Hotel Locanda di San Martino - Matera

We had a wonderful stay and wish we could have spent more time in Matera and at Locanda di San Martino. The swimming pool is a must-have experience! The breakfast was delicious. For those driving..just have faith and keep going until you see another sign, yes, it IS up that narrow of a street! Enjoy.

Excellent hotel

My partner & I stayed here for 3 nights in July with very hot weather, but the hotel remained comfortable. The old part of the city is stunning and the hotel is located at it's center, on a street with a good selection of restaurants within easy walking distance. The multilingual staff were knowledgeable & helpful with explaining the maps of the historic area. Use of the Terme, the underground pool, steam, sauna & relaxation room is by reservation so there are never too many people. The reality of the Locanda di San Martino surpasses the images on their website.

Our stay at the Hotel Locanda di San Martino was magical. Matera is a bit off the beaten path.....which holds a lot of its charm. We traveled to Matera from Naples by train and bus and got a taxi to the hotel. The hotel is a bit difficult to find, but this is because of the twisty ancient pathways around the Sassi....we soon felt very confident in finding our way around town. The hotel staff were all wonderfully helpful and spoke excellent English. The room was amazing....guite large; exceptionally quiet; comfortable and clean. The breakfast that is included far exceeds that of most American hotels that include breakfast. The hotel rooms have wonderful views os the Sassi.......of course you are actually staying in a cave yourself......but it is a luxurious cave! The hotel is within easy walking distance (for those who can climb stairs) to a lively piazza, shops, and lots of places to eat. All in all this is one of the best hotels in which we have ever stayed.

This is the ONLY place to stay in Matera! from incredible rooms, to incredible service from their amazing staff ! they just couldnt do enough to help us and be thoughtful of every aspect! you must stay here if going to matera, he views when you walk outside will take your breath away :-) enjoy

Locanda di san martin hotel is a beautiful place. We were in awe at the beauty all around. The hotel location is perfect. We only have good things to say about the hotel and staff. Old Matera is a place that is unique and I would recommend that it should be visited. It was hard to get to Matera but luckily we now know how to get around (trains, buses, stations, transfers)for next time.

We loved this hotel! A little difficult to find, as it's right in the midst of the Sassi. But, we parked in the modern part of the city and walked down at first to locate the hotel and then drove our car down, where it was taken to a garage by a hotel associate for the remainder of our stay. Parking was a bit expensive, but well worth it. The rooms are actually caves, but with all modern amenities. Very comfortable. We were on the 2nd floor, we took an elevator from the lobby and then had to walk outside and up cobblestone steps and a path to our room. So, if someone has difficulty in ambulation I would ask the hotel for accommodations closer to the hotel lobby. The common areas of the hotel are beautiful, and the pool is exactly as it appears on their web site, a perfect respite after a day of walking through the Sassi . Breakfast was amazing. The staff is wonderful, so kind and warm. Everyone is informative and helpful, every question answered. Matera is such a unique city. Walking through the city is surreal, as though one has stepped back in time. Although there were other tourists it was always so quiet and peaceful. There are a multitude of cafe's and restaurants, and everyone we chose was great. The hotel has great recommendations for dinner, choose one and you can't go wrong. We found everyone in this wonderful city to be warm and kind, even when we explored the modern city. Our only disappointment was that we had to leave.

Stayed 2 nights at this fine hotel. Found it fairly easily surprisingly enough (I was expecting to get lost). Welcomed and soon was in a lovely cave room. Matera is wonderful and this hotel is a great base in the sassi. Clean, safe & modern. The breakfasts were top class and I enjoyed the pool one evening. Free wifi as well. Reasonable price too. Only small gripe was not being given a map on check in or being told re wireless. Had to chase them up myself. However this could have been as I checked in early and was very happy to be able to begin seeing Matera earlier than I had planned. All in all they looked after me - would love to return.

Excellent hotel

This is an excellent hotel located in the heart of the Sassi District. If you are visiting Matera you must stay in this area to get the feel of the place rather than the new town above. The hotel service is excellent and they arranged for our hire car to be kept in a garage in the new town overnight since parking is limited in the Sassi. The hotel is very, very difficult to find using a SatNav since the system cannot cope with the location of the Sassi below ground level of the new town. However, do not despair it is worth the effort to stay at the hotel. There are plenty of places to eat near by and the Passagiata in Matera is the best in the area; join the locals each evening.

