Where to stay in Salento: Casa Vacanze Augusto

You know that rush you get when you find the perfect place to say on vacation? The one that ticks all the boxes?

• Super clean and has enough space for you and the 10 bags you packed ✔

• Great location in a small town for ample breakfast options but close enough to the beach that you can drive home and hop in the shower within 15 minutes ✔

• A pool for the days that you don’t feel like leaving the property at all ✔

• A incredibly affordable price ✔

And best of all…

• The owner, Giovanna, who makes sure that every single aspect of your trip is as perfect as she can make it ✔

Finding accommodations online without a recommendation can be hard, but if you’re looking for a place to stay in the southern tip of Salento, this is the one. 

I’m not sure how much more I need to get into things after that joyful checklist but if you’re the kind of person who likes details, read on!

The location:

Casa Vacanze Augusto is located in the charming town of Uggiano la Chiesa, which is a 10-minute drive from Otranto. Now if this is your first time visiting Puglia, you may be considering staying in Otranto, Ostuni, Polignano al Mare, Gallipoli, or any of the other more famous towns in the region (note: I am excluding larger cities like Bari and Lecce from this list, which offer an entirely different experience). I strongly suggest you book an accommodation outside of these main towns and in a smaller, more local spot. You’ll get to interact more with the locals, the food will be better and everything costs less. 

And with how small of a region Salento is, you can drive to many of the towns around you for dinner or to explore within 15-20 minutes. We spent our evenings in the surrounding towns of Otranto, Castro, Santa Cesarea Terme, Spongano, and Porto Badisco.

The property

I love having an alternative to going to the beach when I’m traveling in Italy in the height of summer. When it’s 30C/90F+ during the day, walking around the city center or doing other physical activity just isn’t comfortable. And heading to the beach every single day (while the dream) can get tiring if you’re constantly looking for parking or an open area on the “free beach” in July or August. 

Having a beautiful pool and lounge area outside of your room means you can split your day in half and spend the morning or the afternoon by the pool or in the shade, without melting in the heat. 

For anyone traveling with kids this is also an amazing feature because the rooms at Augusto overlook the pool, meaning you can split up and enjoy different activities. 

The rooms

The structure has 6 rooms available for rent, some of them smaller with one double bed and other larger with pull-out sofas. They all have kitchenettes, meaning you can cook from home or prepare food for the beach if you’re so inclined and the owner makes sure they’re all well-stocked. 

Other amenities included are a washer and clothesline, covered parking spots, air conditioning, a private terrace and outdoor eating space, a grill/barbecue to cook on and the occasional delivery of in-season produce from Giovanna’s own garden if you’re an exceptional guest ;)

The owner

The fact that Giovanna did indeed give us not one but two bags of produce from her personal garden sums up her personality in a nutshell. She was more than helpful when it came to checking us in and explaining how everything worked and also brought by extra cooking tools when we mentioned cooking at home.

She gave us personal recommendations for places to eat and go out in the town and came by every morning to water the plants in the garden and clean the pool. 

The crux of it is: she’s an angel. 

I have a special place in my heart for women-run businesses, and she is doing an amazing job at providing her guests with a top-notch experience while blowing her competition out of the water. 

My one regret with posting information about her is the concern that we won’t be able to book a room next summer and every summer after that, which is my current plan. So let’s just agree to keep the wonder that is Casa Vancanze Augusto a secret, okay?

Where to find Casa Vacanze Augusto:

You can find their Facebook page here, or book on Booking.com here.