3 days in Puglia at Kalidria Hotel & Thalasso SPA

3 days in Puglia

3 days in Puglia. It’s been a long time since I have been to Puglia for the last time and finally the right opportunity presented itself. I have been invited to discover Kalidria Hotel & Thalasso SPA, a new five-star hotel in Castellaneta Marina (near Taranto). Read on to find out everything about my stay!

3 days in Puglia at Kalidria Hotel & Thalasso SPA

I left Turin on a early Monday morning, setting my alarm at 4 am to catch the first flight to Bari. From there in an hour’s drive I reached Kalidria Hotel & Thalasso SPA, that hosted me for two nights. At my arrival the room was ready! I immediately fell in love with the terrace with a beautiful panoramic view, but then I discovered that the interior was not far behind: there was a nice living room with a giant mirror, a bedroom overlooking the terrace and then the bathroom with a shower and hydro bath. Really very comfortable!

The Kalidria, part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, is located within a nature reserve that stretches for 1,500 hectares in the coastal area of the Ionic Arch, between Puglia and Basilicata. This reserve is called Stornara nature reserve and is a real paradise: inside of it you’ll find yourself completely surrounded by a super luxuriant vegetation, with a pine forest of pines of Aleppo that surrounds kilometers of kilometers of pristine beach with sand dunes and shells. A truly spectacular place!

The name “Stornara” refers to the numerous starlings that populate it during migratory periods. In fact, the reserve is also a destination for bird watchers, who can admire many species of birds including the heron, the mallard, the white stork, the robin, the blackcap, the cuckoo and the red woodpecker.

The walk that led from my room to the beach was really relaxing. We passed beside the beautiful natural lake and then the SPA pool, to continue inside the pine forest until seeing the sea.

Once arrived at destination, you could continue, if you wanted, for 5 km of fine golden sand.

The beach is equipped for the exclusive use of Hotel guests. So peaceful!

Inside the Kalidria there are 8 restaurants. In particular I tried the Mediterranean Restaurant, on the beach, for lunch and the Coquì Gourmet Restaurant for dinner, of which I loved the fresh fish dishes: from linguini allo scoglio to the grilled fish, passing through the sushi dishes… Only delicious meals!