Borgo Egnazia is a new unique beautiful five star hotel in the region of Puglia in Italy. More on the interesting area of Puglia in a future blog post, but let's just say it's full of ancient olive trees, sunshine, and the blue Adriatic Sea.
Who will like Borgo Egnazia? People who appreciate design. People who love white and cream. People who appreciate rustic food. People who like sunshine, blue skies, and a slower pace.
Who was there? We met two other American couples, but everyone else was European. They were almost surprised that Americans had discovered this place. Because of the kids club, lots of families and children. Is there anything cuter than a 4 year old with a British accent? Side note-Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake did get married here, and we did see one of the cast of Grey's Anatomy during our stay......so celebrities are starting to hear of this luxurious understated place. It is a great place for a honeymoon as you have the option of exploring surrounding areas or just staying at the hotel.
This area isn't totally discovered yet. It's not the Amalfi coast. Puglia is gaining popularity with Europeans as a warm get away, but most Americans probably haven't heard of it. It is still rustic and not yet completely overcrowded with tourists.
The hotel isn't one giant skyscraper. Instead, it is a collection of villas so it feels like a small old village.
Amenities include a golf course, several pools, huge spa, beach club, kids club, tennis, and other activities such as guided bike tours (cheese tour highly recommended, future blog post coming soon).
The food was good for the most part. One part was not our favorite, but the hotel was new, so they may still be figuring it out. We really enjoyed the breakfasts, lunch at the beach club, and the casual dinner spot. When they bring cocktails, they always include olives and taralli, which are salty cracker type treats. We jokingly called them "dog biscuits," but they were tasty with drinks.
Here is what breakfast looks like in the morning. What a treat to walk into this spread and then enjoy your breakfast in the sun.
You have three options for a room: a regular hotel room in a building, a casita, or a villa. We ended up in the casita because they were sold out of the regular rooms. Since we were there for 5 days, it was nice to have a little more space. It was a two story townhouse in the village complete with a private courtyard and a roof deck. We actually had an address and a street name.
When you stay in the village, you will enjoy walking through the narrow streets with bougainvillea and olive trees. You will pass the piazza on the way to breakfast, and you will return to the piazza for evening cocktails.
Thank you to Karin for telling me about this region of Italy and this luxurious hotel. She was right in her advice to get off the beaten path and away from Amalfi. We loved Amalfi-so picturesque, but unfortunately, so do thousands of other people, so it is really crowded. Borgo Egnazia emphasizes authentic Apulian style, simplicity, and elegance. Mix that with bougainvillea, sunshine, olive trees, and the sea, and you've got a happy girl!
