GranSerena Hotel

Arrived end of September to find this is the end of the season for them no ice creams, no snacks throughout the day extremely reduced service and when we asked we were told they are closing next week so everything gone ! We paid for all inclusive this is not all inclusive should not take bookings if you are unable to cater for the guests

We just had a really wonderful stay at GranSerena Hotel. We had good expectations however weren’t able to find many reviews, particularly recent ones as the hotel does not appear to attract many English speaking guests. First impressions of the hotel were great, it’s very secure when entering from the road. It was about an hour drive from Bari airport (midweek evening) and less than 30 mins from Brindisi airport (Sunday morning). Check in: was good and quite fast. The receptionist was very friendly & helpful. We do not speak Italian so she was very helpful in explaining things as best as possible in English for us. You have a wristband, colour depending on your board type (we were all inclusive) and also a ‘smart card’ that you put €10 on and scan it every time you purchase something from the bar. It was slightly confusing as you even scan it for drinks included in the all inclusive package but if there is no charge you get given a receipt with €0 on. If you do not use the €10 on the card during your stay then it’s deducted at check out. We had to pay the nightly tourist tax & fee for the sunbeds/umbrella at the beach at check in. Room: Our room was on the 5th floor with the balcony overlooking the front/side of the hotel. It was mostly quiet, a bit of road noise at times but a lot quieter than the other side overlooking the evening entertainment/ bar area. Our room was very clean & spacious & had aircon. The bathroom was also very spacious, well equipped and very clean. The little touches for our son were sweet & appreciated: changing mat, travel cot, bottle warmer, little toiletry set. Our room was refreshed daily. Resort: it’s a really big resort. We spent most of our time at the pool with the water slides or at the beach. The pool with slides was never crowded, actually very quiet at times. The lifeguards are really friendly & there was daily entertainment - music, aqua aerobics etc. There are plenty of sunbeds. You do need swimming hats for the pool which we weren’t aware of but we bought them in the hotel shop for €2.50 each. There is a bar next to this pool/ the beach. The splash park was great though a bit cold for our little one. The playground was brilliant, lots of slides/swings etc. It was a nice place for some shade too There is another pool round the front of the hotel. We didn’t swim in it (our family did & enjoyed it) but it also has a children’s pool & a lovely playground area. The beach is really lovely. You are allocated a beach umberella/ sunbed/ chair. We swam in the sea which was very clear. You can use the paddle boards etc from the beach. Beach towels were included as part of our all inclusive package. We were supposed to get a ticket in our check in envelope to show at the desk where you collect the towels, which we didn’t have but reception sorted this out for us. There’s a refundable deposit required of €10 per towel. We didn’t use the gym but plenty of other guests did & it had spin bikes, weight m