We have been to most of the island and what you are asking for isn't readily available.

May is very, very definitely out of season. Italians swamp Sardinia during July to September. May can be fairly quiet.

Most of the beach life on the island revolves around lazing around during the day and having family meals at a villa at night.

It would depend how high up the scale of sophistication you want to go. Some of the resorts like Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo are so high up the social scale that money isn't the issue getting an invite to the clubs is the issue. The resorts are hugely expensive and used by Europes manly flashy sports people and industrialists.

To access a genuine nightlife you may have to go to either Cagliari, Cagliari or Oristano where most of the action will be local as I can't really think any resorts lively enough to support an active nightclub scene.

The beaches are without question the best in Europe, the restaurants generally are not the best, particularly in comparison to Tuscany.

I might rethink the island as a destination.

Mallorca, The Greek Islands, Ibiza all have a far more developed nightlife and restaurant scenes than most of Sardinia. Most of the area west of Palma on Mallorca is perfect for what you are looking for, just avoid Magaluf which is firmly at the bottom end of the market. Portal Nous or Palma may be good choices.

I forgot to mention the fact that Italy is going through a severe recession and Sardinia was very quiet when we were there last JULY. The businesses said that they were 40% down on a usual year. Sardinia has always been seen as an upmarket European destination and they seem to have suffered more than most.

Dickie-Gr thank you for the feedback.

It's funny you say May is very, very definitely out of season. I was told from a friend who has a house on the island that May is a great time to go because the weather is nice, it's not overly crowded (as it is in July - Sept.)and prices are down.

I don't think you understand what we're looking for. We aren't going to Sardinia in search of a crazy party/nightlife. We're going to Sardinia to relax on the beautiful beaches and unwind. However, we would hope to find some sort of nightlife as opposed to being in a sleepy town that shuts down at 9pm. Let me be clear: We are most definitely not looking for flashy nightclubs. The idea that you suggested Ibiza tells me you misunderstood my post.

In any event, I appreciate your response and next time I will try to be more specific in my request.

THANKS

Ah !

A little less nightlife. In that case, yes May is a wonderful time to visit, it probably will not be 35oC and you will not have to queue to get onto the beach. In July we had to queue for a beach space on Cala di Volpe which has the most beautiful beaches we have found in 44 years of travel around Europe.

Both Cagliari and Alghero are lovely small cities and will have more (sedate non Ibiza) nightlife. The high summer resorts around the Costa Smeralda are very quiet. We love Alghero, it has many good restaurants and a very Spanish feel due to its historical occupations.

Again I can only reiterate, that the beaches and seascapes are incredible it's just that even in August, Sardinia after hours is still comparatively quiet.

Would you be hiring a car?

This is great! Thanks, Dickie_Gr.

It was suggested to us that we should rent a car so that is what we will most likely do.

Alghero sounds great. I will check into that for sure.

Thanks again and any additional suggestions are greatly appreciated!

If you don't care so much about nightlife and you prefer daily sea life on white calm beaches I suggest you should head toward Villasimius in the South of Sardinia.
The coast of Capo Carbonara is still untouched from large tourism and it has been declared Natural Protected Area.
In Campolongu Beach for example, you can swim amid fishes and, if you are lucky, even see some giant turtle.
On Villasimius tourism official website you can find all information about excursions tracks and even all hotels in the area http://www.villasimius.org

Yes, I totally agree with Flavio and May is absolutely quiet for your beach vacation (good for sunbathing but not always warm enough for swimming). "Sardinia has always been seen as an upmarket European destination " yes of course but Sardinia is more than Emerald Coast . I'm really happy that Fodors has named Sardinia one of the 25 best places to visit in 2013

I totally agree with Flavio and Olivella: Villasimius is really worth to be visited.
I travelled by couple with our car so we were interested to see all beaches in Capo Carbonara Reserved Area and also towards Capo Rei. So we stayed at Cruccuris Resort ( http://www.cruccurisresort.com/ ), which was great to reach everywhere in a very short time. I really enjoyed.

Hi LKL
I (48) and my wife (57) live on the east coast and run a guesthouse there. Our place is not "sophisticated and refined" though we and all our guests from all over the world have a great time, they are mostly sporty/active holiday types. We would recommend you stay in one of the **** hotels Nascar or Lanthia in Santa Maria Navarrese on the E coast. Both "sophisticated and refined". We go to the Lanthia for a special dinner, the food is great and for a change you can walk round the corner to the Nascar. These places both have a more varied menu than standard Sard fare which can become a bit samey. Da Capo in Tortolì also has great food. If you want traditional meat-based mountain food, a guest of ours from Seattle had great trattaglia (baked offal) at Sant'Efisio which he rated highly. The beach is 50 m away from the hotel.

