Castello di Ugento

Originally a Norman Castle, but totally rebuilt in the 17th century by the family of the current Principe and quite recently converted Into a luxury boutique hotel, Castello di Ugento is a mixed bag. The building is stunning. The rooms and bathrooms are well equipped, large and luxurious. The service at reception is excellent and we would pick out particularly Toni and Mirko. The walled garden is delightful ( note that most rooms have no outside space and there is no swimming pool). However, housekeeping has some faults (eg towels not all replaced and peeling paint in the shower section); the ubiquitous piped music is constant and random in genre ( Frank Sinatra to Italian pop to who knows what!); the Tempo Nuovo restaurant is way overpriced for the quality of the food (see separate review); and, frankly, there isn’t much to do in the hotel or in Ugento. So, you are paying very high prices for somewhere that you’re unlikely to spend much time. Worth a day or two though.

The atmosphere of the castle was absolutely beautiful. You’re in an ancient castle yet everything is so pristine and high tech. The rooms are luxurious, the bed is so comfortable, and everything is clean and well kept. It’s cozy, quant, magnificent, and grand all at the same time. The service was fantastic. We would WhatsApp Mirko or whoever was at the front desk whenever we needed anything. They were always so accommodating and on point with their recommendations. They make everything very easy by making reservations and mapping out cities for you. We would definitely love to go back. Highly recommend!

This beautiful hotel is located in the town of Ugento in southern Italy. It is a restored castle, its rooms are comfortable and very well decorated. The service is excellent!! The second level is the original rooms of the castle with frescoes dating back from 1695. The hotel restaurant is one of the best in the region. with exquisite wines from the Puglia region. It is close to santa maria di Leuca snd other little towns like Otranto and Treccia I Highly recommend this Hotel and the restaurant !!!

The hotel is beautiful. We really liked our room. Some things that could be improved: 1) a tour of the property would have been nice. 2) wine upon arrival was suppose to be included in our reservation but unfortunately even after asking Isabella for it, we still didn’t get it. She said the next time we visit the property we will get it. Very poor customer service. 3) a little more attention to detail when cleaning the room would be good. I included some photos of areas that needed better cleaning. Using bleach to clean the mildew in the shower. And daily cleaning of the air vents (which are very easy to reach) should be done. 4) the shower light kept turning off and on. Needs repairing. 5) Great Chef! Just wish we had veal instead of pork as indicated in the recipe we received. I believe this was done to save money for the hotel since it’s cheaper to have pork. We won’t be back to this hotel. I know there has to be better service elsewhere. Sam and Tony were GREAT!!

In September of 2023, my wife and I spent a magical week at Castello di Ugento. We had been looking for a place to stay in Puglia and I happened upon the Castello in an internet search. It was all that we had hoped for. The quality of the accommodations and the food were matched only by the attentiveness of the staff. Our stay was not inexpensive, but it was worth every penny. We have paid more at other five-star hotels but never have we had such an all-round amazing vacation experience. Apart from one day, when we visited a local winery and olive oil company (both arranged by the hotel), we barely budged. Uncharacteristically, we ate every meal at the hotel restaurant and each night the elegant and creative menu was exceptional. The sommelier served us exclusively local Puglian wine, which he selected to match each course. One of the features that had drawn us to the Castello was the Puglia Culinary Centre, housed in the hotel. In the off-season, classes are held for students from cooking schools, both in Italy and in the United States. We took three cooking lessons, each taught by the chefs of the Castello, which were outstanding: three hours of cooking in their state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, followed by a full meal with the chefs. Both of us love to cook and we have taken lessons elsewhere, including at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, but this topped them all. The Castello has only ten rooms. We had reserved the Alcova di Diana ahead of time, the best room in the house. The Alcova is a 60 meter2 (600 ft2) two-room suite on the second floor of the hotel with its own large terrace, the only room on that floor. It has a view of the town and the countryside that stretches as far as the Mediterranean Sea. The Castello has a large walled-in garden, filled with fruit trees and herbs, which the chefs use in cooking. We spent hours reading there in the afternoon, completely undisturbed. The town of Ugento is at the very tip of the heel of the boot of the Italian mainland. The nearest airport is in Brindisi, about 90 minutes away. We flew into Bari, an hour further north, because we were able to get a direct connection in Rome to our flight from JFK, which meant that our luggage went straight through. We then rented a car. The roads to and from both airports are mostly limited access divided highways with no tolls. Ugento is a quaint local town, not touristy at all. It is only a few minutes from beaches on the Ionian Sea and not far from a good number of wineries. The hotel offers a variety of discounts if you pay in advance. The details are spelled out on the excellent website (castellodiugento.com), which also has photos of all the rooms and information about the cooking classes. The weather at the end of September was perfect and the crowds of tourists were greatly diminished from the height of the season in August. As I put it at the outset: magical.

Overall we felt nicked and dimed... will recommend avoiding it. More in detail: The cocktails are 28 EUR each. Yes they are good, but I think this already says it all. The great cocktails in town at any other restaurant are under 10 EUR each. I like wine. I was offered to visit the wine cellar. I took the offer. I met with their sommelier and we spent about 30 min in the cellar. He showed me some of their expensive wines. We talked about years. Some local grapes, he showed me maybe 5-6 bottles. Mind : we didn't taste, open or touch anything , no even a glass of water. Little was I surprised when at the hotel departure I was charged 70EUR for this tour. The rooms that you get are on the ground floor, with no view. Modern, clean, but nothing to do with the rooms you would imagine, on the 2nd floor, with beautiful high ceiling, view etc. Also a little disappointing for the price. The good: The garden is beautiful. Must spend time there. The service is great. The cooking lesson is expensive but nice. Overall, I would say avoid and go instead to hotels instead.