Casa Contadino really is as lovely as it looks in the photos. It's in a very rural area so you definitely need a car but once you've worked out where it is, it's well worth it. Marita answered all our questions before we arrived almost straightaway and even sent us tips about the local area before our holiday. The apartment itself is self contained with everything you could possibly need. Marita and her lovely husband Vittorio stocked our fridge up and even made us a light meal the first evening we arrived.
The apartment is comfortable and well equipped and the outdoor pool is absolutely stunning - it even lights up at night for late swims! We had many meals sitting on the little terrace watching our kids splash around until bedtime.
The house is a 20 minute drive from Ostuni, a beautiful white-washed town which really comes to life at night. There are loads of little bars that put beanbags out on the cobbled streets and cute shops for souvenirs etc. And of course lots of ice cream! Our favourite evening was when we got served by an 8 year old boy in a bar - the grandson of the owner!
It's about a half an hour drive to the beach. The coastline is quite rugged and you can choose between just pitching an umbrella on a wild beach or hiring an umbrella and sunbeds on a paid beach. We did the second option, mainly because then you get facilities like a bar and toilets. Try Lido Ottagono near Savelletri, it even has a diving board into the sea and we snorkelled and saw lots of fish. Try Crema di Caffe from the bar - like frozen coffee, and very yummy.
There are also loads of seafood restaurants in the area and a brilliant waterpark called Aquapark Egnazio which our kids loved so much we went twice! We also had a lovely day out at Alberobello which is an ancient town full of Trulli - the native Puglian houses that look a bit like rustic oast houses/ hobbit houses!
In general, it was a brilliant holiday and much of that was down to Marita and Vittorio. They were so friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Marita even delivered fresh eggs to our door for breakfast. Thank you Marita, you are wonderful!