here. Cyclists get bike rental and bike tours, and the resort arranges guided excursions to the main towns on request.

For a spa with a wet area, go to Masseria Torricella: its path includes a sauna and a Turkish bath. Leonardo Trulli Resort, in the same town, adds a padel court and a pool heated from September to May.

Getting there

Ottolire is outside Locorotondo, in the Valle d’Itria.

The resort offers transfers to and from airports, railway stations and tourist attractions on request, and it arranges guided tours. Say when you are landing.