We loved our stay at Casa Montani. The villa is in a stunning setting with gorgeous sea views (the photos of the views really don't do it justice). The villa is set off a very quiet country lane. There are villas on either side and in front but the plot is very quiet and the grounds are extensive so it is completely private and very very quiet. The large pool is landscaped beautifully and tiled and surrounded with natural stone. This is the nicest pool I have ever been in and I have stayed at 5 star boutique hotels all over Europe and the UK. There were new white sunbeds with head shades and a white matching umbrella which all looked very stylish like a boutique hotel. The gardens are wonderful full of herbs, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, figs, and other fruits. The central living area is not huge but has a small sofa and a large table alongside the kitchen, but it has AC if you need to cool off and you generally spend all your time on the large veranda with the gorgeous sea views or around the pool. Both bedrooms are spacious (fans only) and the furniture has been replaced and is white ikea modern furniture and much nicer than the pictures show. The bathroom is stunning. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you could need. Lots of large baking trays for roasting meat or vegetables, pots and pans etc. The only thing we could have done with is a microwave to reheat food quickly on occasions but we managed with using the oven. There is no wifi but we managed on our roaming packages which didn't cost us anything extra and there was good signal at all times. It was a good way to limit all of our time on our phones and tablets so that it meant that we all spent more time together as a family! There are two adult bikes you can use if you want to pop to the shops for bread locally. There is also an outdoor kitchen at the back of the villa with a stove and a sink and the dishwasher is located here also. The washing machine is located in a cupboard at the back of the villa also and there is also an outside shower and another one next to the pool. The pergola next to the pool is lovely place to have a late sundowner at the end of the day as you have the last of the sunshine and direct views down the valley to the sea.
There is everything you need within 5 minutes drive in the small resort of Torre Pali. Larger supermarkets around 15 mins. We liked Eurospin the best as it was cheaper but Supermac next door was also good. There was also a great cheap homewares store selling all sorts next to Eurospin which was handy for anything else we needed like candles, batteries, beach stuff etc. Our best find was the Eurospin 1 euro for 1 litre rose wine in a carton. Something we would not normally look at but it was fab only 10.5% nice and light so perfect in the afternoon with lots of ice! But you can get lots of nice processo or asti for around 3 euros.
The beaches in August are packed so you need to visit early in the morning before 10.00 or after 17.00 unless you like sitting very close to people. We walked to the closest beach in around 15 minutes which is all down hill (a bit longer and a bit more hot on the way back!) Giovanni recommended this quiet stretch of natural beach to the right of the marina in Torre Pali (you can park for free in the nearby road). Here it is a little rocky and very shallow but you can find sandy areas and it was lovely and quiet and still had nice white sand. Worth taking beach shoes so you don't hurt your feet.
We visited Gallipolli, Santa Maria di Leuca, Torre San Giovanni on Market day, Salve and Torre Vado. We didn't venture further afield as we have already been to Lecce and Ostuni and beyond on another holiday. The highlights of our stay were star gazing from the roof of the villa, spending lazy afternoons away from the heat reading a book while rocking in a hammock or cooling off in the pool and eating lots of lovely homegrown fruit and vegetables and other local specialities. If you want peace and quiet and an amazing pool in a safe area 5 mins from the coast this is the villa of your dreams.