Too expensive for what we did (not) get. Staff was trying their best, but clearly they are not professionally trained. We got the impression that the owners of the hotel give erratic quality of the experience to guests. Food with respect to other reviews Is overrated, certainly very good, but worth trying other restaurants in the area.

Firstly, I should mention that two times during our stay at Hotel L'Approdo, the staff and owner asked me and my husband whether we knew Tripadvisor, and if we would please write a positive review of the hotel here once we returned home. I have never before been directly asked to do this at a hotel, and to me it seemed quite pushy and way too direct. My attitude is generally that people write positive reviews if they had a great experience, but encouraging guests to do this very directly is sort of bad manners to me. Anyway, with mostly Italian guests, my hunch is that the hotel is hoping for more international guests in the future - and asking an English-speaking guest such as myself to help with some "Tripadvisor branding" is a way to try and get more international exposure. I thought it could have been done much more elegantly, and I would have preferred not to be asked at all.

To the review itself: My husband and I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights during peak session in august 2011 at a superior double room rate of EUR 269. Although the stay was okay, at this price and accounting for a four-star rating, I had expected something more luxurious. We stayed in one of the renovated rooms with a small balcony on the 1st floor overlooking the habour, which was nice. The room was refurbished in neutral colors with a nice bed and okay space, however, the quality of the materials seemed cheap and standard, especially in the bathroom. The fan for the airconditioning for the room next door was situated on our balcony blowing warm air and noise into our room. The reception and common areas were not renovated to the more "cool" level of the first floor rooms and hallways and seemed a bit outdated.

The terrace of the restaurant was lovely with a nice breakfast buffet (considering that breakfasts even at top Italian hotels can be somewhat disappointing). We did not add the option of a four-course evening menu every night, but tried the restaurant one of the evenings, when I took the menu for close to the same price as when full-board is selected and my husband went a la carte. The menu at EUR 30 was good and fair value for money - I cannot say the same about my husband's lobster spaghetti. Even though the lobster was fresh and tasted good, you cannot charge EUR 100 for a small lobster!!! I was not told the price until I paid the collected bill at check-out, and I was truly appalled.

The pool area was the best thing about the hotel. It has seaview, a fair size pool, sofabeds, a hammock and a pool bar serving nice panini, snacks and drinks during the day. With few hotels in Santa Maria di Leuca offering pools, this is the one thing I can think of that might justify a high room rate (but still not as much as 269).

Generally, the service was friendly and courteous, but a bit on the stiff side (like a hotel and restaurant trying to be more fancy that it really needs to be). For me, a joyful and smiley staff that seems comfortable and happy with what they do works much better than a stiff upper lip.

I would recommend the hotel if you are a couple or small family passing through the small towns along the coast and would like a place to recharge your batteries by a much-needed pool for one day before hitting the road again. I would not recommend it for longer stays (simply not worth the money).

We stayed at the hotel for a weekend. The check-in, check-out process was easy and fast. The rooms were clean, beautiful and very very spacious. I particularly enjoyed the swimming pool which was like a little oasis of heaven.

What made a lasting impression, though, was the service of the hotel. They were very accommodating - from offering late check-out to complimentary coffee in the morning (after we missed the breakfast).

All in all, a very good experience and I would like to return.

I go down to southern italy regularly and stay at the approdo hotel: it offers all the comforts of a 4 star hotel while at the same time maintaining the typical italian family style and hospitality. The personnel goes way beyond normal duty to help you: I needed to use internet while the wireless was not working well, and they let me use their office. I need any kind of help, they are ready! the view is amazing and you are just a few steps away from the best caves ever, you can swim into them or go into them by boat. I surely recommend this hotel! the cleaning personal is also super friendly and nice.