11 Dec 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed our “Best of Puglia” tour and had a lot of fun with the group we had which is always a bonus.
The accommodation in Polignano a Mare was just fabulous and couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful setting to come back to of an evening. I was concerned about staying in one place only over the week and having to travel so much each day rather than split between staying in 2 or 3 different parts of the region, but my concerns soon disappeared. I loved the fact that there was no packing up again and moving on, and I think that each activity was planned well so we weren’t back-tracking too much.
Our days, were full and jammed-packed with exciting and interesting things to see. Was very thankful that this tour included visiting Matera which was just absolutely fascinating and so different. I know it’s not technically part of Puglia but what a wonderful day we had!
Free time was adequate in most cases…..except Ostuni of course. This was the first place we were taken to after the starting the tour in Bari. We were walked through the town and taken to a cafe for gelato or a drink which was lovely, and I can only assume an opportunity to meet fellow guests as we sat and chatted and watching the world go by. I had no idea though that we wouldn’t be then given free time to explore (although some disappeared taking photos etc) or that our visit to this town would be so short. At the very least, we were not told that we would only be there for a short time and if we wanted to go off and explore then we should do so rather than sit drinking our aperol spritz. We didn’t return to the gorgeous little town throughout the tour which was such a shame. I and others would have loved to have seen more of this beautiful little place.
Another suggestion……perhaps in future the tour can start earlier in the day and have mid morning there in Ostuni and free time for lunch and a look around before heading off again in the afternoon to our destination of Polignano. It was very disappointing indeed! I have never been on a tour which actually starts in the afternoon so even if the price was factored into starting earlier I’m sure this would be preferable to most people.
As my friend and I are great foodies, we chose this particular tour which we thought would tick the box of experiencing the food of Puglia which they say is the bread basket of Italy. What we sampled in food and wine on tour along with what we ate in our free time certainly covered that so we were very happy by the end of our stay.
Although we had a lovely guide throughout our time in Puglia, I’m not sure that she had complete control of the group. There were many instances where we couldn’t hear her properly due to her voice not projecting loudly enough for others in the background to either stop talking themselves, or those who’d strayed from the group. Perhaps more control over the group was needed in that area in future. There were also some less mobile members of the group who couldn’t walk from A to B as quick as some as she lead the way, so again some got left behind not exactly knowing which way to go. Thankfully my friend and I became aware of this so would help out when required so everyone would end up where needed in the end. I realise we all have different forms of mobility but this needs to be kept in mind also by the guide when in towns with many little alleys, twists and turns and many other tour groups huddling around to add to the confusion!
In closing, I could thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone…..and in fact have already done so.
Thank you for a wonderful week away in one of my favourite places in the world…..Italy ????????