Gracious! Matera is BEAUTIFUL and ENCHANTING! Honestly, we had a marvelous, picturesque view of the valleys from our charming room. Take an opportunity to stop by Nadi for extraordinary eats, just a walk away from the unique stay we were at. Warm, hospitable, romantic and memorable short break away from home. Just what we needed. ^_^

Good place to stay. Lots of character and lots of steps, particularly when it is raining heavily. Asked to borrow an umbrella but a definite no was the answer. For the price I would have thought they would have umbrellas. Small quibble. Hotel is hard to find but we were lucky and staff were helpful to tell us where to park that was free.

Truly an facinating stay in Matera, and certainly enhanced by staying at la Locanda di San Martino. It is my recommendation to anyone visiting this amazing city.

Other than a bit of difficulty locating the hotel (partially our fault), we couldn't have asked for any more from the property. The room being partially in a cave was very in keeping with the Matera experience. The staff was extremely helpful in answering all of our questions, and the Internet provided free of charge (although with a registration and sign-up for every 3 hours of use) was a huge help to us. The breakfast buffet was simple but very good, and there some items that were different each day. We would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone travelling to Matera.

Easily the nicest place we stayed on our trip. Great room with a view to die for, wonderful location, good breakfast. The street is so narrow that we paid 15 euros for someone else to take the car to a parking garage so we wouldn't have to drive that street again (I'm still in disbelief that it is a 2 way street.) However, that is an evitable result of the otherwise wonderful location. The directions were easy to follow.

Ottimo servizio e posizione incantevole! Altamente raccomandato!

We felt at home. The room was big and comfortable, a beautiful view out of the small terrace. The staff are very welcoming and professional. Very easy to reach the main square. Very nice breakfast. We would have loved to have a swimming pool to enjoy after visitng the sites on very hot days. We shall certainly recommend it.

After you find your way down the hill to the hotel it is quite an experience. the setting in the caves and the surrounding area is stunning.

An extremely charming hotel in the heart of Matera's breathtaking Sassi. Our room was comfortable and clean, the staff very competent and helpful. Excellent buffet breakfast. Very good price/quality ratio. The only (definitely minor) inconvenience: the TV set was not working properly.

Very nice accomodation in original surrounding. Hotel not easy to be found. We had to ask several times. Breakfast with large variety of pasta and bread.

Very nice. Difficult to find your way to the hotel since you are in the old city. However, once there, getting around was easy. Pack light. Lots of stairs. Car parking is in a lot or gargage a 10 minute walk from the property.

Little hard to locate, but easy to get directions from local populace to find the hotel. Parking is in the Avis covered garage for 10 Euro per day and about three city blocks from the back entrance to the hotel, although one wouldn't know about the back entrance until one checks in. At the Piazza with a foutain near the main Sassi there is a coffee bar and stairs leading down into the Sassi to the left of the bar. Down those stairs and about 50 meters is the hotel on the left. Great Place would (and will) stay there again without hesitation. And they are Pet friendly, important to us as we travel with our Cocker Spaniel.

Absolutely loved the Locanda! In fact, after our first night we did some trip re-arranging so that we could return for two more nights later in our trip. Everything was wonderful. The staff was friendly and welcoming and assisted us in everything from finding a laundromat to where to go for dinner. We will definitely be back.

We LOVE Locanda di San Martino -- so much so, that after our first two days, we booked a return two days later on in our trip! Will definitely be back!!

Very good hotel (charm, confort and location). A bit expensive for the region. But I highly recommend the hotel. All the rooms are different, mine (number 8) was spacious and charming.

It's a fabulous place to stay, although finding the way into the Sassi is a bit difficult - my girlfriend kept directing me towards pedestrian streets! Eventually we managed it though. I would reccomend NOT trying to drive up to the entrance to the hotel, park somewhere where you can still do a U-turn in some degree of comfort as the roads are super narrow and there is almost no room to turn around! Also, I wouldn't trust the proprietor's advice on restaurants, he directed us to the nearest restaurant, Nadi, where we had awful service (waiting 15 minutes for a menu etc) and inedible food.

Everything was outstanding. We especially like your selection of a guide for The Sassi, Michele Zasa...he was very knowledgeable, considerate and at the end of the tour he even took the trouble to drive his car to the correct intersection that leads to the highway out of Matera.That was the finale touch of a great stay at your hotel.

