Palais Gentile

Style

Pared-back palazzo

Setting

Slow living in Salento

If you don’t possess a Puglian pad of your own, Palais Gentile is the next best thing: an intimate, 18th-century palazzo with space for a handful of guests. Restored by a team of local artisans, it’s a masterclass in old-meets-new, with its whitewashed walls, original tiles and bespoke, blown-glass lights. It’s set in the small town of Matino, within easy reach of Baia Verde’s beaches; you can see the sea from its rooftop terrace – over breakfast or a sunset glass of rosé. Inland, Baroque towns like Lecce are an easy drive, past sun-baked farmland and silvery olive groves. This far south, though, the pace is slow, and it’s all about la dolce far niente – letting time slip idly by, doing as little as you possibly can.

Facilities

Zimmer

Five and two suites.

Checkout

12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Luggage storage is available on request.

Weitere Details

Rates usually include breakfast.

Also

The hotel’s chic speckled bowls and plates are from Grottaglie, famed for its handmade ceramics and a 90-minute drive away. Pick up a set of your own at Ceramiche d’Arte Carriero.

Hotel Closed

The hotel is closed from December to late March.

Kostenfreies WLAN

Haustierfreundlich

At the Hotel

Rooftop terrace. In rooms: Illy espresso machine, tea-making kit, air conditioning, Salvatore Ferragamo bath products, minibar.

Our Favourite Rooms

All four rooms are along the same artfully pared-back lines, with whitewashed walls, bespoke bedside lights and discreetly luxurious details, like the Frette bed linen and honey-hued Lecce limestone bathrooms. Deluxe room Two has the most original features, with its vaulted ceiling, geometric tiles and fireplace – cleverly repurposed as a shower. The two suites are more spacious, with separate sitting rooms and sofa beds. Ask for the Suite Matino, with its tiny balcony, and watch local life go (slowly) by.

Packing Tips

Bring a backgammon set for unhurried games, lounging on the rooftop’s day beds. The summer sun can be fierce this far south, especially if you’re bound for the beach; come prepared with a fan and wide-brimmed hat, and borrow one of the hotel’s beach umbrellas.

Also

In-room treatments and massages can be arranged on request.

Kinder

Children of all ages are welcome and there are some family-friendly rooms. This is a fairly old building, so there isn’t a kids’ club or creche and small fry will need close supervision on the stone staircases, cement-tiled floors and roof terrace.

Galerie

Food & Drink

Kleiderordnung

Breezy and informal, with oversized shades – it’s bright even at breakfast-time.

Hotel Restaurant

Breakfast is served on the rooftop, below a shady bamboo loggia, or in your room on request. It’s a seasonal, local produce-fuelled affair with pastries, fruit and savouries. Expect something different every day; a local cheese, handsome apricot crostata or crêpes rustled up by the owner. There’s no restaurant at the hotel, though Foscolo is a few doors down.

Hotel Bar

There’s no bar, but you’re welcomed with a bottle of prosecco or Salentine wine. The owners always have additional supplies at hand, or can arrange aperitivo-hour snacks and drinks on the roof.

Planes

The closest airport is at Brindisi, around an hour’s drive away. Transfers can be arranged: €150 for up to three passengers; €300 for four to eight passengers. Alternatively, lots of international flights land at Bari, which is just under two-and-a-half hours away by car. If you’re planning to hire, it’s a pleasingly scenic journey along the coast and past the Instagram-familiar, cliff-perched town of Polignano a Mare.

Trains

The closest station is at Matino, but it’s very small and services are sporadic. Lecce’s station – around 40 minutes’ drive – is larger, with trains to Bari, Brindisi, Ostuni and other local towns.

Automobiles

Trains and buses do exist, but public transport isn’t Puglia’s forte. You’ll really need a car to explore its scattered towns, olive groves and cove-dotted coastline. There’s no onsite parking, but there are free spaces available a few minutes from the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Salento’s exquisite Baroque towns are unquestionably worth an excursion, starting with Lecce, AKA ‘the Florence of the South’. It’s a dizzying profusion of columns, gargoyles and friezes, culminating in the insanely ornate Basilica di Santa Croce, carved with cavorting cherubs, dragons and dodos. Alternatively, head for Nardò – a less tourist-trodden Baroque beauty. On its main piazza, Caffè Parisi is a favourite with locals: follow their lead and order the spumone, a triumphant confection of toasted-almond slivers with pistachio and hazelnut gelato. On the coast, Gallipoli (‘the beautiful city’) is aptly named, with a sea-ringed centro storico. Stroll its fishing port, 14th-century sea walls and boutique-dotted backstreets (head to Nugae Galleria for jewellery from under-the-radar designers, and Blanc for ceramics, vintage finds and cocktails in the courtyard).

Then, of course, there are the beaches, lapped by the Ionian sea. This side of the peninsula arguably has the edge over the east coast, whose swimming spots – though beautiful – tend to be craggy underfoot. Fifteen minutes’ drive from the hotel, Baia Verde offers white, dune-backed sands and sunny shallows, while the smaller, wilder coves at Punta Pizzo are edged with pines and gorse.

If you’re feeling lazy (and a little spoiled for choice), the hotel can do the legwork, arranging cooking classes, sailing trips, or chauffeur-driven forays in a gleaming vintage Fiat.

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. .