Luxury 4/5 bed villa+ pool +a/c on private 6 acres

Description from the owner

Chosen Top European Residential Property in 2011 by European Property Awards in association with Bloomberg Television! Masseria Gelsomino is a luxurious farmhouse + guesthouse built in 2008 and was featured on the cover of the UK's Homes and Gardens magazine in September 2009. It has 4/5 double bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, sleeps 8-10 people, with a gorgeous 45ft x 15ft infinity pool. The main house has 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms in one wing and a separate fully-equipped gourmet kitchen and living room with stone fireplace in the other wing. The adjacent guesthouse has 2 bedrooms and 1 full bathroom.This gorgeous property is set in 6 acres of ancient... olive groves. This allows complete privacy and yet you are just a 5-minute drive from small villages with everything you need - markets, restaurants and food shops - and just 5 miles from the sea and wonderful beaches.

The interior of this luxury property has been professionally decorated and designed to make sure your every need is catered for. Three of the five bedrooms have ultra-comfortable four poster beds and the luxury bathrooms have walk-in rain showers. The living room has a Sony 40" LCD TV and DVD surround sound system. There is also a large flat-screen televison in the master bedroom.

In the completely private interior courtyard, the masseria has a huge 15m x 5m infinity pool if you are feeling active, and you can just laze around on one of the Vincent Sheppard sun-loungers or take a walk in the ancient olive grove with its 400-year-old trees. There is an outdoor kitchen with wood burning oven and gas barbecue for those lovely lazy lunches and dinners and there is a large table which seats 10 under the pergola. Inside the large courtyard you are surrounded by a feast for the senses -- gorgeous landscaping including a multitide of lavender, jasmine, bouganvillea, roses, bay and antique lemon trees. Enjoy the large roof terrace with 360 degree views of spectacular Puglian sunrises backed by the sea and gorgeous sunsets.

Best nearby beaches & activities: Torre Del Orso: Lovely cove overlooking the famous two sisters which are great mounds of stone that jut out of the water, a back drop of cliffs makes this the prettiest of local beaches.

Santa Andrea: Great beach clubs and good seafood and pizza restaurant.

Alimini: Crystal clear waters, great stretch of beach, endless sand, and perfect for walking and sand castle building all set against huge sand dunes and wild pine forests. Very good amenities, excellent seafood and pizza restaurants and of course the mandatory espresso bar. A local favourite.

Also available: Horse riding, Wine tasting, Windsurfing, Painting, Cycling, Golf, Cooking lessons, Private chef!

Amazing places to visit: There is plenty to do and see in Salento, discover the buzzing Baroque city of Lecce known as the Florence of the South' for a cosmopolitan experience with it's many pavement cafes, contemporary and traditional restaurants and street entertainment. A must see is the vibrant historic town Otranto, a seaside town and port with a lovely harbour and Romanesque cathedral with it's famous twelth century mosaic.

Santa Maria Di Leuca: is on the southern most tip of the pernisula, a wonderful seaside town known for it's lighthouse. Alternated by cliffs and small sandy coves and it's many grottos make for the most wonderful and natural landscape.

Alberobello: Further north of Salento, remarkable little cone-roofed whitewashed dwellings that mushroom around Alberobello are a sight to behold and are now protected as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Ostuni: referred to as the white city is a hilltop town to rival those of Umbria, with Frederick II's 13th century castles.

Shopping: A welcome hamper of goodies and basics comes with the villa. For everything else you might need, Carpignano Salentino is our local village, three minutes by car or 15 minute walk and has everything you need.

Borgo del Gusto: for salamis, prochuitto, cheese, dry and fresh pasta.

The Macelleria: for good meat and day-to-day needs, including milk products.

The Panetteria: This local bakery is excellent for all your bakery needs.

Martano, a local village 10 minutes by car, go for: Weekly food market every Tuesday between 8am and 1pm. It is a fantastic experience and the local stall holders are only to happy to encourage you to try their home grown produce. Great for olives, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, salamis, mozzarella and fish. For the best coffee, pastries, ice cream and cakes, Marconi’s is a MUST, our local hangout. Sidis supermarket found on the road going out of Martano towards the motorway for Lecce is in our opinion the best local supermarket for all your needs.

The area has good weather for most of the year and is therefore ideal for off- peak trips as well as visits during the hot summer months.Read more

Additional Location Information

Chosen TOP INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN EUROPE and featured on Italian Real Time TV's Cerco Casa disperatamente (Desperate House Search) in November 2012. This luxurious country home is set in a romantic estate of over 5.5 acres of ancient olive groves.This allows complete privacy and yet you are just a 5-minute drive from historic villages with everything you need - markets, restaurants and food shops - and just 5 miles from the sea and some of the best beaches in Italy.

