Following our brief overnight stay in downtown Brindisi, it was onwards to what I considered to be the highlight of my Puglian accommodation choices; 3 nights at Masseria Messapia, a self-styled ‘wine resort & spa’, about a 20-minute drive from Brindisi.
A text message sent by the resort that morning temporarily threw me slightly off, both welcoming and at the same time warning about not bringing in outside food, and a fee for any late check-ins (beyond 7pm). I presume these have both been an issue in the past, though it felt a little abrupt.
Back into the car for some more precarious driving, and we soon found ourselves navigating the rural roads off the highway leading to Masseria Messapia.
The entrance to the property is very abrupt, and parking – although it’s not initially clear, is along the side of the road. Needless to say we initially overshot the resort, had to do a u-turn, and backtrack.
Masseria Messapia, once inside, is beautiful – a peaceful, rural setting with attractive grounds, a lovely pool and bar area, and a genuine masseria atmosphere. The staff – throughout our stay, not just on arrival – were uniformly very kind, hospitable and friendly; happy to share local recommendations, places to drive, and chat.
After a brief tour, we were shown to our room, the Mirto Suite, located to the front of the property, in the same building as breakfast is served and up a narrow set of steps, sharing the floor with one other suite.
Inside was exactly the kind of authentic farmhouse accommodation I was looking for; a plush double bed, vaulted ceiling, along with all the amenities you’d expect; TV, air conditioning, minibar fridge, coffee maker.
The bathroom was similarly traditional (separated from the room by a curtain, if that bothers anyone), with double stone sinks, toilet, bidet, and a large full-width shower.
Topping the suite off was a large terrace overlooking the surrounding Mediterranean vegetation to one side, and back across the resort on the other. I made use of this several times during what were excessively hot days during our stay to read, and hang out.
A further notice inside the room reiterated the restriction on outside food and warned that a penalty could apply. Although the team themselves were consistently lovely, the strength of the wording felt slightly at odds with the otherwise warm and relaxed atmosphere.
Downstairs, there’s a lovely sitting area with board games, an indoor bar, and the kitchen area and outdoor terrace where breakfast is served. To be honest, we rarely saw this area used, and even the bar outdoors by the pool seemed largely under-utilised. Given the small-scale nature of the resort, it seems normal to potentially not see other guests at all during the stay except, perhaps, for mealtimes.
Speaking of mealtimes, breakfast is served from 8:30am to 10:30am, and dinner is available on-site, though needs to be reserved. Again, we initially panicked to ‘reserve’ as soon as possible, but in hindsight, they were more than happy to accommodate us on the last evening with only 40 minutes notice.
The pool area outside is very beautifully kept, and cared for, with plenty of pool loungers and sunchairs – far more than ever seemed needed – and a nice shaded terrace by the bar, including couches, and a pool table, which we very poorly attempted a few times.
Beyond that is the vineyard – a short, pleasant, paved walk that roughly travels in an oval, bringing you back to the start in a few minutes. We walked it after mealtimes; it offers a wonderful sunset scene, if you get the timing just right.
Breakfast is a generous spread of breads, meats, pastries and other cold delicacies. Juices and still/sparkling water is self-serve, while coffee and hot drinks are made to order and served at the table. Guests can choose to sit in or outdoors – we seemed to labour over breakfast the longest of any guests we saw, most eating and heading off fairly promptly.
One thing I was less keen on, given the resort’s premium positioning, was the additional charge for cooked eggs: €6 for boiled, scrambled or fried eggs and €7 for an omelette. Against an otherwise generous breakfast spread, it felt like unnecessary nickel-and-diming and, much like the strongly worded outside-food policy, slightly detracted from the relaxed guest experience the property otherwise delivered.
On our final evening, we were able to partake in the pre-booked wine tasting I’d been very much looking forward to, which hadn’t been available the first two nights of our stay. On offer to sample were two of their wines – I have to say, I really enjoyed this; Vincenzo was an excellent, detailed sommelier, full of information and enthusiasm.
After one final, hearty night’s sleep, we were up and out for what would turn out to be a very eventful day of me driving us to the wrong next hotel via Ostuni – but before that, time for one last breakfast, before checking out.
We were kindly offered to hang around by the pool for a few more hours, and make use of the facilities. Again, the team and staff at Masseria Messapia were so friendly, enthusiastic and hospitable – that definitely made the stay for us.
Overall, despite a few operational quirks, we had a very enjoyable and peaceful stay at Masseria Messapia. Its beautiful rural setting, atmospheric accommodation and exceptionally hospitable team made it one of the highlights of our time in Puglia.
