Property
A simple hotel in a beautiful location, along the cliffs of the old town of Vieste.

Location
The only hotel in Vieste’s old town. The hotel has its own beach and small beachside pool, with an elevator taking you down the steep cliff.

Sleeps
2-4.  Family rooms are comfortable, with a double bed and two singles.

Highlights
Vieste and the entire Gargano region (the spur of the Italian boot) are spectacular. Vieste is surrounded by wide, sandy beaches, but some of the prettiest beaches are a drive south of Vieste and will require a hike down to the wilder coves.  Bring good shoes.  Daily boat trips depart from Vieste for the lovely Tremiti islands.

Good to know
Breakfast is included in the price. Check-out is rather early (10am), although they will store your bags.  You can’t drive your car up through the narrow streets of the old town, but will have to park outside in the newer town. Vieste has a great daily market just off the Via XXIV maggio – stock up on local cheeses, olives, olive oil, fruits, limoncello…

Contact
http://www.hotelseggio.it/index.php

Written by Kimberly Sullivan

Property
A beautiful villa which incorporates Moorish and art nouveau elements typical to this area.  The apartments in this complex have equipped kitchens and are relatively inexpensive.

Location
Overlooking the sea, on the hills above the Ionian seaside town of Santa Caterina, north of Gallipoli.

Sleeps
The property has six apartments, sleeping from 2-5.

Highlights
The highlight for our kids was meeting the children of the other families staying here and waiting for the fox that lived in the woods nearby to make his evening appearance; he would gobble up any food left on the picnic table (spaghetti is his favorite). The real highlight is the whole area of the Salento. This is a good base for taking trips around this absolutely stunning region. Don’t miss: Lecce, Gallipoli, Santa Maria de Leuca, Otranto and the nearby Porto Selvaggio.

Good to know
You absolutely need a car – both for reaching this guest house and for exploring the Salento region. Avoid the Salento in August (packed with tourists) – at other times of the spring, summer and early fall you will enjoy it much more without the hordes. There is no pool on the property, which would have been nice. The other disadvantage is that you need to take the car to go down to the town (the street leading up does not have sidewalks and it could be dangerous with children). There is no web site (yes, you read that right). Bookings have to be made by telephone.

Contact
http://torresangiovanni.it/Scinata/Index.asp

Written by Kimberly Sullivan