Sardinia Trip Report May 2023
May 31st, 2023, 10:12 AM
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Sardinia Trip Report May 2023
Just returned from Sardinia last night - definitely my new fave place and already trying to figure out how to get back there in October!
Arrival: Flew from Denver to LHR, then LGW to Olbia with a stop in Geneva. (Could've gone direct from LGW but waited too long and had some timing constraints). Also I learned how expensive a cab from LHR to LGW is these days (about $200, didn't have time for public transportation) and I would have picked a flight from LHR instead based on the total cost.
Friday (5/19): Arrived in Olbia late Friday night and stayed at Jazz Hotel by the airport - walked there and back. Really nice hotel with a very nice looking restaurant and bar (I was too tired to eat, but it looked really nice).
Saturday (5/20): Next morning I was back at the airport early to meet up with daughter (who arrived from Naples) and pick up the car. I booked through Discover cars and got a car from Felirent - it was a little confusing with the middleman, and we waited a bit for a ride to the rental car place, but it all worked out well and I didn't need anything beyond my CO drivers license. It was overcast day 1, so we decided to drive inland - we stopped in San Pantaleo, which was small but so charming. We ended up seeing a wedding and visited a few shops. Then headed to Porto Cervo to check in to our hotel. Stopped along the way at Belvedere Lounge for lunch - ate outside with amazing views, the food and service were wonderful. Got our first taste of Mirto, which became a fave for the week. Checked into Valesmeralda Boutique Hotel for 2 nights. Small, great location, wonderful full breakfast each morning. We wandered around the marina, had dinner at Hivaoa. Great food - we had pasta and pizza and great wine. Really attentive service. Being here late May was wonderful - at times felt like we were the only people there and always had super attentive service!
Sunday (5/21): Another overcast day - headed to Arzachena and just didn't see much - I wonder if we just didn't know where to go, but the town itself from what we saw was not super interesting, so we headed off to Lugosanto, which was a very cute town to wander. On the way, we stopped along the highway and hiked up (very straight up!) some ancient steps to see the remains of an old castle and church. Amazing views! Not much open in Lugosanto since it was early season and Sunday, so we went back to Arzachena and had a great lunch at La Terrazza Pizzeria. More great pizza, super casual and affordable, our first Seadas which became another favorite (think the best sopapilla you've ever had, with local honey, but stuffed with local sheep cheese!!). From there we headed to Surrau Winery which was BEAUTIFUL! Did a 2 wine tasting with snacks, they do a full dinner and broader tasting that I would go back to do. We bought some wine (we thought the tasting was overpriced but the wine was affordable). The weather had cleared (we had perfect weather the rest of the trip!), so we stopped at our first beach, hiked down and just enjoyed the natural beauty. Headed back to Porto Cervo to wander the super fancy shopping area. Didn't go to dinner as we were too full! I thought Porto Cervo was nice to see but I wouldn't go back - if you're into super high end shopping you might enjoy it.
Monday (5/22): Checked out and headed to Golfo Arancini - my son-in-law was arriving from Naples to Olbia so wanted to stay close by. Beautiful drive, walked around the port and had lunch on the deck at Gente di Mari. So much fresh seafood, such great service!! Did the airport pickup, headed to our next stop, Santa Teresa Gallura. We stayed at Hotel Corallaro for the next 2 nights - loved it, great location on one of the best beaches, another big full breakfast. We headed out to check out the beach (rena Bianca) and then had drinks at the beach bar. Wandered around the local town and ate someplace that I can't remember, but just a nice little restaurant and had another great pizza
Tuesday (5/23): We were going to go to Corsica for the day, but we hadn't booked ferry tickets in advance so they were pricey, and it was just such a great day, we headed to the Rena Bianca beach again - stunning beach. Water was chilly but still fun to wade in. We had lunch right on the beach at Ristorante Pizzaria Marlin - another great meal! Then we hiked around the trails that start right from the beach, great views, cool old tower. That night we had reservations at Ristorante da Thomas - really wonderful!!
