Vista Ostuni, Puglia, Italy, Hotel Review

It was one of those travel days that had me reconsidering things: I was up before the sun to make an early flight, packed on to a budget flight next to an ebullient, bouncy bambina, and then left to wait an hour at the airport because my prebooked taxi was delayed. All this to say, I wasn’t in the sunniest mood when I arrived in the so-called Città Bianca (White City) of Ostuni in southern Italy’s sun-drenched region of Puglia. That changed as soon as I caught a glimpse of the new Vista Ostuni. A limestone vision, the hotel looks more like a pristine palazzo than a tobacco-sorting factory (the building’s most recent iteration, until the ’60s). European travelers have long said Puglia is an “up-and-coming destination,” but with the opening of Vista Ostuni, it has certainly arrived.

“When I first saw it, I knew immediately we had found the right place for our next hotel,” says Bianca Passera, president of Lario Hotels, a four generation–strong coterie of six Italian properties. Three of those resorts are branded as “Vista” hotels—a nod, of course, to their spectacular views. We chatted over caffè leccesi (espressos poured over ice and almond syrup) then toured the enclosed courtyard lobby. Passera heaved open an oversized door to reveal a perfectly framed arch of Adriatic Sea, still as silk from this distance, against a silver-green stripe of olive groves. The view made us both giddy. Here’s what else to love about the newly opened Vista Ostuni hotel.

The Rooms

Laid out over three floors—each with soaring, ecclesiastical cross-vault ceilings—rooms are spacious and chic, each with a varying but superb vistas. Some rooms overlook the neighboring church, which the building was once linked to, but most frame the sea. The aesthetic is vintage seaside, courtesy of cannage furniture, hanging textiles, and squiggled, Picasso-like portraits. Some rooms are laid out mezzanine style. Decorating the nooks and crannies, ceramic plates and vases are custom creations from the nearby town of Grottaglie.

Then, there are the bathrooms: “We’re always talking about our bathrooms,” Passera says. Much like the other two Vista hotels—one in Como city, another in Verona—the bathrooms are improbably chic, outfitted in slabs of marble in clarets, undersea greens, or the blue-gray-gold multicolor seen in astrophotography.

Food and Drink

Friuli-born chef Andrea Berton, whose résumé includes stints at Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV in Monaco and his eponymous Ristorante Berton in Milan, runs the culinary program at Vista Ostuni. At Berton al Vista, it’s fine dining with local products, while Bianca Bistrot is a poolside hideout for more rustic Puglian plates. For aperitivo, there’s the alfresco Infinity Bar on the rooftop and lobby-side Chiostro Bar, anchored by a colossal, bottle-lined back bar arch, which Passera describes as a “modern interpretation of the classic Italian bar.” The must-try signature: a goblet of gin and tonic infused with crunchy, green pepperoncinis.

Activities and Experiences

This area is known for its olive oil, so of course, there are olive oil tastings on site, as well as cocktail-making and cooking classes. Off-site: venture out with e-bikes or in the soon-to-arrive Ape Calessinos (three-wheeled, open-air vehicles for local drop-offs to Ostuni. The hotel can also arrange excursions around the Valle d’Itria, including to Alberobello, famed for its conical trulli houses. (The 95-percent Puglian staff will not steer you astray.)

The fun doesn’t stop there: go for a horse ride, zip around in a vintage Alfa Romeo Giulietta, or learn a new skill with workshops dedicated to pottery, cheese, or luminarie, the decorative lights festooned around southern Italian towns and churches during patronal festivals, especially Christmas.

The Spa

The spa wasn’t yet ready during my visit, but guests can expect a cave-like space lined in violet, mosaic tiles with a private indoor spa pool, three treatment rooms, and treatments using all-natural Biologique Recherche products.

Family-friendly Offerings

The property offers two connecting rooms, each with a total capacity of four guests, which are ideally suited for families. While the hotel does not currently offer programming that is specifically geared towards families with young children, the team is happy to tailor available experiences where possible.

Accessibility and Sustainability

There are two rooms suitable for guests with disabilities. On the sustainability front, Lario Hotels has been a Benefit Corporation (an Italian designation similar to a B-corp) since 2021. Every year, the group produces a heavy-hitting sustainability and impact report, which will include Vista Ostuni. The report highlights progress around environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, corporate welfare, and gender equality (the group obtained Gender Equality Certification in 2024).

Vista Ostuni will continue these efforts with automatic lighting systems; water-efficient taps; a more energy-efficient pool heating technique; and rainwater collection for low-demand landscaping. The property is committed to achieving LEED certification by the end of the year.

Location

The hotel is a 10-minute walk from the whitewashed hilltop old town of Ostuni, one of Puglia’s prettiest places. It’s close enough to be part of the action, but far away enough to have space, quiet, and magnificent views. Ostuni sits between two airports, Brindisi and Bari, the latter boasting new seasonal direct flights from New York on Neos Air. As Puglia is huge and made up of scattered villages, most visitors choose to rent a car. There is free parking on-site and electric-car charging ports.

Book Now

Vista Ostuni offers perks to members of Leading Hotels of the World’s Leaders Club, and benefits include complimentary Wi-Fi, daily continental breakfast for two, priority for early check-in and late check-out, upgrade priority upon arrival, and discounts on the best available rate.

Nightly rates at Vista Ostuni start from $994.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.