Masseria Incantalupi

I’m 45 - husband of 1, father of 2 (daughters under 8). If like me, you love to plan the holiday but often end up with a disappointed family (wife), overpriced car hire and more bad points than good, you’ll love the below. Masseria Incantalupi scores 7/10. Let me drill down further on key areas. Positives •⁠ Value •⁠ F&B •⁠ ⁠⁠Room size •⁠ Base to explore Negatives •⁠ Arrival •⁠ Pool area •⁠ Gym •⁠ Dogs • Atmosphere The value of this place is by far the number 1 reason you would stay. As a base and with transport as an absolute must, you have made a good choice. As previous guests have mentioned, food quality at dinner is superb. I do think breakfast was over-hyped in previous reviews, it’s nice but nothing to get FOMO about when contemplating skipping / fasting to compensate for the previous evening’s 23-course banquet. To add to this, both breakfast and dinner lacked any sort of atmosphere, bar the patrolling dog unit (to be explained later). Some background music at breakfast would be nice though I would suggest they replace the CD player which had problems during dinner. The local beer served is Agricola, good for 1-2 before moving on to a wine (which is very nice, of particular note is the Masseria’s own rosé which was excellent). Tip - ask for an ice bucket to chill the beer as they chill / serve at 6 degrees (animals). Rooms are big, clean and the mini bar area is well stocked. Service was ok, Erica on dinner service and Andrea on daytime services were both nice if not overly friendly. So where does 7/10 come from? Check-in was non existent. We parked up at the main entrance after 3pm where a lady looked at us like we were about to perform an armed robbery. We were shown to our room and that was the end of check-in. The result, we missed key things such as the need to inform them at breakfast if you wanted to stay for dinner (there is not another living soul for 16 kilometres in all directions, let alone a restaurant). Also, only on departure did we find out about items being locally produced and things available to book / services available. The pool is nice however, I counted 18 resident wasps who basically ruled the entrance steps like an Organised Crime Group, who in turn required payment for entry. Non-payment resulted in your child being stung (both mine got it). There are no parasols which means you burn, or, make a Bear Grylls camp area under a tree which is fine, should you be the size of a hobbit. I will note, there are shaded areas away from the pool. The gym has not been cleaned since 1983 which is when the equipment was first purchased. I’m not sure Rocky Balboa would have been able to work with an Argos barbell set that cost €19.99. Next, our youngest is 4 and she now has PTSD around dogs. There are 3 on the property and we only knew this thanks to prior reviews. However, we did not expect 1 dog to be the size of a minivan and could ruff (woof description by my little one) like a Velociraptor. The hotel did go above and beyond with requests that usually other hotels charge for, a really nice touch. We did have a slight issue with one of the employees on reception who argued with my wife to point out it was our fault for not booking dinner at breakfast - you see the issue with check-in now. His mannerism resulted in my wife returning to the room so angry it/she looked like a scene from the film Hulk when Dr Bannister can’t control his rage (I hid the kids for 20 mins). The owners never introduced themselves which again is unfortunate given you only have 10-12 rooms. I also need to add that our 4 year old for the first 48 hours was on course to be sold on the open market due to bad behaviour (nothing to do with the Masseria) but add-on elevated fear levels every time ‘Shep’ popped up, well, we struggled. I left this property with a view that it was a 3.5/5, but, on further reflection (we decided to keep our 4 year old), this is a family business. As such, I give it 4/5 to reflect the time and care given in areas such as the kitchen staff / food. We would not personally return (we rarely visit the same place twice), but when I look at the price/value, I can’t help but repeat this is a solid option.

If you are looking for an authentic farmhouse, this is the right place. Here you will not find settings artfully constructed for social media, but a real farm where you eat what is produced and raised on-site. The rooms are spectacular, spacious and with magnificent domed ceilings that remind one of those in a castle. The pool and garden are very well-kept and perfect for relaxing. The dinner was simply exceptional: one of the best Apulian gastronomic experiences I have ever had, perhaps the best. Excellent raw materials, traditional dishes prepared with great care. A round of applause also to the owners and all the staff, always friendly, helpful and attentive. All this with a price-quality ratio that is really hard to find. Do I recommend it? Absolutely yes. Would I go back? Without a doubt.

Dining in their terrace by the courtyard and church in the property is a special experience including the freshest vegetables of the Masseria itself and wonderful service plus the kindest hospitality from owner Antonello who at the end of the evening treated us to tastings of some of the wonderful red wines he produces. As darkness fell there was nothing quite like a good Cuban cigar accompanied by the magical sounds of the hooting owls that reside in the property. Looking forward to our return already!