Wednesday (5/24): Checked out and headed out to Lo Squalo Bianco to rent a boat for the day (about a 20. minute drive). Perfect day - my SIL (who is in the Navy) served as our captain for the day and we boated all around the La Maddalena archipelago, anchored and swam to a deserted beach, then went to the island of La Maddalena and moored up to wander the area by the marina and another great lunch at Le Maison. Turned in the boat and headed to our destination for the rest of the trip - 4 nights at Costa Paradiso Resorts. We rented the Granite Villa and it was amazing. Costa Paradiso is really just a community of homes, a few of which can be rented. There is also a hotel, Hotel Costa Paradiso. We rented our villa through CostaParadisoresort.com and highly recommend. Mr. Sagi (the manager) met us at the entrance of the area and then we followed him directly to the villa, we parked, unloaded and then he not only gave us a tour of the villa, but drove us around the entire area. This is one of the most beautiful areas you can imagine! The sunset from our patio every night was just fantastic! There was a path right from the patio to take you to the endless number of different small beaches and coves. You can also walk (15 min) to spectacular sandy beach. There's shops, restaurants, markets (we had a full kitchen), a boating center and dive shop. We absolutely loved it and would spend the whole week there next time. We had sunset cocktails but again, were too full to eat dinner! Note that there are roaming wild boar in Costa Paradiso, they are fairly domesticated and won't bother you (unless you feed them and that is a big no-no!). They are small and "cute" (for a boar) not the big scary ones I've seen in TX, and we loved seeing them (esp the mom with her 2 little ones), but just so you know!
Thursday (5/25): Wandered the to the different beaches and just enjoyed the natural beauty. Had lunch at Restaurant Maya which was yet another excellent meal, great views. Lazy by dinner time so we got wonderful freshly fried (right in front of you) super fresh seafood from the local Pescheria.
Friday (5/26): SIL is an avid surfer so we headed to Castelsardo for the day. No surf, but beautiful beaches and we rented stand up paddle boards for the day - really fun. Water was getting warmer by the day. Very good lunch at Ristorante Pizzeria Bar Ampurias. Back to Costa Verde for our sunset wine and back to Restaurant Maya for another wonderful dinner. This place only has a 3.6 on google but apparently is under new management - highly recommend.
Saturday (5/27): Our last full day
. We rented a boat again and had another great day on the water. The coast line is amazing to see from the water. Lunch and swimming in a private cove, some island hiking. For our last dinner we went to Il Calice d'Oro - every meal in Sardinia was so damn good, but this place might have been the favorite! Ate outside, great cocktails, great wine, great views, great service (are you seeing a trend here??)
Sunday (5/28): Checked out, headed to the airport to drop daughter and SIL by 10:30. My flight wasn't until 9:30pm so I dropped off the car, stored my bags and took a quick cab ride to downtown Olbia, great day wandering this charming city.
Overall thoughts on Sardinia - WOW. The pics don't lie, the water is breathtaking, a million hidden beaches - and once you leave the coastline you have this staggering change in topography. Most of what we ate and drank was local and fabulous - and so affordable!! We were warned of the crowds and heat in July and August, so we'll avoid those times, but I will be back! You need a car for sure. We barely scratched the surface and I want to see more! The people are so warm and friendly. Many didn't speak much English but we did fine with the few words we knew and lots of pointing. Sardinia seems to be mainly undiscovered by Americans - we never ran into anyone else from the states, and I worry that once the "instagram influencers" discover it, it will be ruined. So let's keep it between us 
Arrival: Flew from Denver to LHR, then LGW to Olbia with a stop in Geneva. (Could've gone direct from LGW but waited too long and had some timing constraints). Also I learned how expensive a cab from LHR to LGW is these days (about $200, didn't have time for public transportation) and I would have picked a flight from LHR instead based on the total cost.