The interior has been professionally designed and decorated to make sure your every need is catered for. Most bedrooms have 4-poster beds and bathrooms have walk-in rain showers.The living room has a Sony 40' LCD TV and DVD surround sound system.There is a 15m infinity pool if you are feeling active, or just laze around on one of the Vincent Sheppard sun-loungers or take a walk in the ancient olive grove.There is a spacious outdoor kitchen area with a large stone wood-burning pizza oven, gas barbecue and a large table which seats ten. Enjoy the expansive roof terrace with 360 degree views of Puglian sunrises backed by the sea and gorgeous sunsets and gorgeous star-lit evenings. During festivals, Pugliese love to put on grand firework displays, and it is not unusual to be able to view these shows from the roof terrace.

If that is not enough, our property manager will make your holiday as relaxing and as hassle-free as possible. We can arrange for any grocery shopping to be done in advance of your arrival and have it unpacked in the kitchen waiting for you.
If you desire, he will gladly arrange restaurant reservations, in-house catering, pizza parties, housekeeping, spa treatments, boat hire, wine tours, babysitting and more. These extra services can be paid for locally at very reasonable prices.

We compile local information and use our knowledge of the area to make sure you have the best, most up-to-date information
at hand to help you plan your holiday.

Our property manager will arrange to meet you at a convenient place, lead you to the the property, show you around and give you your keys. He will also arrange for any extra services you should desire. He will agree with you a convenient time to visit you during the week to check you have everything you need, but he is also just a phone call away.

Best nearby beaches & activities: Torre Del Orso: Intimate cove over looking the famous two sisters which are great mounds of stone that jut out of the water, a back drop of cliffs makes this the prettiest of local beaches. Don't forget to visit Dentoni's on the beach for the best gelato of your life!

Santa Andrea: Great beach clubs and good seafood and pizza restaurant.

Alimini: Crystal clear waters, great stretch of sandy beach, endless sand, and perfect for walking/running and sand castle-building, all set against huge sand dunes and wild pine forests. Very good amenities, excellent seafood and pizza restaurants and of course the mandatory espresso bar. A favourite of ours and 5 minutes from Otranto.

Also available: Golf, Horse riding, Tennis, Wine Tasting, Wind Surfing, Painting, Cycling, Cooking Lessons, Private Chef, historical tours.

Amazing places to visit: There is plenty to do and see in Salento, discover the buzzing Baroque city of Lecce known as the 'Florence of the South' for a cosmopolitan experience with its many pavement cafes, contemporary and traditional restaurants, shopping and street entertainment. A must see is the vibrant historic town Otranto (a UNESCO world heritage site), a seaside town and port with a lovely harbour and Romanesque cathedral with its famous twelth century mosaic.

Santa Maria Di Leuca: is on the southern most tip of the pernisula, a wonderful seaside town known for its lighthouse. Alternated by cliffs and small sandy coves and its many grottos make for the most wonderful and natural landscape.

Alberobello: Further north of Salento, remarkable little cone-roofed whitewashed dwellings that mushroom around Alberobello are a sight to behold and are now protected as a UNESCO world heritage site.
If you are going to Alberobello, you must visit Martina Franca and Locorotondo. These are both beautiful cities surrounded by stunning rolling hills, vineyards and trulli. Excellent restaurants in Martina Franca are not to be missed.
Ostuni: referred to as the white city is a hilltop town to rival those of Umbria, with Frederick II's 13th century castles.

Shopping: A welcome hamper of goodies and basics comes with the villa. For everything else you might need, Carpignano Salentino is our local village, three minutes by car or 15 minute walk and has everything you need including Sidis supermarket, bakeries, beauty salons, ATMs, pharmacy, restaurants, a local weekly market.
Borgo del Gusto: for salamis, prosciutto, cheese, dry and fresh pasta.
The Macelleria: for good meat and day-to-day needs, including milk products.
The Panetteria: This local bakery is excellent for all your bakery needs.
Martano, a local village 10 minutes by car, go for: Weekly food market every Tuesday between 8am and 1pm. It is a fantastic experience and the local stall holders are only to happy to encourage you to try their home grown produce. Great for olives, fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, salamis, mozzarella and fish. For the best coffee, pastries, ice cream and cakes, Marconi’s is a MUST, our local hangout. Sidis supermarket found on the road going out of Martano towards the motorway for Lecce is in our opinion the best local supermarket for all your needs.

Location Type Away from it all, Beach, Town

Rental fees

Additional notes from owner

The security deposit is returned within 10 days of end of rental, and confirmation that no damage occurred

What Past Guests Are Saying

• Silvie Vojtova
  Ceske Budejovice

  romantic holiday

  Left on 01/16/2012 for a stay in September 2011
  
  

  - the house is wonderful, we really liked the style of it, it is a great piece of architecture; the court with swimmingpool provides a lot of privacy; we admired the olive grove
  - there is a number of ancinet cities near the location, lot of traditional restaurant
  -

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Romantic, Luxury

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  Was this review helpful? Yes

   

  Response from Anna Higgs - 01/17/2012

  

  Anna Higgs

  Owner

  Thank you Silvie for your kind comments. We are very glad you enjoyed our home and exploring the beautiful cities nearby!