Sardinia - La Maddalena or Golfo Aranci?
 

I'm planning a pre-baby escape with my boyfriend to Sardinia at the beginning of June and wondered if anyone out there had any suggestions. I'm normally up for lots of roaming around and sightseeing, but this holiday I think I just want some beautiful scenery, inviting water and good food. Perhaps hire a small boat for a day here, and there and plenty of relaxing.
We're going to fly to Olbia and hire a car.
From there the plan is very loose.
I'm thinking Golfo di Orosei for half the trip and either Golfo Aranci or La Maddalena for the rest. Is it reasonable just to do La Maddalena for a day trip or is it so lovely we'll find ourselves wishing we had stayed there?
Any thoughts, tips or suggestions of intimate hotels that are high on charm but not too outrageous on budget would be welcome.

As a first visit I would without question base yourself in the North East part of the island, the seascapes, islands and beaches are the best in Europe.

Hotels are a generally a nightmare on Sardinia, there is very little middle market. Lots of low cost, low quality end and plenty very, very expensive hotels. Even at some of the expensive ones, the standards are not that high.

We usually stay in villas but friends have stayed at Hotel Capo D'Orso which is very well placed for trips out.

http://www.hotelcapodorso.com/en/

We normally stay in the resort which contains

http://www.lacoluccia.it/en/lacoluccia/

I still after 3 visits, don't know what to make of it. Possibly think it some sort of money laundering operation. Absolutely stunning design, foods good but the management/service is comical, I mean really bad. Look at tripadvisor you get and idea, the room are small. They have a boat rental business on the beach which is very close to La Maddalena.

La Maddalena is very beautiful and ,again you can hire boats hire, I am not sure how heavily pregnant you will be but I would warn you that the winds here can be very strong at all times of the year and can quickly create sharp sea chop very quickly, it isn't the most comfortable place to take a boat out at times. At other times it isn't safe and the operators close down. We stayed there for two weeks in July, two years ago, small RIB boats only went out two days of fourteen.

La Maddalena has a really pretty harbour with many restaurants, the car ferry takes around 30 minutes.

Another trip well worth taking is over to Bonifacio on Corisca which is just over an hour away. The town has a stunning location on the cliffs and has a real party atmosphere. Much more lively than Sardinia.

There are four beaches on the Cala Di Volpe headland, all are stunning but face in different directions and so at least one will have flat calm water which ever direction the wind is blowing.

http://www.hotelcapriccioli.it/capriccioli/index.php

Is one hotel on Cala di Volpe which is middle market, it has incredible sea views and great seafood. The beach outside is where James Bond drive his Lotus into the sea! The other hotel on the headland comes in at over e3000 a night!

Golfo Arianci is fine and fairly laid back, it has good beaches but I find the industry of Olbia too close and the continual huge ferries which dock closeby are a little off putting.