"This lovely hotel has an extremely enviable location on the waterfront, and is within easy walking distance of the sights. We had booked 4 night stay in a junior suite and then decided to add a 5th night to the beginning of the stay, but could only book a double room. There was no view from this room - a fixed blind hid whatever was out there. The room was comfortable enough, although the shower was tiny with an old, somewhat grubby folding door that looked as though it would fall off at any moment. Happily, we packed our bags the next morning and staff members moved them to our new room while we were out for the day. It was worth paying extra for a front facing junior suite - the view over the promenade and the bay was amazing and an absolute joy. The room itself was large, airy, and comfortable with a sofa, plus the shower was new, huge and a 100% improvement on the last one. There was adequate storage and full length mirrors. We were also provided with bathrobes and slippers. The hairdryer was one of those wired in things with one button that has to be manually held in, a dreadful invention, but they all seem to have them these days. The thing that really let down both rooms however, was the towels - they were thin, well worn and in need of replacement.
Breakfast was very well presented each morning, located in a lovely airy room, and was a happy event, with a good selection of food and drink, and we were able to enjoy it while looking at that fabulous view. The staff members were very polite and helpful.
The hotel doesn’t offer lunch, dinner or a bar, but there are enough restaurants in the immediate vicinity, or easy walking distance, to suffice. Bettys, just along the promenade to the right was a favourite of ours. Also Brunda Pizzeria, up in the town, was another favourite, fantastic pizzas at very reasonable prices.
We visited Lecce by train - it’s an elegant place with amazing churches, amazing architecture, and the main sights are easily all reached on foot with the assistance of Google maps. Don’t bother getting a map from the Tourist Information Centre, it was useless. I was expecting it to be busy but it was fairly quiet and there were no queues.
We did a day trip to Ostuni, Alberobello and Locorotondo - this was well organised, just 8 people in a minibus - but honestly, after the peace and laid back vibe of Brindisi, we suddenly found ourselves in “tourist land” - and didn’t like it.
We did a catamaran tour of the bay - this included a stop at the fort where we took the guided tour which was fascinating.
We took the ferry that goes around the bay, across to the other side and went to the top of the monument to the Italian Sailor - great views from the top.
Brindisi (the old town) is a little gem - we enjoyed walking around its streets, walking where the Romans, and others, had walked, visiting the churches and museums, stopping off for cocktails or a glass (bottle) of wine here and there. There’s so much history if you like that sort of thing, but even if you don’t, it’s just perfect for a peaceful break off the usual tourist trail. There are no souvenir shops . . the nearest to one that we found was a shop selling textiles where I bought a tea towel that is so lovely I’ll probably never use it as a tea towel.
In short, we can, without reservation, recommend Brindisi and the Grande Albergo Internazionale as a place for a lovely holiday."
