We stayed for 2 nights. Our room was very spacious with a terrace overlooking parts of the habour and the park behind the hotel. The location is great if you would like to visit the cathedral and the harbour. There are some nice bars and restaurants in only a few minutes walk from the hotel. The receptionist recommended us the 'beach' next to the hotel. Be aware that this is not a sandy beach but just some concrete place from where you can access the water. It is nicer to drive to a real beach around Trani. Parking was available righ in front of the hotel.

We spend three nights here in Trani, a delightful city on the Adriatic, known as "the Pearl of Puglia". For 150 euros (we splurged since our usual budget is 80e) we had a magnificent room overlooking the enchanting harbour. The room was as big as our living/dining room back home and the bathroom, all red marble, was the size of a normal hotel room in Peschici (where we'd stayed the night before). The ceilings must have been 14 foot high and the windows almost matched, with a stunning view of the harbour. The breakfast room, the cloister....everything so lofty and serene! My poor husband either got a virus or food poisoning on our second night but the dear receptionist phoned ahead to Matera and was able to get our first night's accommodation cancelled with no penalty! It was highly amusing to watch her describe the "deathly" situation with my husband, almost a death's door and going to the hospital (well, not exactly, but that was the line she took!). The scene: me, the housekeeper, two other employees, all leaning over the front desk, anxiously looking at each other and the receptionist as she finally reached her goal: "Perfetto! Non pagaranno? Si, si!" No, we would not have to pay. Moreover, the staff were so kind in helping us to find the best restaurants in town: Pesevenghi, Gallo, Corte in Fiore (the latter we were unable to visit). Another place, the pizzeria Pizza e Vino, recommended by the clothier, was "perfetto", too....for, after all the food at Pesevenghi and Gallo the day before, we could barely handle pizza! Be forewarned: when one orders "antipasti" in Puglia, nothing else is needed! You'll be inundated with food before you even get to the primo! Ah, Trani! Now, if they would only do something about all the abandoned dogs....yes, they're abandoned. I thought they were waiting for their fisherman masters but I was wrong. And except for the one shivering, sick animal (how scary! was it distemper, could it be rabies?) I saw on the day my husband was sick and shivering in his bed (what a weird coincicence!), all these magnificent dogs which ran amongst the people or lay snoozing in the sun were once beloved pets....how to understand this? The waiter said it was "la mentalita' del Sud", the mentality of the South....no money for the SPCA, he said...but I said, "Look at these people, look at their "fashions"...there's money but not for the animals." On the other hand, unlike Vancouver, there were NO PEOPLE SLEEPING on the the streets....a conundrum.

I stayed here with an expensive cultural tour. My room was relatively comfortable but the service was poor. The waiters in the breakfast room were most unhelpful. When i was leaving I found the night before I was unable to open the safe. I told the staff and said that I would need to have it opened before 9am the next morning. I came down early and waited for an hour and a half. Eventually the tour leader had to almost drag the receptionist to the room, where it was found that the battery of the safe had expired. No apology was made

We enjoyed our one night stay in this slightly faded grandiose hotel. The reception staff were helpful and parking outside the hotel was easy being mid-October. Breakfast on first glance looked great - scrambled eggs and sausages as well as the usual sweetmeats this region seems to enjoy. As the eggs were almost finished and looked heavily overcooked we asked for a fresh ones to be made - when presented they were exactly the same.

Trani was a delight - fascinating history, excellent restuarants and good shops to stock up on produce before heading home. Despite the lashing rain on our final morning the boats still provided us with the freshest fish I've ever eaten after returning to the UK.