SARDINIA: what are you favorite things to do in?
 

We love beautiful beaches, charming towns, great food, etc.

Please share your favorites!

thanks!
dina

We are leaving on A disney cruise and go to Sardinia. I have a 7 and 9 year old. What can we do there?

I know it;s hard to get info on Sardinia, but really i didn't expect a Disney cruise and Sardinia in the same answer. Sardinia is in Italy.

Anyone have any info to share? thanks.

Hello dina, here is a good website you no doubt will enjoy checking out. You can click on the English language version. Keep in mind that Sardinia is Sardegna in Italian. It is a beautiful and interesting island.
http://www.mondosardegna.net/

LoveItaly,

What a great site - mille grazie!

You are going to the best in Europe in terms of your likes - it is hard to find a bad beach. We have toured nearly the whole island - charming tons Alghero, Santa Teresa, Thoros and Arzachena. Tons that are not charming - Olbia, Porto Torres and Castelsardo.

Bizzare towns like no other on earth - Porto Cervo and Porto Rotondo.

Best beaches - impossible to begin but the best I think are on the Cala Di Volpe headland - I think Capriccicola at sunrise is the best in Europe - but spoilt occasionally when some billionaires 80 foot Sunseeker poerboat drones past to spoil the peace. Great beaches also at Chia, Thoros, Santa Teresa and Isola Rosso.

Best meal - Hotel Capriccicola beacuase the food was good, the vie is stunning but imoportantly it wan't ridiculously priced like some of the places on the Costa Smerelda.

For a splash out stay at the Hotel Cala Di Volpe - where Robbie (according to the gutter press) had a fling with Ginger spice. (Robbie if your reading this (and I doubt very much whether you are) sorry for the slur on your character!)

"I know it;s hard to get info on Sardinia, but really i didn't expect a Disney cruise and Sardinia in the same answer. "

I didn't either, but apparently Disney has a Meditteranean cruise that has a port of callin Olbia. I found this out with a simple internet search

Prego Dayle, I haven't been on Sardegna for years but it is truly a wonderful island to visit if one has the time. We didn't explore as we might have as we had been driving around Italy for six weeks and so flew to Sardegna to have a "vacation within a vacation"..a very restful week.

Thank you, Loveitaly, for that great website!

Markrosy, thanks for all the details. I will have fun researching before i come back with more questions.

Keep the ideas coming, please!

thank you!
dina

OMG! I can't believe what I read...

"Tons that are not charming - Olbia, Porto Torres and Castelsardo."

I have to disagree very strongly with Castelsardo and Olbia being mentioned in the same breath. Olbia is an airport town. Castelsardo is a beautiful village on the sea. The centro storico area was so charming we went there 3 times. The people are wonderful. Our room at the Riviera was very nice with a great view and the most warm hearted owners. We were across the street from a quaint cove for swimming. Their restaurant Fofo served a delicious meal with superb service. I LOVE me some Castelsardo!

Perfect example of "To each his own".

The most memorable beaches were in Stintino. A real getaway to sheer beauty. (We were there in Spetember-after the crowds) La Pelosa beach in Stintino is amazing.

Fond memories!

Sorry for offending your image Pilates

I agree with your sentiments regarding opinions - we spoke at length about this subject last night at a dinner party. I am now coming to the conclusion that this website and any talk of holidays should cease immediately. Travel opinions depend so much on personal tastes and "what happens on the day".

I became totally disllusioned last night when a friend told me that Pienza was a scruffy town with no interest or atmosphere!

In our defence - we went to Castelsardo on an overcast, glum day - the market had just packed up and there as rubbish everywhere. I'm glad your experience was better than ours.

"I am now coming to the conclusion that this website and any talk of holidays should cease immediately. "

Ha Ha. Actually, I'm so glad that the conversation regarding Pienza was fresh on your mind when you read what I had to say. That way you could relate!

We were in Castelsardo after all of the tourists had gone home (Sept-2003) It felt like an Italian "Mayberry". But the centro storico was even more spectacular knowing that it's a thousand years old (as I recall) We felt so welcomed there. We struck up many conversations with the locals. (I speak Italian) Sweet people. They aren't used to seeing people from the US, so we were kind of a novelty.

We stayed 3 nights but never saw the market. Trash strewn about is a real drag to see! Even worse is seeing dog waste all over Italy. Part of the larger problem is the number of dogs who run around abandoned. Many of them have collars. In Sardinia, in the bars/restaurants the words, "Non abbandonare!" and a sad face of a pooch were printed on the sugar packets. We heard tales of people slowing down in their vehicles, opening the door, putting the dog on the sidewalk and then drive off. Very, very sad.

Back to Dina, I whole heartedly endorse a stay in Castelsardo at the Hotel Riviera. They have a perfect little cove for swimming in the sea right across the street. The old town is magical. There are many good places to eat and some great views as you walk to the old town.

If you go to the "search" box at the top of this page and type in Sardinia, you'll find more than 300 threads with lots of questions, answers and trip reports to read.

You'll just love Sardinia. Lucky you!

Not sure how far the drive is from south to north, and which route we might take for some interesting stops (perhaps overnight) along the way.
We were thinking of staying at two starwood properties, as we can stay there for free with points:
the Le Merdien in Chia and the Cervo Hotel in Porto Cervo.

mark, why is porto cervo so bizarre?

pilates, i saw some photos of castelsardo on the internet, and it does look very charming!

also am trying to decide which guidebook to buy on sardinia -- Cadogen, Lonely Planet, or Eyewitness.

thanks for all the help!!
dina

We recently returned home from a month stay in Italy. Our last week was spent in Sardinia. We stayed in Cala Gonone which is located on the east coast at the northern end of the Golfo de Orosei. The gulf area is exquisite. However, to reach the most pristine beaches you must either rent a boat of your own or take a tour of the beaches. We rented our own boat and we loved it. My daughter and I took turns "captaining" the boat. Had a small outboard engine and you could stand or sit to pilot it. There are numerous beaches and the water is clear and the color ranges from turquoise (?) to teal. Since we were there the first week of June, we almost had the place to ourselves.

This week was meant to be totally relaxing and fun. We were beach bums and loved every minute. It did rain for 1 1/2 days but we were still able to get out and walk and have our cafe and gelato.

There

Sorry, posted too soon.

there is not much to do in Cala Gonone. I did hear from another poster that she liked the town at the southern end of the Gulf, I believe it was Santa Maria Navaresse.

We took the train from Rome to Civitavecchia ( 1hour) and then
we took the ferry (5hours) and then rented a car in Olbia.

susie --
that sounds SO fun. my family would love to rent a boat and visit beautiful beaches. do you think this something you can do throughout the island?

thanks so much for your repsonse!
dina

We will be in Olbia next week with the Disney cruise. What beach would you recommend? Or what to do?
Kelkel

Porto Cervo is so strange because for 4 weeks in August - I have never seen so much wealth crammed into such a small place.

Outside August is usually quiet. We usually go in September and it is always pristine and close to very good beaches. People have accused the town of being soulless but that is maybe due to the fact that it is a relatively new resort. I'm unsure of your budget but looking at the two hotels to which you have access - I'm sure you shouldn't find most of the restaurants too pricy.

We have seen both hotels they are both of a very high standard - Chia is a far more low key resort and there will probably be more children around - if that affects your decision. Chia is also fairly close to Cagliari which, as a city, has far more of interest than Olbia.

Hi Dina,

It was the most fun activity of our trip. I am 57 and my daughter is 25 and neither one of us had ever been in a boat, let alone, "captained" one. I told her that it must be easy as the only requirement was the ability to pay!! We did pay 90 euros and had the boat from 9:00 a.m. till 5:30. That seems expensive but it was well worth it. The man that gave us instructions spoke only Italian, so there were a lot of hand gestures and some practice involved.

It was so great speeding across the water, a real female empowering moment.
We had an interesting afternoon. ten minutes into the trip my daughter said "is that guy wearing any clothes", and I looked and said "I don't think so". We waved and smiled. He was about 100 feet away so I can give no details...

We did make the mistake of anchoring too near the shore and the boat washed up twice, we had to push it out, and it was pretty heavy. But we know better next time.

Anyway, it was great fun.

Susan