Need to know
Rooms
Nine set throughout the castle, cottage next door, and an 18th-century tower on the estate.
Check–Out
11am, but flexible, subject to availability and a charge (€100 till 2pm, €250 till 7pm). Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More details
Rates include breakfast and a welcome drink on arrival.
Also
So, you can’t smuggle some of the museum-piece vintage finds home from the hotel, but you can legitimately buy authentic artworks, artisan homewares, clothing and handicrafts. Or just tell staff your tastes and they’ll curate a selection of goods for you to browse.
Please note
The hotel has two national identification codes (CIN): for Castle Elvira it's IT075087B400065001 and Tower Elvira's is IT075087B400065583
Hotel closed
The castle is open year-round, but can only be booked exclusively from November to April.
At the hotel
Alfresco lounging terraces; solarium; 37 acres of parkland, groves and gardens; rooftop bar; sitting room with fireplaces and a 1902 Beckstein grand piano; dining room; boutique; free-to-borrow rickshaw bikes; hair-straighteners, plug adaptors and wireless charging pads to borrow; charged laundry service; concierge; free WiFi. If buying out the whole estate in winter, there's a kitchen guests can use. In rooms: rooms in the castle have underfloor heating and cooling, smart TVs in each bedroom (hidden behind a vintage mirror) and Ortigia bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Don’t make us choose. Each room here feels like turning the first page on a new story – or, perhaps more fittingly, putting that first brushstroke on canvas. Stories are hidden in the remnants of frescoes spread over vaulted ceilings, flowery floor tiles laid in the 20th century, and – more recently – the works co-owner, artist and filmmaker Harvey B-Brown has hung on the walls (including lavishly collaged famous faces, such as Cher and Bryan Ferry). We like the blue-leather bed and Matisse-esque portraiture in the King Suite, and the tufted velvets in the Prince and Princess suites; for privacy, vintage cinema signage and curio cabinet, book the Cottage. If you’re staying in the – slightly – more traditional 18th-century Tower Elvira (once a look-out post), the Tower Top Executive Suite has Rapunzel-esque romance (except you won’t try to leave), with its bath-tub-topped roof terrace, round bed and cathedral-esque ceilings. Whichever you choose, luxury is considered: beds have aloe vera-infused mattresses and Conran linens, TVs are cleverly concealed in mirrors, and bathrooms are stocked with Ortigia products. And, in low season, having the castle to yourself is a rare treasure.
Poolside
You have two pools to play in here, and we mean play – they’re heated year-round, and have Sonance sound-systems for submerged jams (plus ports if you want to plug in your own playlist) and staff to bring cocktails on demand. In the solarium pool, next to the main pool, there’s a Jacuzzi that can potentially fit all the castle’s guests (if you get to know each other that well), and wet discos and candlelit dinners are held in here – we mean in: the table and chairs are partially underwater. And those staying in Tower Elvira and the masseria will have their own pool to share too.
Spa
There’s no spa, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get a royal pampering. Just say the word and therapists and beauticians can be called on for a range of massages (shiatsu, hot-stone, Thai…), facials and body scrubs, or mani-pedis.
Packing tips
Bring all that pent-up emotion to channel into drawing and painting classes here, and maybe a sketchpad, too.
Also
The castle might be vintage but it has a red-glass-lined elevator (dubbed the ‘Chanel-evator’) to take you to all floors.
Pet‐friendly
Noble steeds should be stabled at home, but doggos can stay for free: you’ll need to request approval from the hotel before your stay. See more pet-friendly hotels in Puglia.
Children
Castle Elvira might look like something from a fairytale, but it’s more of a bodice-ripper. Children aged four to 12 can stay, but on request only, and they’ll enjoy the pizza nights, art classes and lively pools.
Sustainability efforts
Built in the early 20th-century, then abandoned for around a century, Elvira’s found a great ‘glam team’ in Brit owners Steve Riseley and artist Harvey B-Brown. They’ve done their darnedest to give her a face lift and rescue any original features (retouching frescoes and restoring floor tiles), using locally sourced materials; and in the grounds, they’ve worked to revive the citrus orchard, and have spent a fortune rescuing the olive trees from blight. Solar panels provide power, underfloor heating and cooling systems control the climate in greener style, and an air-renovation system keeps things fresh. Plus local producers are preferred where possible, plastics have been reduced, and bathrooms are stocked with all-natural Ortigia products.