Parco dei Principi - Resort & Spa

We (family with 2 kids) spent a full week at this hotel. What we liked above all was the size: it is not a huge resort, rather a well distributed hotel with indoor and nice outdoor amenities (a small but cozy pool, direct access to the sea with sandy flooring for sunbathing and rocky seabed, which makes it a much better experience from a water clarity and fish presence perspective). Food was in general of ok quality, despite many repeated items on the buffet of appetizers and the sometimes (surprisingly) not great fish plates. In general the ‘primi’ were all good, the ‘secondi’ not always on par. As a difference between this setup and the one others might be used to in bigger structures, the buffet is exclusively for appetizers, desserts and fruit: the ‘main’ courses must be selected on the spot and you are given the choice of 2 primi and 2 secondi. The primi especially were made express so in general very good. A pity that not more local produce is served on the buffet: this would have def been a plus. In view of the fact that we were there in July I expect that we benefited from the still lower presence of guests. I must expect that the overall experience might suffer from increased presence of guests in August. The breakfast is rather standard Italian, though with a glad addition of express scrambled eggs and crepes (alas only with Nutella or plain). Fruit presence is mediocre and other fresh local produce options lack: a bit of a bummer for me as I find breakfast the signature of my stay at every hotel I go to, but ok overall. WiFi has visible limits both in terms of bandwidth and coverage: our two rooms were only very partially reached and it was for us unusable. One of the rooms had the bathroom room stuck (they couldn’t fix it until the next day as we arrived on a Sunday…), whereas the fridge in the other room was not operational. Our room was adjacent to the main internal ‘square’ which alas made it rather uncomfortable at night when the baby dance or other events kicked off. A pity as well was the lack of a bar service by the sea and swimming pool: you’d have to go back to the main bar for any refreshment. The bar is close to the reception and not greatly stocked (confectioned ice creams, water, sodas, coffee, with some alcoholic options if you’re into them). I hit the small gym almost everyday and it has pretty much everything you will need, but you will have to turn everything on yourself including AC as power is turned off whenever no one is present. We also tried the spa in the lower level and had a very pleasurable experience with prices that are not exactly low but good quality. The location is what it is, the surrounding area possesses short of any attractiveness other than for the sea and even though Torre San Giovanni can become quite a lively place in the night it doesn’t really has much to offer beyond restaurants and bars and the short walk there is not without its risks along the scarcely illuminated and fast driven ‘litoranea’. The hotel has an agreement with a lido that is 3km away and they offer a shuttle which gets pretty full and you must book the day prior. The lido sabbioso (sandy) is a proper beach but if you’re late or just unlucky you will end up at the 15th line of umbrellas in the back. The sea over there is ok and the seabed stays very shallow for several tens of meters, only sand: I’d think this is the better options for those with small kids, but we only went once out of curiosity and didn’t feel the need to repeat the experience. The shuttle experience can get quite stressing especially seen that you’re on vacation. We hence stayed at the hotel for most of our stay, and I believe their sea access offers a more pleasurable experience, with fewer people and clearer water. All in all a good experience, with aspects that can be (and hopefully will be) fixed as the ones described above.

... nice experience ...

Very good hotel, ambiance is great, breakfast also. Swimming pool was very Nice but cold in october. Thank you for your hospitallity Parco dei Principi!

F a v o l o s o

Excellent structure we stayed in the residence, really very nice mini apartments, bathroom, double bedroom and bunk bed. Top cleaning of both rooms and common areas. Excellent spa girls very kind and prepared. Very friendly hotel staff. Top entertainment thanks to everyone for making us spend a truly spectacular holiday in Salento 💕

The Parco dei Principi enjoys an excellent position directly on the rocky coast of Torre San Giovanni: on a terrace that can be reached on foot from an underpass, a very nice equipped sandy beach has been created, which gives easy access to the sea through a ladder. Accessible with the shuttle provided by the hotel, the beautiful beach and the fantastic sea at the partner beach (included in the price) Bora Bora, managed in a confusing and approximate way with a very high-priced bar service.
The hotel has a small swimming pool, but very nice, equipped with whirlpool and waterfall from which you can enjoy the view of a very beautiful and well-kept garden. The structure is very pleasant, partially built following the typical architecture of the Salento farms. The breakfast room and the dining room are very large and airy. Externally there is a large square dedicated to catering (Grill) and to the entertainment of the animation (nice and not invasive, managed by the very nice Leandro).
Having stayed as a B&B, I tried the restaurant service only once: a seafood grill and a land grill that were more than satisfactory, even if the service was a bit "pressing". The breakfast buffet is excellent and plentiful.
The Standard room in which I stayed, although not spacious, is nice but in need of some intervention: it needed a refresh of the painting, a little maintenance on the shower box (water leaks from the joints), the replacement of the worn day curtains, a working mini-fridge, but above all the arrangement of the noisy air conditioning system; important details for a 4-star hotel. Daily cleaning and rearrangement were punctual and efficient.
Some other elements are badly combined with the 4-star category of the hotel: the absence of a toilet and bar service at the internal beach which, among other things, sees waste material stacked near the retaining wall, and the 'absence of a toilet near the swimming pool (it is necessary to go to the internal services of the dining room.
The structure offered on Monday an excellent and abundant aperitif and on Friday evening a rich buffet of desserts and fruit: an appreciable initiative.
In conclusion, I enjoyed my stay at the Parco dei Principi, but I believe that a 4-star hotel cannot overlook certain details.

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