La Peschiera

Style

Whirl of white and blue

Setting

Steps from the Adriatic

With a private beach, seven pools and a seafood restaurant lapped by the Adriatic, waterfront hotel La Peschiera reads like a love letter to the Puglian seaside. Almost everywhere you look, azure blues frame the view: each suite has a terrace overlooking the pools on one side, and sweeping sea views on the other. Add to that the traditional interiors with muslin-draped beds and cerulean fabrics, and you’ve got a hotel that’s the embodiment of the south-Italian coast. Spend your days between sea and sunlounger, where an icy Aperol Spritz awaits, or ask the concierge team to organise wine tastings, Vespa rides or a helicopter tour over Puglia’s most picturesque towns.

Facilities

Rooms

13, including three suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include à la carte breakfast, served on your private, sea-facing terrace at a time of your choosing.

Also

All the common areas are wheelchair accessible, and there’s one specially adapted room with a step-free entrance and larger bathroom.

Hotel Closed

The hotel will be closed from 30 October 2018 to 20 April 2019.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Private beach; sauna; free WiFi throughout; laundry. In rooms: flatscreen TV; minibar; coffee machine; free bottled water; Gabriella Chieffo bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

If we were pushed to pick, we’d go for a Sunrise Room, which has a terrace facing the pools, another on the roof (which makes an excellent spot for sundowners), and a third with an uninterrupted view of the Adriatic.

Poolside

Not content with the Adriatic Sea on its doorstep, the hotel has no fewer than seven outdoor pools, with sun terraces making up the space between them. They vary in size and temperature – the largest is 25m, perfect for a few morning laps; the smallest is a tiny plunge pool filled with icy water.

Spa

There’s a sauna by the pool, and guests can also hop on a free shuttle to sister hotel Il Melograno, where there’s a spa with a hammam, sauna, plunge pool and several treatment rooms and a relaxation area. The menu includes Ayurvedic, Polynesian and Aromatherapy massages, facials with essential oils like neroli and ylang-ylang, and targeted body treatments.

Packing Tips

Crisp whites and maritime blues – what else?

Also

Learn how to make the perfect oyster martini – or any of the classics – in a private cocktail-making class at the bar.

Children

Over-10s are welcome at the hotel, but there’s no kid’s menu or facilities, making it better suited to adults.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

You can’t beat a table on the front edge of the terrace, where you’ll have an unbroken view across the horizon.

Dress Code

It’s Italy and you’re on the Adriatic, so don’t be afraid of dressing up a little, particularly in the evenings.

Hotel Restaurant

Saleblu (a reference to the Persian blue salt used in the kitchen) is the jewel in the hotel’s crown. Perched right on the water’s edge so that you can hear the waves lap the rocks, this coastal restaurant ticks all the right boxes. Shaded by rippling canvas sails, the all-white terrace combines with the blue of the Adriatic to form the most classic of maritime colour schemes. Come evening, the open sides give diners uninterrupted sunset views. Naturally, seafood’s the speciality, paired with vegetables from local farms and wine from Puglian vines. Whether you’re in the mood for oysters, langoustines or grilled snapper, you can be sure that it’ll hit the mark.

Hotel Bar

The Lounge Bar overlooks the private beach, so you needn’t stray far from your lounger for a refill. Try the house specials, the oyster Martini, a perfect partner for a plate of Apulian crudo di mare.

Last Orders

Lunch is served from 12.30pm to 2.30pm; dinner from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The bar is open from 7.30am to midnight.

Room Service

During the day, there’s a menu of snacks and light meals, including sandwiches, salads and two mains from the restaurant. After dark, peckish night owls can order cold dishes like charcuterie and cheese platters.

Planes

Brindisi is the closest international airport. It’s well connected with Italian airports and nearby European destinations, but direct flights from the UK are few and far between – you’re best flying via Rome or Milan. The other option is Bari, another regional airport that’s best reached via Italy’s hubs. It takes around 40 minutes to drive from either airport to the hotel; private transfers (for up to two people) can be arranged for €155 each way.

Trains

Direct Trenitalia services run between Rome and Monopoli; the fastest of them takes around four-and-a-half hours. Once you’ve arrived in Monopoli, it’s a 10-minute taxi journey to the hotel.

Automobiles

You don’t need a car, but coastal villages like Ostuni and Polignano a Mare are well worth seeing, so your own set of wheels will come in handy if you like to take day trips on your own terms. If you want to hire, the Smith24 team can arrange it. There’s free parking at the hotel, too.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

At La Peschiera, the day starts as we wish they all would, with a tap at the door as your breakfast is brought to the room. From that point on, you can either spend the day alternating between the sea, sand and swimming pools, or try one of the many activities on offer. Wake early to catch an octopus or go deep-sea fishing, then bring your catch along to a cooking class with chef Vincenzo Montanaro, who’ll show you how to prepare it the Apulian way. The concierge will happily arrange offsite experiences, too. Sip your way through the region’s vineyards or tour its olive groves, cycle to Egnazia, a Roman ruin dating from 4BC, explore the Adriatic on a private yacht or hire a Vespa to zip through the valley of Itria, a tract of rich farmland peppered with historic villages. For a blowout that you’ll remember for years to come, book the panoramic helicopter tour. A chauffeur will whisk you to sister hotel Il Melograno, where your chopper will be waiting. Whether you choose the two or six-hour flight, you’ll have ample time to soar over the fertile valley of Itria and its most picturesque towns, including Cisternino, Locorotondo and Alberobello. Extending to a full-day trip, you can get as far as Gallipoli, stopping for lunch at a restaurant on the coast.

If it’s your first time in the area, don’t miss the chance to stroll round Monopoli, a 10-minute drive up the coast. Highlights include the 16th-century Charles V Castle and the Baroque cathedral. A few miles further north is Polignano a Mare, a clifftop town that looks as if it’s risen from the turquoise bay.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .