Masseria Donna Menga

Style

Vaulted healing

Setting

Fruitful farmland

Honeyed limestone, aromatic greenery and vast blue skies — this is the classically Pugliese palette of Masseria Donna Menga in Salento. At this restored 15th-century farmhouse, rustic original features backdrop bespoke modern pieces by local craftspeople. Spend restful days sketching a course between the pool, boutique spa and polished Salentini restaurant, or set out through the painterly, Mediterranean landscape to baroque Nardò and white-sand Ionian beaches. Either way, this is life alla campagna elevated to an artform.

Facilities

Rooms

21, including five suites.

Checkout

2.30pm. Check-out is at 11am, but both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include a breakfast of fresh-baked bread, sweet and savoury cakes, eggs, cured meat, cheese, and homegrown salads and fruit.

Also

One Deluxe Room with Patio has been adapted for wheelchair access with widened entry points and a modified bathroom. The hotel's communal areas, including public bathrooms, are accessible, too.

Hotel Closed

The hotel opens annually from April to October.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Paid laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, air-conditioning, coffee- and tea-making kit, minibar, free glass-bottled water, beach bag, flip flops, Technogym fitness kit, bathrobes, slippers and La Bottega bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Make the most of the Pugliese weather with one of Masseria Donna Menga’s rooms or suites with a private patio or balcony.

Poolside

At the centre of the masseria’s peaceful inner courtyard, you’ll find the adults-only pool (open 8am to 8pm daily). Sun-soak out on the Lecce stone patio or thumb through a paperback under the pergola, as bees drowse between the succulents and a sea breeze skims the dry-stone wall.

Spa

Puglia’s native goodies are the inspiration behind treatments at the masseria’s spa. Options include Mediterranean Sea salt scrubs, mint-scented hammam rituals and massages working with lemon, thyme and Salento olive oil. There's also an outdoor fitness area with Technogym equipment in the courtyard — in handy reach of both the pool and the bar (whichever your post-workout process entails).

Packing Tips

Bring shoes sensible enough for Nardò’s cobblestone streets and strolls alla campagna.

Also

There are stories of upcycling and unexpected provenance woven throughout the masseria’s interiors. Take the woven bedside lamps — they were made by Pugliese fishers the designers met on a sourcing trip.

Children

Welcome, but not especially catered to — the pool is for adults only. A single sofa-bed can be added to the Suite with Patio, Suite with Plunge Pool and Two-Bedroom Tower Suite for a charge.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The restaurant's courtyard terrace, framed by lush Mediterranean greenery, is a fitting spot to tuck into Salento’s homegrown dishes.

Dress Code

Mirror the masseria’s style with smart, contemporary pieces in natural fabrics.

Hotel Restaurant

Set in what was once the masseria’s olive mill, Radici Restaurant puts a forward-thinking spin on centuries of culinary heritage. Chef Simon De Siato’s elevated, contemporary menus are firmly rooted in Salentini tradition, with ingredients grown in the kitchen’s organic gardens and orchard or sourced from local producers. Lunch is a sunny salad and antipasti affair; for dinner, expect handmade pasta, regional specialities like quataru (a fish and black garlic soup from Porto Cesareo), and rich, meaty secondi. Or save yourself the deliberation and opt for the five-course tasting menu, leaving the choice in De Siato’s skilled hands.

Hotel Bar

The terrace is likely where you’ll find yourself migrating to come aperitivo o’clock. But don’t sleep on a seat at the counter at Radici Bar — set into an atmospheric limestone alcove in the restaurant, it makes a romantic spot to nurse a Negroni.

Last Orders

Radici serves breakfast from 7.30am until 10.30am; lunch from 12.30pm until 2.30pm, and dinner between 7.30pm and 10pm. The bar pours till midnight.

Room Service

You can order dishes to your room around the clock for a €20 fee.

Planes

The hotel is around an hour’s drive from Brindisi airport. Staff can arrange transfers on request (from €150 to €250, depending on the number of passengers and bags).

Trains

Nardò Città is the nearest major train station, a half-hour drive from the hotel. Intercity services from Rome, Milan and other Italian hubs can take you as far as Lecce; from there, regional routes run to Nardò. Staff can arrange station transfers on request.

Automobiles

There’s free private parking at the hotel, including electric-vehicle charging stations. The hotel can arrange transfers into town or to nearby beaches, but you might want your own car for where-the-wind-takes-you drives through the countryside.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Concierge staff can arrange guided nature walks through the olive-shaded countryside surrounding the masseria, or set you up with rented bikes for a freewheeling expedition along ancient sheep tracks. Trot through the storied scenery feeling suitably period on a guided horseback ride; or, for the full dolce vita experience, hire a vintage car. The Ionian coast is a short drive away; your hosts can reserve you a spot at Porto Cesareo’s beach clubs, but lower-key spots, such as golden-sand Spiaggia des Frascone, are in easy reach, too.

Also on the cards are local-led tours of Puglia’s cultural must-sees, including the baroque beauty of Nardò and Lecce, and, naturally, tours and tastings at the peninsula’s wineries and farms. Thanks to the hotel’s links with local artisans, you’ll have opportunities to dig deep into Salento’s rich heritage, too. Try your hand at pottery in ceramics capital Cutrofiano, chisel your own souvenir in a stonemasonry workshop, or book a cookery masterclass to swat up on traditional dishes.

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. .