This might help you out

http://www.tomysardinia.com/

As I wrote in another forum, the southern part of Sardinia is absolutely beautiful and the beginning of July not so crowded.. You can relax of course on white sandy beaches but you can also visit the remains of a prehistoric Nuraghe village or caves, mines... Don't forget to taste the local gastronomy!!!The West coast (Oristano territory) is surely wilder than the east part (good for surf and windsurfing).Because of it's position in the centre of the Mediterranean sea, the island of Sardinia is beset by winds from all directions ... but dont worry for the wind as you can always find sheltered bays..

Yes wind can be a huge problem.

The NE coast has some of the most variable and strong winds in the Mediterranean.

We have been to Sardinia 6 times, the last was 18 months ago in late July for two weeks.

I watched the Zodiac hire companies try to get their boats out but failed for 14 days in a row due to high winds.

The Maddelana islands are perfect for what you are looking for. I would based myself there without hesitation. You will find the few places in Europe where the seascapes come close to those in the Caribbean. The sealife and the reefs are much sparser but the bays are perfect.

Ps you need to be aware that Sardinia is large.

Cagliari to the NE coast is a days driving by car each way ( full on driving), is it possible to fly into Olbia or get a connecting flight?

thanks so much for these replies they are really appreciated. Ii had only thought of the wind being this strong on the NW . I will give some attention to being able to change our booking and leave from Olbia.
We had been quite keen to spend a few days in each area so we felt we had seen the island but maybe we are better to spend more time around Maddelana Islands. We had been looking at a boat trip further down the east cost for a bout 3 days.
Any suggestions for accomodation would be appreciated.

Wombat

I don't wish to put you off, we have been to the Med over 50 times and Sardinia is the lost beautiful island in terms of natural beauty.

Clearly, the weather can be very variable anywhere.

The law of averages says that somewhere like the Ionion will have hot weather with breezes in the afternoon. Perfect for boating.

The law of averages is just different for Sardinia.

The sea state can be very different in the Maddalenas, we stayed across the sea from the islands and the crossing had short chop. Not suitable for RIBs.

However, when we took the ferry over to La Maddalena most of the islands were in the lee of the wind and the operators were renting out.

What would you like hotel or villa?

Villa probably nothing too flash just a clean bed with our own bathroom. Close to the water would be great . I am also keen to visit some markets to get fresh produce and look for some great casual restaurants. We are very keen on fresh local food.

Yes getting the ferry across to La Maddalena sounds best. i must look and see if there is a vehicular ferry as it is probably better to take the car?

I had written out the itinerary of what we were thinking of doing but it doesn't seem to have appeared and now i am thinking we need to maybe see more of the island even on the west coast. I did a google maps and to go around the whole island seemed to be about 1000km and 16 hours. Broken up over 18 days this seemed to be a few days in one spot and then about 3 hours driving the next.
thanks for the help it is really appreciated

Wombat

I would absolutely head for the area around Santa Teresa.
Further south near Porto Cervo some villas run into e10,000 a week.
There are some lovely little places in Conca Verde, we have stayed there twice and pay around e500 a week.

The ferry to La Maddalena is a car ferry it isn't vastly expensive or stupidly expensive. I would go as a foot passenger to Bonifacio for a day trip, as the cost for a car is high.

Santa Teresa had a laid back, frontier town feel not scruffy just easy, sea sports going. Compared to some of the towns further south which are extremely flashy.

The west coast is doable for an early morning start day trip.

This whole area offers really varied landscapes and is a great destination. There is a regular very good, large local market which rotates round the local towns during the week.

It is full of wonderful local food and very little tourist tat.

Try these people for rentals, they are helpful and very straight in their dealings, they met us very late at the villa we had booked.

http://www.agenzianordsardegna.it/en/affitti.htm

The set meal here

http://www.agriturismosaltara.it/

Is not cheap.

I cannot see how anyone could possibly visit Sardinia without eating here. The meal is huge and serves up the absolute essence of local country cooking. It is simply an experience of a lifetime, the sort of place TV chefs drool over.

"keen on swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, tramping in fact anything outdoorsy" & "We aren't so keen on crowds" and actually you are thinking about going in Costa Smeralda? I wouldn't suggest this.
Think about the South of Sardinia, where the coast is wilder and you can practice all kinds of sport.
Villasimius is perhaps the most famous destination in this area, because of its beauty. Here you can see fishes swim around you in the water. Check out information about tracks and hotels on their official website http://www.villasimius.org

We felt we couldn't go to Sardinia without going to Smeralda is it really all crowded we don't want to miss something that is a must see but we certainly aren't into rows of deck chairs.

Villasimius was going to be our first stop with two nights there before heading up to coast to spend 2 nights out on a kayaking expedition with a guide. Since we are from the pacific we are used to going to Fiji and Vanuatu and swimming with the coral fish. It is the sheer cliffs and dives off the rocks in the amazing water which appeals. Also probably a tramp through Gola Su Gorropu on the way north.

We appreciate all of these suggestions as we try to finalize a plan. I can see that with 17 nights we are not going to cover the whole island and enjoy a few days at each place. oh what to leave out.

Wombat

There are no deck resorts and early July should not be that busy.

It is busy in high season for a reason. It is one of the most beautiful areas of coastline in Europe. You will always find that some Italians have negative feelings about the area in the same way people comment about higher end developments on Tahiti.

If you live boat based holidays there are few better places than the islands off the NE coast. Do try to get a day trip to Bonifacio it is stunning and a real social contrast to Sardinia.

The high end Costa Smeralda is only a small part of the NE coast. Much of the coast is quiet and fairly sleepy, even in Porto Cervo the development is very low key with no high rises. Once there you wonder what the fuss is all about until you see the price of the villas.

I can recommend a holiday in village apartments in Palau very close to the sea in the North (Costa Smeralda)
It's located in Porto Pollo a fantastic spot for windsurfer

http://www.baiadeidelfini.it
http://www.windsurfvillage.it

Great place Fabioce!

Just very windy.

These 3 walks recommended by Lonely Planet are three of the best http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/travel-tips-and-articles/76875 If you like kayaking, Cardedu Kayak http://www.cardedu-kayak.com/ offers an excellent service. In general for walking the areas with most walks are the SW and centre-east, there are several walking guides eg Rother, Cicerone. ciao Peter