My favourite excursion was to Alberobello to see the trulii houses, we had a local guide arranged for us at an additional €10 per person and it was worth every penny. Our guide Mimmo grew up in Alberobello and his family renovate trulii houses. He was able to explain the history of the town and how the houses were built. If you get the opportunity to have this, I would recommend it.

You will not go hungry on this holiday as the meals in the restaurant are all three course and generous portions. On the last night we had a buffet which was amazing but rather lime a feeding frenzy. This area of Italy is still new to tourism and very unspoilt, the siesta times apply to all shops. The hotel bar is pleasant but there is only one bar man and he is rather over stretched though friendly, be careful not to let the Italians push in front of you.

This is a great week way with a good balance of trips and free time, if you choose not to do the optional excursions the hotel runs a shuttle bus to e beach in its sister hotel for a cost of €10 which many of our group tried and thoroughly enjoyed. This is my 3rd JY holiday (heading off to Vietnam on number 4 next Wednesday) and once again I was happy to meet so many interesting and entertaining people. By the end of the week we were all saying it was like we had booked a holiday with a group of friends.

AnnF

The person in question had arrived on holiday feeling unwell and continued to be so for the whole week, so this may have coloured their view of things. Unlike during Miss B's visit, we didn't have any buffet dinners - perhaps the hotel had taken note of the feeding frenzy! The food was generally good and there was plenty of it. We didn't have spaghetti, pizza or lasagne, although we did have pasta of various types, but we were served with various regional dishes. Over the whole week there were only two courses (on separate days) which I didn't enjoy. If someone didn't like anything on our menu choices, the staff did their best to provide an alternative. In the case of my fellow traveller, very little seemed to be to their taste and even specially prepared dishes were left almost untouched.

As to the complaint about the bar staff, the hotel has since posted a reply to say that the bar manager, who spoke good English, was off duty on the day in question and the complainant had wanted something different from what was on the menu. For myself, I didn't have lunch in the hotel on my free day, preferring to walk up to the village shop to buy a freshly prepared sandwich and fresh fruit.

I wanted to set the record straight because I know many people nowadays check hotels out on Trip Advisor and I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression of the hotel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and my holiday in Apulia, where the temperature was between 28 and 30 degrees all week - a shock to the system when I got home and had to put the central heating on straight away!

I was in Apulia at the beginning of this month and fully endorse what Miss B has said. However, there is one point I feel I ought to add. Apulia is an area not much visited by the British - while I was there a group from Travelsphere came through and there was also an independent British couple but the majority of the guests were Italian. Because of this not everyone speaks English and the food is not always as it might be in an Italian restaurant in England. I say this because one of my fellow travellers has, since their return from holiday, posted their report on Trip Advisor, slating the food. They complain that "the food at dinner was not from the a la carte menu, it was at best average and sometimes inedible and unrecognisable from what it was supposed to be". They also have a go at the bar staff, saying that when trying to order lunch they "could not understand what you wanted in the way of food".

The person in question had arrived on holiday feeling unwell and continued to be so for the whole week, so this may have coloured their view of things. Unlike during Miss B's visit, we didn't have any buffet dinners - perhaps the hotel had taken note of the feeding frenzy! The food was generally good and there was plenty of it. We didn't have spaghetti, pizza or lasagne, although we did have pasta of various types, but we were served with various regional dishes. Over the whole week there were only two courses (on separate days) which I didn't enjoy. If someone didn't like anything on our menu choices, the staff did their best to provide an alternative. In the case of my fellow traveller, very little seemed to be to their taste and even specially prepared dishes were left almost untouched.

As to the complaint about the bar staff, the hotel has since posted a reply to say that the bar manager, who spoke good English, was off duty on the day in question and the complainant had wanted something different from what was on the menu. For myself, I didn't have lunch in the hotel on my free day, preferring to walk up to the village shop to buy a freshly prepared sandwich and fresh fruit.

I wanted to set the record straight because I know many people nowadays check hotels out on Trip Advisor and I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression of the hotel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and my holiday in Apulia, where the temperature was between 28 and 30 degrees all week - a shock to the system when I got home and had to put the central heating on straight away!

Hi Ann, thanks for posting this. I'm currently looking at the new brochure to work out what to do next year. Next week off to LBH and will probably start booking when I come back. Apulia is one of the holidays I've wanted to do for a while, I would have done it this year but was put off by the 23.45 return to Gatwick, so went to Andalucia instead - which was great. Everyone I've met on other JY holidays who has been to Apulia has always liked the holiday. I do also look on tripadviser to see what the feedback is there - altho' one very bad (or very good) review wouldn't matter, but its useful to see if there is a common complaint. There are a few Italian trips I'd like to do besides Apulia (Calabria and the Veneto ones, which have had a couple of good reviews on this board) - have already done the Cilento Coast - which was as great.

Glad you enjoyed your holiday,

Bob

Jaya

I totally agree with Bob. I personally never look at Trip Advisor and even if I did I would take it with a pinch of salt. Some people just like to find faults and complain. When you go on holiday you should be aware that it is not going to be 'home' and I believe that those who expect it to be 'home' whilst on a holiday should stay at home and not travel. All they do is spoil things for others. I always go with an open mind and have never been disappointed.

Jaya

Hoping our paths cross in CR and Nicaragua in March...

Take care,

Bob

Hope you have a great holiday wherever you decide to travel next. I sometimes look at Trip Advisor but I do not take their reviews seriously. The vast majority of hotels on TA have a number of five star rave reviews and an equally large number of one star reviews slating them. Both extreme views cannot be right and so TA has little credibility in my eyes. I have searched for the hotels in my area and in my opinion many of the reviews are either ridiculous or fabricated as they do not make sense given my knowledge of them. Many people suspect that bad reviews are either put up by people with an axe to grind or by rival hotels or trolls!

All the best,

Bob