Friday (5/19): Arrived in Olbia late Friday night and stayed at Jazz Hotel by the airport - walked there and back. Really nice hotel with a very nice looking restaurant and bar (I was too tired to eat, but it looked really nice).
Saturday (5/20): Next morning I was back at the airport early to meet up with daughter (who arrived from Naples) and pick up the car. I booked through Discover cars and got a car from Felirent - it was a little confusing with the middleman, and we waited a bit for a ride to the rental car place, but it all worked out well and I didn't need anything beyond my CO drivers license. It was overcast day 1, so we decided to drive inland - we stopped in San Pantaleo, which was small but so charming. We ended up seeing a wedding and visited a few shops. Then headed to Porto Cervo to check in to our hotel. Stopped along the way at Belvedere Lounge for lunch - ate outside with amazing views, the food and service were wonderful. Got our first taste of Mirto, which became a fave for the week. Checked into Valesmeralda Boutique Hotel for 2 nights. Small, great location, wonderful full breakfast each morning. We wandered around the marina, had dinner at Hivaoa. Great food - we had pasta and pizza and great wine. Really attentive service. Being here late May was wonderful - at times felt like we were the only people there and always had super attentive service!
Sunday (5/21): Another overcast day - headed to Arzachena and just didn't see much - I wonder if we just didn't know where to go, but the town itself from what we saw was not super interesting, so we headed off to Lugosanto, which was a very cute town to wander. On the way, we stopped along the highway and hiked up (very straight up!) some ancient steps to see the remains of an old castle and church. Amazing views! Not much open in Lugosanto since it was early season and Sunday, so we went back to Arzachena and had a great lunch at La Terrazza Pizzeria. More great pizza, super casual and affordable, our first Seadas which became another favorite (think the best sopapilla you've ever had, with local honey, but stuffed with local sheep cheese!!). From there we headed to Surrau Winery which was BEAUTIFUL! Did a 2 wine tasting with snacks, they do a full dinner and broader tasting that I would go back to do. We bought some wine (we thought the tasting was overpriced but the wine was affordable). The weather had cleared (we had perfect weather the rest of the trip!), so we stopped at our first beach, hiked down and just enjoyed the natural beauty. Headed back to Porto Cervo to wander the super fancy shopping area. Didn't go to dinner as we were too full! I thought Porto Cervo was nice to see but I wouldn't go back - if you're into super high end shopping you might enjoy it.
Monday (5/22): Checked out and headed to Golfo Arancini - my son-in-law was arriving from Naples to Olbia so wanted to stay close by. Beautiful drive, walked around the port and had lunch on the deck at Gente di Mari. So much fresh seafood, such great service!! Did the airport pickup, headed to our next stop, Santa Teresa Gallura. We stayed at Hotel Corallaro for the next 2 nights - loved it, great location on one of the best beaches, another big full breakfast. We headed out to check out the beach (rena Bianca) and then had drinks at the beach bar. Wandered around the local town and ate someplace that I can't remember, but just a nice little restaurant and had another great pizza
Tuesday (5/23): We were going to go to Corsica for the day, but we hadn't booked ferry tickets in advance so they were pricey, and it was just such a great day, we headed to the Rena Bianca beach again - stunning beach. Water was chilly but still fun to wade in. We had lunch right on the beach at Ristorante Pizzaria Marlin - another great meal! Then we hiked around the trails that start right from the beach, great views, cool old tower. That night we had reservations at Ristorante da Thomas - really wonderful!!
