Mr & Mrs Smith

Masseria Torre Maizza

Puglia, Italy

Surrounded by a grove of ancient olive trees, the 16th-century Masseria Torre Maizza – sister hotel of nearby Smith favourite Masseria Torre Coccaro – has been brought bang up to date with a cool, contemporary décor. High, barrel-vaulted rooms have been accessorised with chrome lights and mushroom-coloured, loose-weave linens, while its spa, pool, golf course and cookery school all provide welcome flashes of modernity.

Need to know

• Rooms 28, including eight suites.
• Rates Double rooms from AU$424.75 (€329), excluding tax at 10 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (€329), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Rates exclude breakfast.
• Facilities Two heated pools, spa, gym, library, DVD library, golf course, horse-riding centre, bike hire, private beach, free WiFi, laundry service. In rooms: flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, air-conditioning, minibar, safe, locally made organic toiletries.
• Poolside The pool area is notable for its two huge decks – this isn’t the sort of place where you’re going to miss out on a sunbed. The sea views from either are stunning.
• Check-out Midday, though this is flexible on request; earliest check-in, 2pm.
• Children Kids are welcome at the hotel – though, during August, only over-10s are allowed to stay. At other times of year, though, baby cots (€25 a day), extra beds (from €80 a day), babysitting (€18 an hour) and a children’s menu are all available.
• Eco-friendly They take green issues very seriously at Masseria Torre Maizza. Everything possible is recycled – including the water used to keep the golf course green – and most of the food is grown on site.
• Also Seven-night minimum stay in August.

Food and drink at Masseria Torre Maizza

• Hotel restaurant With black-and-white checked tiles on the floor and vines snaking across the ceiling, Delle Palme is a romantic spot for a meal. Chef Vito Giannuzzi’s Asian-influenced Pugliese cuisine – sliced Adriatic red tuna with dill, fennel, pine nuts and raisins; red-prawn risotto with a wild mushroom sauce – makes creative use of local ingredients. Indeed, the restaurant proudly operates a ‘kilometre zero’ policy, in which regional producers provide all the ingredients.
• Dress code Groomed Italian chic. Think softly tailored separates and buttery leather accessories. Sunglasses obligatory.
• Top table Ask for the staff to set up a table for you in the orange groves just outside the restaurant; your appetite will certainly be piqued by the gently wafting scent of orange blossom.
• Last orders The restaurant stops serving at 10.30pm; the last cocktails are mixed in the bar at around 1am.
• Room service A full a la carte menu is available during restaurant hours (7.30am–10.30am, 12.30pm–2.30pm and 8pm–10.30pm), and snacks and cold dishes can be ordered at any time between 7am and 1am.
• Hotel bar The quiet and romantic Delle Bouganville Bar is situated in a long, thin room that’s separated into several cosy nooks. Curl up on a sofa in front of the open fireplace, bow heads over one of the intimate circular tables or sip Pink Russians created by Puglia’s best barman – it’s true, he’s won an award – by candlelight on the outdoor summer terrace.

Masseria Torre Maizza C. da Coccaro s/n, Savelletri di Fasano, Puglia, 72015