Palazzo Ducale Venturi - Luxury Hotel & Wellness

While planning the perfect trip to Puglia, we wanted to enjoy beautiful beaches and the charm one could find within the walls of ancient villages. 19 mins from Ottranto are italys beautiful beaches… and a hidden gem Palazzo Ducali Venturi. Staff are wonderful, making your stay even more perfect. Grounds are stunning. 16 th century palace converted to luxury hotel! We enjoyed Aperitivo by the pool everyday while our breakfast was generous and delicious. The staff and their management were generous with their time and made great suggestions for surrounding beach clubs and restaurants.

Beautifully restored former country manor. Loads of great details in the restoration including many beautiful and ancient frescoes decorating the ceilings and stunning artwork in the corridors. A very unique experience right from the fabulous original green entry door, with exceptionally helpful staff, beautiful meals, excellent spa and gym. There is a candlelit private hot pool that was originally an olive press tank that is bookable to ensure privacy. We had champagne brought to the hot pool. There are various coffee shops and restaurants nearby including the fabulous Ristorante Ficarigna in Specchia. Thank you to all who made our stay so memorable. The location is an excellent base to explore the area by cycling or car.

We absolutely loved our 3 nights at Palazzo Ducale Venturi! The staff was beyond fantastic - extremely attentive, kind, and truly take a ton of pride in providing the best service! Everyone was wonderful, but Daniele took care of us from breakfast until early afternoon every day and he was extra fantastic. The food was delicious and the beds and rooms are very comfortable. The hotel is stunning and very quiet and peaceful. We loved spending a full day on the grounds enjoying the gorgeous pool from breakfast until apertivo, the underground spa, and the gym. When we requested to use the bikes they prepared them for us and were waiting outside the hotel when we came down, we also booked the boat excursion in Otranto through the hotel (definitely highly recommend this as well) and when we went down to the desk to get our car keys the car was already pulled out in front of the hotel. We could go on and on about all of the great things, but if anything stands out it was the service and the attentiveness of the staff, absolutely unmatched! We were sad to leave but left feeling relaxed and refreshed. We cannot recommend spending at least a few nights here enough!

The 3 days we spent in this exquisite historical palace, which has been perfectly restored into an elegant and luxurious complex, have genuinely been an unforgettable experience. We loved the room with its beautiful spacious bathroom, the frescoes gracefully decorating the ceilings and the walls, and the perfect mix between old and modern furniture. We enjoyed both the pool and the spa. We greatly appreciated the kind and constant attention of the personnel as well as the delicious meals (prepared with fresh local ingredients) by the chef. We hope to come back soon!

Situated in a renovated fortified house, this hotel has a lovely atmosphere with caring staff. The grounds include a garden and swimming pool with an outside bar. Meals are served outside, and the chef is top class

The hotel was really comfortable but the food options wasn’t great. The pool was magnificent and a great base for our bike ride. The town is quite depressing so this hotel is a real beacon in the area. The staff were wonderful and very helpful.

We stayed at Palazzo Ducale Venturi to celebrate our wedding anniversary and did not expect to be so pampered. The chef created a menu with our favourite ingredients, we had never experienced such personalised service. Above and beyond luxury!

We don't usually write reviews. In this case, however, it is of particular concern to us to express our anger about this hotel. We know a lot of 5 star hotels worldwide, so we can certainly make a judgment about what you can expect in this category of service or equipment services . Here is just a short list of things that were absolutely unacceptable at the Hotel Ducale Venturi : - The employee sits on the kitchen worktop where it is clearly visible to every guest - Chainsaw work in the pool area around at lunch time - Cappuccino and espresso were cold and of the worst quality - The price for Espresso is €4. Normally it is no problem if the quality and the dishes are right or if pastries or similar are also served. - In the solitude of Minervino di Lecce, where every cafe offers a better espresso for €1, that's pretty cheeky. - The well-announced menu, which you should order the day before, has proven to be an absolute letdown. It started with ancient bread, followed by the first course, a pasta with ordinary peperoni sauce for €30 . That had nothing to do with them euphonious announcements on the menu (not to mention the presentation). A moderate and poor quality at an outrageous price. The much-vaunted chef in advance was not visible. - The wines were poured without letting the guest taste them and were also overpriced at €9 for a 0.1l glass. It is also incomprehensible why a glass of wine always costs the same, regardless of whether the price for a bottle was €40 or €25. - It was served at a simple wooden table with the cheapest cloth sets and crappy cutlery. Unfortunately other guests were not visible at the pool or in the restaurant area throughout the day. Pretty desolate affair. At lunchtime, a few tables were apparently set for the evening, although it was clear that no other guests were to be expected But it's also understandable if you've only experienced one day what a poor level of quality is offered here. For food, any trattoria in the neighborhood would have been a better choice. It is absolutely incomprehensible with what claim so much money is offered for so little quality.

All the staff are so helpful and friendly. Breakfast was great! So many lovely patisserie items and then I had smoked salmon and poached eggs every day… my favourite! Pool was sparkling clean and always plenty of sun loungers. Location quite remote but we found a few good restaurants nearby and a friendly little local bar with a talking parrot!