BEWARE: THIS PROPERTY HAS CONSTRUCTION NOISE ISSUES (see below)
There's no doubt that this is a lovely property which is situated - as advertised - right on and above the ocean on a side street right in the center of beautiful Polignano-A-Mare. If you're looking for little narrow streets where people sit on their doorsteps chatting with neighbors and laundry hangs from balconies - authentic, small town Italy - then this is a great place. Polignano is a lively and very authentic town with some interesting shops, lots of cafe's and bars and plenty of excellent restaurants. Our favorite was Mint which is run by a delightful husband and wife team who really do make you feel welcome and home while simultaneously serving a wonderful twist on Italian fare.
The town has two beaches which are rocky but they do open out in to lovely warm, clear water. They get very crowded - particularly at weekends. There's plenty of boats to hire and it's easy enough to enjoy the ocean but, a word of warning, if you're looking for a beach vacation, this probably isn't the place for you. There are a few beach clubs in town which, for a relatively small fee, offer sun loungers and ocean access. We went to Coco Beach Club and it was excellent but, despite it's name there wasn't much beach there. Water shoes are a must.
We didn't hire a car which was good as there really is nowhere to park and the streets are beyond narrow but Enza who manages the property will happily arrange transfers to and from near by towns. Beware though, the drivers - helpful as they are - don't speak English and so it's very much a ride to a destination rather than a tour.
The house itself is spacious and has two decks. I would say that the house is a little bit worse for wear than the photos suggest and while it's big and roomy and contains some wonderful art we couldn't help but feel the place could really do with a deep clean. We're not ultra-fussy about these things but as an example, the cleaning sponge in the kitchen sink was obviously weeks if not months old and badly needed to be replaced. Likewise, we had to go out and buy shower soap after a few days as we quickly ran out. That would be my first grumble about the house. Both it and the location are gorgeous but there's a lack of attention to detail when it comes to certain things. As mentioned, there weren't enough basic toiletries and I'd have to describe the towels provided as threadbare and old. On one day I laundered all the white bathroom towels and while hanging them up on the roof with the sun behind them it was clear they had seen far better days. Likewise, there's no re-usable shopping bags, no cleaning materials under the kitchen sink and not even a dust pan and brush. With six of us sharing the space it soon became pretty gnarly and the weekly "cleaning" which was very brief, did little to alleviate the general sense that the place could do with a deep clean. However, the biggest problem with this property was the simple fact that THERE WAS EXTREMELY NOISY CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN THE TWO HOMES ON EITHER SIDE OF US AS WELL AS ON A RESTAURANT JUST ACROSS THE OCEAN INLET ALL OF FIFTY YARDS AWAY.
Each week day we were woken at 7am by loud drilling, banging and voices on the other side of our bedroom walls. The drilling was quite something and was not just loud but was at a pitch that was actually also physically discomfiting. We recorded this with our phones and shared it with property manager Enza and the owners via email. While both expressed concern and surprise both also told us this was legal in Polignano and that 7am -1pm are considered "work hours" with 1pm-4pm a break and then 4pm-7pm again as work hours. Sure enough throughout our 14 day stay we had to contend with loud construction work to the point where we were completely unable to enjoy the homes two decks and were often driven from the place seeking peace before 9am. Both Enza and the owners said they were completely surprised by this construction noise and we were offered a free dinner and a one day at another property as compensation. Neither of which we chose to take feeling that even combined they barely acknowledged the disappointment of finding ourselves on a 14 day vacation sandwiched between two building sites wit ha third just a few yards away. Despite sending emails after our return we have yet to hear back from the owners on this topic and today is, we're told, the last day we can post a review - hence this hastily written review.
Over all, we felt extremely let down and disappointed by our experience both at the house. The owner's apparent surprise at the construction at both next door properties was puzzling given that Enza told us they had previously had to ask some of the builders to erect a barrier so they weren't over looking sun bathing guests. We should have been warned about the noise. We weren't and subsequently our "relaxing vacation" was not relaxing at all.