Not easy to find by car, but great location for sightseeing, right in the "sassi" with good restaurants nearby. The room was very small and basic. Apart from a narrow wardrobe which was OK for a few pairs of trousers, there was nowhere to put our clothes and we had to live out of our suitcases for the duration of our stay. This was compounded by the poor air conditioning. With hindsight, our relatively short stay of 3 nights was 1 night too many.

Excellent stay for a couple of days. Small but nice room. Great location in the Barisano side of the sassi.

Great location in Matera which was facinating. Have a tour-hotel arranged a guide for us which was excellent. Clean rooms, in an actual cave.

This is the best 3 star hotel we ever stayed in! It has everything - location, service, helpful staff and a most unique environment and setting. It is worth reading up on the 'sassi' to get some background on the location. The locals were also friendly and helpful. When we asked the polizia for directions, they gave us a police escort to a parking spot adjacent to the hotel! This is not just a hotel stay - this is an experience.

We booked for 2 nights but stayed for 3 as the hotel was lovely and my wife fell in love with it.some very good restaurants nearby and staff were very very good.I wish them luck with there plans for hotel

Not air conditionated

Because of some road problems we were not able to arrive until 1 AM. We were still greeted cordially and smoothly. Our stay, especially the view of the Sassi, was outstanding.

Beautiful hotel.Amazing place!

Staying in the hotel was an amaxing experience - the Sassi have been converted beautifully. My recommendation to future customers is to make sure you have a good idea of how to get to reception- because the Sassi area of Matera is very difficult to navigate with a suitcase. There was some work going on to the building next door to our room whilst we stayed, but this did not cause much impact - they didn't start too early.

Great hotel, right in amongst the Sassi. But this also meant it was difficult to find and also to carry bags to. But excellent breakfast, service and very quiet rooms!

Perfect location, in the heart of the old city.

Magnificent view from the terrace!

Nice staff, great surroundings

We loved this hotel and the location- we were in and among the sassi. We stayed for two nights. Everything was nicely done, but not over the top. A wonderful welcoming by the gentlemen (name?) at the front desk. The only unfortunate part was the construction noise in the morning- but the whole town does seem to be "under construction." The staff was also extremely helpful with advice on excellent restaurants in the area and with places in Puglia, our next stop. The experience exceeded all of our expectations. I would definitely return.

Interesting cave hotel with great staff. The hotel was located in the centre of Sassi and only about 150 metres away to the city centre. There were many nice restaurants near the hotel .Great Location. The front desk staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The breakfast was great.We really enjoyed our stay in Matera. Japanese expats in EU

As our daughter said when we first entered our room: "Troglodytes Rule!" Located in the heart of the historic Sassi, the San Martino is a truly unique hotel, a series of cave dwellings beautifully renovated with imagination and style. Our room was very comfortable, warm and dry, with an excellent bed and elegant bathroom. Very good breakfast. The staff was welcoming and helpful, calling local museums for opening times, and booking a guide for us (although, in retrospect, a guide isn't really necessary.) All in all, an unforgettable experience. Terrific local cuisine at the nearby La Talpa restaurant.

We really enjoyed this hotel. It is extremely unique and the area is incredible. We will continue to talk about it for many years to come.

Great hotel that enhances the unique experience from Sassi. Small rooms, but it should be like that, if you want the real dive. Very cool design of the rooms, greatly shows how the modern cave should look like. Rooms are very clean and personnel is very friendly. Highly recommended. Sassi is stunning and the hotel does the great job to improve this feeling.

Wonderful experience stayig in a troglodyte hotel. Highly recommended!

Wonderful staff with great rooms and a wounderful experience

Absolutely delighful.

Fantastic place to stay! Right in among the Sassi, a truly atmospheric experience. We loved San Martino and Matera. Highly recommend this place... best accom we stayed at in Italy.

Wow, what a location - right in the heart of the Sassi! Nice balcony to lounge on in the evening, and staff was very hospitable and accomodating. Got us set up with a tour guide for the following morning and that is a must! The tour was a bit of walking for my wife, but I thought it was great, and we had a great resturant (Nadi) just around the corner from the hotel. Only thing that would be not positive is that you don't know ahead of time that you can't park down in the Sassi (residents only), and it cost $25 additionally for the 2 nites we stayed there. So bit of an unpleasant surprise, but I can understand why, just would be nice to know about prior. I'm sure all the hotels in the Sassi are the same. I would highly recommend this hotel and definitely visiting Matera.