Relais Villa San Martino

What the property says

Relais Villa San Martino was born in 2004, when Martino Solito, an art restorer, turned the family villa in the countryside into a hotel. The hotel calls the house a 19th-century farmhouse, and its room pages list period decoration, damask curtains from the silk mills of Caserta and marble bathrooms with a Jacuzzi.

A spa, a pool and three food venues under the Bros’ name belong to the hotel, and the whole place can be reserved in exclusive use.

The founder’s children, Edward and Julia, have taken over. The hotel says they want more openness to the international and a stronger wish to enhance their own territory.

The rooms and suites

The 21 rooms are split between a main villa and a dependance, in six categories. Superior rooms measure 18 m², sit on the first floor with an elevator, and have a marble bathroom with a whirlpool tub. Deluxe rooms run from 18 to 22 m² with a garden or pool view, Junior Suites from 22 to 24 m², Corner Suites 26 m² and Suites 28 m².

The Executive Suite has two bathrooms, one of them accessible to guests with disabilities. Mattresses are Dorelan Centurium, and the TVs are Samsung hotel models.

Families should read the small print. Children are welcome, yet the Superior room cannot take an extra bed or a crib.

Where you eat

Bros’ Ristorante began in 2016 from an idea by Floriano Pellegrino, and its menu changes every six months. It serves dinner only from Wednesday to Friday, from 8:00 pm, and adds lunch from 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Monday dinner at the hotel is therefore a bar matter.

Bros’ Trattoria has no fixed menu. It follows the rhythm of the market and the seasons, and it cooks with the power of fire. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 15:00 and from 19:00 to 23:00, with Tuesday evening for dinner only.

Bros’ Bar runs every day from 8:00 to midnight, whether you sit on a chaise longue by the pool, in your room or on the panoramic terrace. For those who would rather cook than eat, a traditional cooking class is on the experience list.

The setting

The villa stands in a Mediterranean park that the hotel calls centuries old, and it describes its position as central. The pool lies on a sun terrace among old trees, with loungers and umbrellas, and is open every day from May to September between 10:00 and 18:00. Creative cocktails and snacks come to the pool.

The concierge arranges guided tours in Italian and English of masserie, oil mills and wineries, plus horse rides in a masseria, mountain bike routes and excursions to Alberobello.

The postal address is SS172, 59 (Via Taranto, zona G).

Good to know

• The pool is seasonal: May to September, 10:00 to 18:00.
• The spa has a wet-area circuit, massages, face rituals and body wraps with herbs of the area, and rituals titled a journey between Puglia and Morocco.
• Check-in is from 3 pm and check-out by 11 am.
• Whole-property rental covers 21 rooms and up to 42 guests, with up to 8 extra beds, across a main villa and a dependance.
• Weddings run as experiences of at least three days. Civil ceremonies can take place in the garden or by the pool, and the Sala Giardino seats up to 200.
• Small and medium pets are allowed for a supplement.
• Price band: 3 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

A spa and a serious dinner under one roof suit couples. The exclusive-use option suits private groups planning a family gathering, a holistic retreat or a wedding.

The pool season runs from May to September, so April and October swimmers should look elsewhere. Wedding season also deserves a call to the hotel about taken dates. Masseria San Michele, in the same commune, has seven rooms.

Getting there

Relais Villa San Martino is in Martina Franca, in the Valle d’Itria. The hotel lists a shuttle service and a concierge who works 24 hours a day, and its staff are multilingual.

Mention a late arrival when you book.