Tenuta Moreno

Why it’s on the Edit

Tenuta Moreno is a four-star hotel built around a house of the 1700s, in open Salento countryside among fruit trees and centuries-old olive trees, near Mesagne. The hotel calls itself a balance between the calm of the Puglia countryside and the comfort of a very modern hotel.

It is a large property. The rooms page counts 84 rooms, with other pages of the site saying 88, and it adds a spa, two pools, sports facilities, a congress center and a wedding venue.

That makes it a hotel built for groups and events more than a hideaway.

The rooms

The rooms page lists 26 comfort doubles, 48 Superior Viverde rooms and 10 suites, and names the types Camere Doppie Comfort, Superior Viverde, Junior Suite, Suite Terra, Suite Aria, Suite Acqua and Family Room.

The comfort doubles and the Superior rooms are about 25 square meters, with a king-size bed and a sofa bed in the comfort double, and a balcony. The Junior Suite and the Suite Terra are about 40 square meters, with a living area, a sofa bed, chromotherapy showers and a balcony.

Rooms have a safe, a minibar, air conditioning, an LCD television, room service and free wi-fi, with parking. Suites differ by name, so ask what separates Terra, Aria and Acqua.

Eating and drinking

The restaurant serves traditional Puglian and Italian dishes, with a breakfast buffet that includes homemade sweets prepared by the chef. The hotel page names the restaurant Il Melograno, and the kitchen page names two restaurants, L’Aranceto and Sallentia, so ask which is open on your nights.

The kitchen says it follows the seasons and promotes a Mediterranean diet that respects the environment and cultural identity. A cellar holds regional and national wines.

There is also a lounge bar, Magnolia, and a pool bar.

The setting

The setting is farmland, with a park of holm oaks and old olive trees. The pool in front of the hotel sits in the garden. A second pool is cut into the rock inside the hotel.

The grounds also include an outdoor gazebo, a courtyard, a botanic pond and a new open-air football pitch. The tennis court and the bike park of mountain bikes made by a bike maker in Ostuni cover the sport.

Oria is the Messapian town to know. Italia.it says it dates to the second millennium BC and became the capital of Messapia. Frederick II’s castle there has a triangular plan, three towers and a large parade ground, and the walled historic center keeps medieval lanes and noble palaces, among them Palazzo Martini Carissimo, home of the Messapian Documentation Center.

The spa has its own hours: from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at weekends. The hotel lists an affiliated beach, a drive away.

Good to know

• Small pets on a leash are accepted, and are not admitted in the restaurant areas.
• A hotel shuttle runs from Bari and Brindisi airports, and the reception arranges taxis.
• The congress center has five rooms for 20 to 450 people, so groups may share the hotel.
• The rooms page says 84 rooms and other pages say 88.
• The hotel page lists day and weekend packages, and the spa menu lists a Technogym room and massages.
• Not confirmed here: opening months, children’s facilities and a lift.
• Price band: 1 of 5 (estimated: no official rate found).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

It suits groups, wedding parties and anyone who wants a full-service four-star with a spa, two pools and sports, near a state-road exit, and who will use the shuttle from the airport.

Look elsewhere if you want a small place with a dozen rooms or a quiet masseria. Masseria Palombara is an adults-only masseria with 20 rooms. Relais Marchesi Imperiali is a guesthouse with three pools and a massage spa.

Getting there

Tenuta Moreno is on the state road 7, at the Latiano Est exit near Mesagne, in the Brindisi and the Messapian towns area. Brindisi is the nearer of the two airports, and Bari is further north.

You can use the hotel shuttle from either airport, or a rental car. The coast and the towns of the area are separate trips from the grounds.