Contrada Masciola 72015, Savelletri, Italy | (618) 248-8274
A private, luxury complex that often hosts celebrities and the uber wealthy
Gorgeous (stony) private beach with luxe Ibiza-style curtained beds for sunning, beach club, and seafood restaurant
Chic, stylish rooms with cream-colored stone walls and cool lighting
Spectacular location for destination weddings
Three glamorous outdoor pools, with adults-only areas
18-hole golf course, tennis courts, and health club
Babysitting and kids' club available, in addition to a kids' restaurant with excellent food (kids under three eat free at restaurants)
Vair Spa offers luxury beauty and body treatments
Pets welcome in villas
A rental car is necessary to explore the area
On-site bicycle rental costs extra
Not a beachfront property (a shuttle ferries guests from the grounds to the private beach)
The beach closes at night
Steep costs for food, bottled water, and services
The 183-room luxury Borgo Egnezia is an uber-stylish complex built like a traditional Apulian village (with a contemporary twist). Luxury is the name of the game, and the hotel is the type of place where a celebrity guest once flew in elephants for a wedding. Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake also got married here. The hotel has a private beach, as well as a charming, rustic piazza and a chapel for destination weddings. Everything involved in construction of the hotel was made in Italy, and the three restaurants serve locally sourced cuisine. The buttery cream and beige decor, stone bathrooms, and plush canopy beds make the rooms feel like they belong in a modern day castle. Of course, the most luxe of the luxe comes at a price, and extra fees for food and service can really add up, especially for families. La Sommità Relais is a more affordable luxury property 13 miles away, though it is not quite as impressive as the Borgo Egnezia.
Scene
Ultra private, uber luxurious, elegant and rustic -- a Roman-style village all on its own
The Borgo Egnezia looks like it has been nestled among the olive groves for 100 years. The architecture is Moorish-influenced, with soaring archways and vaulted stone buildings that blend seamlessly with the rocky Mediterranean landscape. The hotel has three separate sections: Il Borgo is designed like a traditional Apulian village with a central piazza for events and parties; Corto feels like a sophisticated manor house; and the villas each have a private pool. Decor throughout Il Borgo is rustic, with baskets, lanterns, hanging herbs and branches, while Corto is more contemporary. Buttery, cream-colored stone is the predominant building material, with spotless white and cream furniture tucked into nooks and crannies, clustered around fireplaces, and lining patios and wraparound terraces. Much of the furniture is made of rough-hewn local wood, and the menus feature local ingredients. Outside, grape arbors and cactus gardens are quintessentially Mediterranean. Although the hotel is family-friendly, there are plenty of adults-only areas as well.
Location
Remote, but beautiful location near olive groves and the Adriatic Sea
The Borgo Egnezia sits among the olive groves of the Itria Valley, near the small fishing village of Savelletri di Fasano, and within walking distance from the rocky beaches of the Adriatic Sea. The hotel has its own 18-hole golf course. The area is not touristy or filled with constant activity and excitement, but Bari and Brindisi are less than an hour away, and easily accessible via rental car. The airport is an hour from the hotel.
Rooms
Serene, warm, and spacious, with canopy beds and fantastic bathrooms
Rooms at the Borgo Egnezia are peaceful and private, with balconies, private gardens, or, in the case of the villas, private pools that look like they are set among Roman ruins. The mostly cream and white decor is bright, and all the rooms are spacious. Care has been taken with every detail, from the airy canopy beds to the stunning carved stone sinks in the bathrooms, and the wall niches that contain flat-screen TVs, minibars, and other modern conveniences. Quality is apparent everywhere; even the in-room espresso machines are the real thing, not pod coffeemakers. Simply put, the rooms and villas feel like beautiful homes, not hotel rooms.
Features
Top-notch kids' club, spectacular spa, gorgeous pools, and private beach
The Borgo Egnezia stands out for its family-friendly offerings. Kids and teens have their own designated activities, and there is even a designated restaurant for kids, Da Puccetta, with appealing, quality food that is more than French fries and pizza. Cooking classes, golf, and tennis are some of the activities available for guests. The hotel's private beach is stony, but the club there is both comfortable and sophisticated, with sunbeds and gorgeous Ibiza-style beds with curtains that sway in the ocean breeze.The hotel has three restaurants: Pescheria da Vito is an airy fish restaurant by the beach; La Frasca Ristorante feels like a village taverna, with farm fresh food, a porch with a thatched roof, barn doors, and a wood burning pizza oven; and Due Camini is an elegant fine dining restaurant.The Vair Spa offers a complete menu of bodywork, beauty treatments, and aromatherapy, in a beautifully designed, candlelit cavern. All the spa products are made in Italy. One downside, however, is that the fees for services -- from room service and a la carte food, to babysitting -- run high.