Les Meilleurs Hôtels de Luxe à Polignano A Mare

The most iconic hotel in Puglia — possibly in Italy — Grotta Palazzese has its celebrated restaurant set inside a vast sea cave in the limestone cliff, accessible only by a stone staircase cut from the rock face. The hotel rooms have terraces directly over the cove, and waking to the sound of the Adriatic surging into the cavern below is an unforgettable sensory experience.

• Sea cave restaurant
• Clifftop rooms
• Most iconic

A beautiful boutique hotel perched on the old town's cliff edge with rooms that have glass panels in the floor revealing the sea below. The roof terrace is one of the most dramatic in Italy, and the kitchen serves seafood crudo and Puglian grilled dishes with exceptional quality and local sourcing.

• Glass-floor rooms
• Cliff edge
• Seafood

A stunning 18th-century masseria just inland from Polignano, with a pool surrounded by olive and almond trees, a full wellness programme, and a kitchen garden that supplies the extraordinary dinner table. The white-domed trullo suite is one of the most romantic rooms in the whole of Puglia.

• Masseria luxury
• Trullo suite
• Kitchen garden

A centuries-old palazzo in the labyrinthine old town converted into an intimate boutique with rooms that feel genuinely lived-in and historical. The stone-vaulted breakfast room, the terrace with Adriatic views, and the welcoming owners make it feel more like staying with Puglian friends than checking into a hotel.

• Palazzo rooms
• Old Town
• Personal service

A contemporary resort on the beautiful Cala Paura bay with direct access to the sea, a well-designed pool, and a beach restaurant specialising in the day's catch. The rooms are clean and modern, the staff are friendly, and the views from the sea-facing terraces are exceptional.

• Bay resort
• Sea access
• Beach restaurant