Castello di Ugento

Attention to this place. They promise you something, then they don't fully give what was expected. And since you pay up front, there is no way to get your money back. They ignore your calls, your emails, and your messages on social network. Please do not give them any money! We were supposed to have a 5 start cooking class, and they ended up sending us (nobody else) to another masseria, who was supposed to provide the same activity. We ended up with very nice people, but the cooking class was suddenly reduced to rolling already prepared pasta, and filling already prepared pastries. Not what is expected when you pay 300 euros for the cooking class part. And make sure to tell everyone you know!

No hot water on check in at 630pm so we were told to go out to dinner and had to shower at 10pm on return. No apology. Supposed “upgrade” was into disability room which we were not informed about. Toilet very high so feet off the ground, shower positioned awkwardly in corner, glass door hard to close. Bathroom door jammed on tile floors and very hard and noisy to close (woke us at night when used). No bathroom window and no extraction fan. Bathroom had a sealed external door with glass covered by sheer curtain which let in light from courtyard lights on all night. Bed mattress hard, pillows thick hard and lumpy (unusable). Bottom sheet short and exposed mattress protector. Aircond not controllable in room, had to ask reception each time. Toilet paper, tea bags and cotton balls not replaced at service, had to request toilet paper. Staff made no apology or offer to change room so after 36hrs we checked out, at which stage they offered an upgrade on the room but refused to refund our unused night (we had prepaid three nights). Buffet breakfast ordinary and extra charge for omelette. Overall a big letdown for an expensive and supposedly top end hotel.

The hotel is beautiful. We really liked our room. Some things that could be improved: 1) a tour of the property would have been nice. 2) wine upon arrival was suppose to be included in our reservation but unfortunately even after asking Isabella for it, we still didn’t get it. She said the next time we visit the property we will get it. Very poor customer service. 3) a little more attention to detail when cleaning the room would be good. I included some photos of areas that needed better cleaning. Using bleach to clean the mildew in the shower. And daily cleaning of the air vents (which are very easy to reach) should be done. 4) the shower light kept turning off and on. Needs repairing. 5) Great Chef! Just wish we had veal instead of pork as indicated in the recipe we received. I believe this was done to save money for the hotel since it’s cheaper to have pork. We won’t be back to this hotel. I know there has to be better service elsewhere. Sam and Tony were GREAT!!