It is rare to not have any complaints about a hotel, but this bed and breakfast really is perfect! It is located on Piazza Sant'Oronzo, right in the middle of Lecce, but my room (Junior Suite Cremisi) faced the quiet back side of the building so there was no noise at all.

While Casa dei Mercanti is called a bed and breakfast, it is more like really beautiful self-catering apartments with great amenities. They are newly renovated and everything looks brand new and inviting. The junior suites are the smaller ones but still have a full-sized kitchen with all amenities, a dining table, sofa, flat screen TV in the main room as well as in the bedroom. The bathroom is beautiful, shiny, and clean, with great water pressure, a hair dryer, bath products, and nice big towels. The bedroom was very pretty as well, with art work on the walls and a comfy platform bed. All rooms have shutters (tapparelle) that makes it both quiet and dark, so it is easy to sleep in!

I spent three nights at Casa dei Mercanti and would have loved to stay longer. Because the apartment is so spacious you don’t at all feel you are in a cramped hotel room.

There is not staff onsite 24/7 (which I guess is why it is called a BB and not a hotel) but Franzi, the manager, is there most of the day and he is extremely helpful. I arrived in the evening, after his normal hours, but he met me there, showed me around, and took the time to give me a map and tell me how to navigate the city. He also organized a great guided tour for me first day, suggested restaurants etc.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this BB to everybody. Lecce is beautiful and very much worth visiting, and Casa dei Mercanti is wonderful!