This is a really friendly, no frills hotel with fantastic access to a lovely beech. The staff couldn't have been more helpful and easy going. The hotel is set out more like a motel with the rooms being mainly low level with a covered "porch" area and simple but really clean and pleasant rooms. The bed was comfortable and there was the bonus of a fridge in the room. If all you want is a low cost place to base yourself this I would highly recommend it. The main proprietor is English speaking and he was extremely polite and friendly - a real bonus for any hotel. There isn't a great deal of English spoken in the area but don't let that put you off as all attempts to speak Italian are welcome and treated with encouragement. The bonus is there are no "Brits abroad" in this area, and Vieste has lots of history and quaint restaurants. It is worth walking up to the top of the town as there are some lovely places to eat that are tucked away in the little streets.

We were looking for a low cost week in Italy so we took a risk and were delighted with Puglia and can highly recommend Vieste for anyone looking for a "real Italy" experience. It has some lovely beaches all along the coast and the old town is very quaint. We flew to Bari and took the train to Manfredonia as we thought we might be able to get a ferry to Vieste. There weren't any ferries running as they appear to stop in August, however, it was easy to get a bus from there to Vieste and it was really cheap. I would advise people to get the bus all the way from Lecce to Vieste as it is really easy. I would certainly recommend the excellent Italian railways which are great value and a really pleasant way of getting around. We found Parco Carabella on arrival in the town, it was September and clearly the holiday season was over for the Italians leaving the town very sleepy and low in hassle. Very few of the hotels were booked up so we had lots of choice. The only potential downside is the walk to the town centre, however, unless you are old or infirm I wouldn't let that put you off. It is quite a pleasant 20 minute walk (approx half a mile) along the beach or road and we found it better to be near the beach for the day with the walk into town of an evening than the other way around.
The hotel couldn't be easier if, like us, you want to lie on a beach every day, it is literally just across the road. Like a lot of Italian hotels near beaches, Parco Carabello has access to a free sun-bed on the beach. We had a strange experience on one of the days, when we were told by a young attendant that we could only have one deck chair and one sun-bed as the sun-beds were all taken. This was strange as there a stack of unused beds by his "hut" and our Italian wasn't good enough to work out what was going on. That aside our trip couldn't have been easier and more pleasant. The weather was pretty good although it was a little windy. The pool at the hotel is sheltered so if the wind was bad we adjourned to the hotel pool. Being September the pool bar facility was shut but it didn't seem to matter as there was a machine which served coffee and a machine which served cold beer. If you hire a car then it is well worth while driving around the coast as there are lots of pretty litttle beaches, most of which have a cafe and bar.

At night the compound is locked but for residents it is very easy as you have your own key and access to the rooms is very quick and easy from the front gate. You don't have to go via the reception which gave the feeling of independence and freedom.

Breakfast, like the rest of Italy is simple fare but the girl who serves (Anna) is really friendly and very helpful.

We would happily recommend this hotel if you're on a budget or you just want somewhere that has easy access for noth the beach and the town of Vieste.