Wednesday (5/24): Checked out and headed out to Lo Squalo Bianco to rent a boat for the day (about a 20. minute drive). Perfect day - my SIL (who is in the Navy) served as our captain for the day and we boated all around the La Maddalena archipelago, anchored and swam to a deserted beach, then went to the island of La Maddalena and moored up to wander the area by the marina and another great lunch at Le Maison. Turned in the boat and headed to our destination for the rest of the trip - 4 nights at Costa Paradiso Resorts. We rented the Granite Villa and it was amazing. Costa Paradiso is really just a community of homes, a few of which can be rented. There is also a hotel, Hotel Costa Paradiso. We rented our villa through CostaParadisoresort.com and highly recommend. Mr. Sagi (the manager) met us at the entrance of the area and then we followed him directly to the villa, we parked, unloaded and then he not only gave us a tour of the villa, but drove us around the entire area. This is one of the most beautiful areas you can imagine! The sunset from our patio every night was just fantastic! There was a path right from the patio to take you to the endless number of different small beaches and coves. You can also walk (15 min) to spectacular sandy beach. There's shops, restaurants, markets (we had a full kitchen), a boating center and dive shop. We absolutely loved it and would spend the whole week there next time. We had sunset cocktails but again, were too full to eat dinner! Note that there are roaming wild boar in Costa Paradiso, they are fairly domesticated and won't bother you (unless you feed them and that is a big no-no!). They are small and "cute" (for a boar) not the big scary ones I've seen in TX, and we loved seeing them (esp the mom with her 2 little ones), but just so you know!
Thursday (5/25): Wandered the to the different beaches and just enjoyed the natural beauty. Had lunch at Restaurant Maya which was yet another excellent meal, great views. Lazy by dinner time so we got wonderful freshly fried (right in front of you) super fresh seafood from the local Pescheria.
Friday (5/26): SIL is an avid surfer so we headed to Castelsardo for the day. No surf, but beautiful beaches and we rented stand up paddle boards for the day - really fun. Water was getting warmer by the day. Very good lunch at Ristorante Pizzeria Bar Ampurias. Back to Costa Verde for our sunset wine and back to Restaurant Maya for another wonderful dinner. This place only has a 3.6 on google but apparently is under new management - highly recommend.
Saturday (5/27): Our last full day
. We rented a boat again and had another great day on the water. The coast line is amazing to see from the water. Lunch and swimming in a private cove, some island hiking. For our last dinner we went to Il Calice d'Oro - every meal in Sardinia was so damn good, but this place might have been the favorite! Ate outside, great cocktails, great wine, great views, great service (are you seeing a trend here??)Sunday (5/28): Checked out, headed to the airport to drop daughter and SIL by 10:30. My flight wasn't until 9:30pm so I dropped off the car, stored my bags and took a quick cab ride to downtown Olbia, great day wandering this charming city.
Overall thoughts on Sardinia - WOW. The pics don't lie, the water is breathtaking, a million hidden beaches - and once you leave the coastline you have this staggering change in topography. Most of what we ate and drank was local and fabulous - and so affordable!! We were warned of the crowds and heat in July and August, so we'll avoid those times, but I will be back! You need a car for sure. We barely scratched the surface and I want to see more! The people are so warm and friendly. Many didn't speak much English but we did fine with the few words we knew and lots of pointing
. Sardinia seems to be mainly undiscovered by Americans - we never ran into anyone else from the states, and I worry that once the "instagram influencers" discover it, it will be ruined. So let's keep it between us 
Jun 3rd, 2023, 03:50 AM
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Jun 3rd, 2023, 12:35 PM
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Not been to Corsica but would love to figure out a plan for Sardinia and then to Bari where we could spend a day or two and then rent car to go to area near Andria and then north to Molise....the catch is the flights from Sardiia to Bari..looks as if we have go via
Fiumicino which is not horrible (I like the town of Fiumicino so maybe spend a night there and then fly to Bari...(???) Then from Bari north....with car..
I am always a fan of seeing one area and seeing it depth, not for me those tripsd from Florence to Amalfi, etc.....but in thids case, might not be so difficult...
Must read more about Sardinia as the island is an enigma to me....can I get the feel of the island without the tourist places? Stay in Alghero and then go to an agriturismo, and also include a beach where I can swim in a warm sea? We could rent a car....I'm flummoxed..have the LP guide but will order the Rough Guide.
Last edited by ekscrunchy; Jun 3rd, 2023 at 12:37 PM.
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