The villa is hard to find so Francesco came to meet us by a local petrol station when we arrived and we followed him to the villa.
We arrived amid driving rain that didn't let up for the first few days so perhaps unsurprisingly we didn't see the villa at it's best. We had continual electricity cuts (some from the grid while others from the very sensitive electrical ring mains in the villa) and coupled with the low lighting it made the start of our stay gloomy.
Once the weather was better we were able to make our way to the local beaches (fantastic!) and even enjoy the pool in the villa.
If you are looking for total privacy this won't be for you as the plot is comprised of the villa and lodging accommodation where Francesco stays. For us, it was really useful to have Francesco and Maria so close as they helped out when we had power cuts and their input was really useful to find local amenities which our Sat Nav couldn't locate. Maria even came with us to the supermarket and helped us do a the weekly shop!
The good points of the villa are:
- spacious grounds
- good sized rooms
- all modern comforts e.g. Wifi, Sky TV, dishwasher and washing machine
- good sized swimming pool
- hot tub (this wasn't working when we were there but I think it's only used in the summer months)
- a great restaurant ("Masseria Lella ") within walking distance
- short driving distance to some truly stunning beaches
The less good points are:
- the location is remote with little near it without a car
- the temperamental electrics. Sometimes I was flipping the breaker switches every 20 minutes when it was raining
- the kitchen lighting is very low so I'd suggest preparing most meals during the day as cooking was challenging in such low lighting
- the villa could have felt cleaner. I am quite picky with cleanliness and while it was generally clean, some bits could have warranted further attention. For example the floor areas around the desk were dusty (it looked like the cleaners had missed a spot) and a lot of the cutlery was sticky to the touch so had to be cleaned before use. Some of the towels and linen had seen better days too.
All in all you can expect a comfortable villa with very good facilities especially for young families. It is a homely and cosy villa set among some very pretty gardens. Your hosts will be around to help you if you need them.