In May you will find quite a lot of Europeans at these hotels. Italians vacation only in August, so even if the economy was booming, you wouldn't meet any Italians.

If I may suggest a couple of gentle activities:
1. kayaking is a great way to see the coast, and easy to do even after a big dinner the night before. See this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn5rauctcmM we keep our kayaks at Santa Maria, the coastline you see in the vid is the beach you'd go to. You can hire kayaks from Cardedu Kayak http://www.cardedu-kayak.com/
2. don't miss the easy walk to Cala Goloritzè, see http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/sardinia/travel-tips-and-articles/76875
Good luck! Peter

"Sardinia has always been seen as an upmarket European destination and they seem to have suffered more than most [from the recession]."
With all due respect, as a resident, this perception only applies to the NE Costa Smeralda which was described by National Geographic http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/coastal-destinations-rated/in-the-balance/italy/ as "a playground for tourists isolated from local Sardinian culture". I do realise that this is the bit of the island that readers of this Forum may have heard about, but please don't think that the whole island is like this. If people venture a bit more widely, the good aspects of the Costa Smeralda that North American visitors appreciate - good food, high service levels - can be appreciated elsewhere in the island as well.
cheers Peter

Thank you Peter in Sardinia..

Peter

With all due respect, usually implies with no respect.

Most of the developed coast of Sardinia is aimed at higher end tourism, other than the east coast where your business is based. There are lower end beach resorts in the north, say the camping resorts are lower end.

The Costa Smeralda is tiny, as well you know, what is it 20 miles? It is hugely expensive but the vast majority of Sardinia"s coast developements are either high or middle market. They are generally more expensive than comparative resorts in for example Spain.

The Costa Smeralda isn't the reason why Sardinia is seen as an expensive destination, the rest of the coastal development is the reason.

Yes there are cheaper areas, and your area is one of these but it is misleading to say that the 20 miles of Sardinian coast is the only expensive area of the island.

There is also a good reason why the NE is the most expensive area. Most visitors, included me, regard it as the most beautiful coastline in Europe.

"Peter, Most of the developed coast of Sardinia is aimed at higher end tourism, other than the east coast where your business is based." @Dickie Why do you say this? The official statistical data eg http://www.sardegnastatistiche.it/documenti/12_117_20120308092916.pdf show that 5-star and 5-star luxury establishments only accounted for 3% of night stayed, if you include 4-star hotels like the ones I recommended to LKL you come to 36%. This is for the island as a whole BTW. These statistics exclude holiday apartment rentals whose owners don't generally declare their guests for statistical purposes. And between your lower-end campsites and high-end resorts, you have a huge range of accommodation possibilities, for all pockets, from self-catering through B&B and three star hotels. So based on the data I feel it is not correct to say the "development on the coast of Sardinia is aimed only at higher end tourism". Even if you limited yourself to holiday resorts, there are some that aim at middle-income families, the Metro in Rome is plastered with ads for them every June. In fact, the Regional administration has identified that they need to encourage the building of more 4-star hotels, and up the level of services offered, since the existing accommodation offering doesn't attract enough wealthier people. Perhaps the difference of perception arises from what is visible in the US market/in English, this may be an explanation, the more expensive places may be better at making themselves visible in the international market. What do you think?
ciao Peter

I am delighted to find fresh,new Sardinia postings.We are just beginning to plan our April holiday in Italy and are considering exploring Sardinia for 4 days.Is the weather similar to Rome,end of April??IS it best to fly from Rome or brave the ferry in April ?? I know it will not be swimming weather,but we are hoping for lovely sunny days for walking and touring.I look forward to replies from the Sardinia Savvy Fodorites....and thanks so much !!!

I can recommend a holiday in village apartments in Palau very close to rhe sea in the North (Costa Smeralda)

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

"Is the weather similar to Rome,end of April??" Yes
"IS it best to fly from Rome or brave the ferry in April ??" Flying is faster and you should hire a car to make the most of your time, ciao Peter

Hi, you can take a look also to Sant'Antioco island. It's a very nice place for its untamed nature and beaches are wonderful!
Best!

Hi LKL, I'm sardinian and I live in Oristano! There are a lot of english couples who have bought house here! I think the west cost the below Alghero is the best for everybody. There are good and cheap restaurants, there are historical monuments them were built from the most oldest population in europe, there are amazing solitaires beaches and you can know more interesting things if you are staying in Oristano... For me would be a pleasure know you and show you how many interesting things this amazing Island can offer
LKL
Come here
Ciao!