STYLISH HOTELS

Masseria Torre Coccaro/Puglia

Paulina Grabara
On March 26, 2018

One of the most magic hotels I visited in Europe, which perfectly balance the 5 star elegance with relaxing atmosphere and local history.

We landed in Bari, rented a car in the airport and start our journey. It’s still before the noon, so we stop for a coffee and then go for lunch in charming Polignano a Mare.

Like a child I cannot wait to get to the hotel (it looked really great in the pictures, but I must admit the photos don’t reflect the magic of the place).

From Polignano we take the main road to the south, we pass Monopoli, and close to Fassano we turn to the sea. Finally we take a little road with cactus on the side and we stop just before the elegant gate – I love this kind of gates they always promise me amazing stays.

Masseria Torre Coccaro looks at us over the white wall: noble, proud and beautiful. From the beginning the mood of the place is strongly combined with the history of the place and despite the fact that a main courtyard and a chapel remind me of Mexican “puebla”, Masseria Torre Coccaro tells us a wonderful story of Puglia. Coccaro comes from the Greek word Cocoros and means watchtower against the Saracen invastion, ancient people from Turkey. Watchtowers were build every 3 kilometers along the line of defence and with a time they became a fortified farms mostly for olive oil. Masseria Torre Coccaro is settled in more than 800-years olive grove, and a space of the hotel is also full of cactus, palm trees, almond trees, lemon trees and flowers.

COMMON SPACE

Outside the reception we find the first relaxing space: big wooden table with magazines, comfortable sofa and chairs. I find it to be a kind of business card of the hotel, saying that here elegance is met by casual, mediterranean style.

There are many common spaces in the hotel, both outside and inside – it makes us feel cosily and let us find our place easily.

Inside the main building there is a bar with round tables and shelves full of albums and books. On the smaller tables we can find magazines and dailies.

From the bar we move to the restaurant, where white table clothes stay in harmony with relaxing wooden furniture – here we can drink our coffee after breakfast and read the news.

The main building hides also some other rooms – every one is different and it’s interiors are original and stylish – there is a grey and red room, music room, room with orecchiette armchair and one with billiard table.

Before the restaurant there is a terrace with ceramic tables and creative setting. In the main courtyard some wooden chairs and tables where left in the shaddow of the beautiful, old tree. Here I felt that this moment belongs to me.

ROOMS AND SUITES

Deluxe rooms, junior suites or 2 bedroom villas – whatever you choose, you can be sure that your space will be elegant and its interior will be rooted in the local tradition.

We stayed in the junior suite – spacious living room shares the space with the bedroom – here beside the comfortable bed, you can find sofa and table to relax, as well as working desk. There is also a small room for kids with 2 sleeper chairs. Most of Junior suites are located in bungalows with private terrace and little garden, always looking at wonderful nature.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Having time for breakfast is a great award and here the breakfast is a real feast: coffee and tea is served in beautiful silver jugs, and perfect burrata from local farm, prosciutto, different arts of serving megs or frittura don’t make our choice easy.

Egnathia Restaurant serves the mediterranean cusine, dishes creatively created from local ingredients. Starters like prawns in bread crust or octopus on the creamy puree are the preludium to what we call heaven: main dishes are the feast for our senses: I go for the mild orata fish and next day for the red inside tuna, Maciek chooses orecchiette with clams and tiramisu for a desert – this one is a piece of art, but in the same time it’s not loosing anything from the original recipe.

Lunch and dinner are not the only feasts – favourite Italian aperitivo will also steal your heart. And here I need to introduce you to Giacinto Tanese – the Master. Giacinto is the best business card of the hotel – he is a drink master, fullfilling your dreams before you know them, he will also recommends you best dish that suites your taste, show you around and tell you some stories. He also made a best cocktail I have ever had: Hugo with frozen forrest fruits. About the aperitif itself, which is much more than nuts and chips (which are also a great quality), I could write another article.

SPA

The way to spa is already relaxing. Partly in the glass buiding, partly in the cave SPA building is a fitness club, heated swimming pool and massage rooms.

The massage here is a great experience and it starts from cleaning our feet and choosing the aroma oil, which we can smell during the massage, and ends with the soft and warm touch of strong hands on our back. There are many SPA treatments here, I was mostly interested in Asian massages like shiatsu or thai massage and foot reflexology. If you want you can also practise Hatha Yoga with your private teacher.

Basen i klub plażowy

Unfortunatelly we stayed in the hotel in the beginning of March, so the swimming pool was closed, but as it is big and nice I am sure everyone can relax here in the summer. We had the same situation with the Coccaro Beach Club, just a few kilometers away from the hotel. The club is listed by The Times and Mr and Mrs Smith among 10 best beach clubs in the Mediterranean, so this is the hip place where is good to be – not only to admire the beautiful sea and private sandy beach from the wooden teak terrace, but also to enjoy the massages under tent or a fresh fish in the fish restaurant.

What we like:

creating the magical space, where history was caught and balanced with the beauty of nature
many relaxing common spaces, where no matter the weather is, you can feel cosy and you can enjoy the time
there are many books, magazines and albums – reading and getting inspired is the best what you can do during holidays
kids paradise – the hotel looks like very family oriented, with children playground and mini clubs in the summer
amazing food in the restaurant made of local products and gifts from the sea
plants: cactus and palm trees, flowers just outside the room, ivy wall in the restaurant – Masseria Torre Coccaro is full of plants wherever you look
location: 15 minutes drive from charming Monopoli, a little more than 20 kilometers from Polignano a Mare, white town Ostuni truly houses; you can also find 18-holes golf course near the hotel

More information:

www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com

O Apulii czytaj:

72 godziny w Apulii

72 godziny w Apulii #2

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