Planning a trip to Sardinia at the end of August. Can anyone please advise which area is best for diving, snorkeling and watersports as welll as suggest any hotels priced between 150 and 250 euros offering these kind of facillities (or nearby)

ttt

For diving and snorkeling :
The Maddalena Islands
Alghero
Cala Gonone
Pula
Carloforte, etc.....

We stayed at Hotel Bue Marino in Cala Gonone and were very pleased. It was very reasonable but then it was off season.
In August prices have an unfortunate tendancy to inflate!

I rented a tiny apartment in old Allegro Town. I can give you the info once I'm there if you want. It's 75eu/night.

Thank you for the responses it is most appreciated. Pookymimi i would appreciate it if you could let me have the information.

I am also interested in Sardinia but am having difficulty trying to sort out the various regions.
I notice a cluster of hotels on what appear to be lovely beaches in both the Ortosei and the Orosei/Cala Gonone areas, (as well as around Santa Teresa Gallura.)

Are there any easy generalizations to make about these three areas, for someone who knows next to nothing about the island yet is willing to learn?!

Like the OP, I would be interested in beaches, but I also would like an area where I can find some of the "real" Sardinia. Does this exist anywhere near the coast? I will probably begin a new thread but for the moment, apologies for the intrusion..

PV: The hotel looks lovely! Thank you.

Ekscrunchy :
The beaches on the East Coast are the most unspoilt of Sardinia - especially in the Ogliastra area - which does not mean that there aren't lovely beaches elsewhere .
I am afraid you won't find "real" Sardinia on the coast in July and August as it is very crowded.

Best is to go off season. Once you leave the main roads you can drive for miles without seeing a car. I like the Barbagia area in the center of the island (in fact this is where I am heading for next time!).

Some hotels :

Thotel in Cagliari (very modern, has a spa, but is off center)
Pausania Inn, in Tempio Pausania, charming town with very few tourists.
We've also stayed at the Light Blue Hotel in Alghero (strange atmosphere), at Hotel San Francisco, also in Alghero (basic but above a cloister) and at Hotel Cualbu in Fonni (unfortunately the night they had a wedding for 400 people

Have a look at Hotel Le Dune, in Piscinas and Las Tronas, in Alghero.

Thanks, PV. I would certainly go off season but would hope to go when I can swim in the sea..wonder if water is warm enough in early June or late May?

I will have a guidebook on hand and will do my research..will look up the area around Barbagia and check the hotels you mentioned.

I would have only one week and would like to split this between coast and inland, with maybe a day or two in Alghero (??)--your trip report and comments really sparked my interest!

Incidentally, I just watched a tv program that showed the American Chef Anthony Bourdain and his wife (child of Sardinian father, I believe, she spent time there in summers) traveling through inland regions where they stayed in agriturismi. One of the towns they visited was Nuoro. The food looked quite tasty!

"wonder if water is warm enough in early June or late May?"

End of May/early June should be fine, maybe a bit cool for my taste (I went once in March - beach was out - and twice in October and the water was divine).


"I would have only one week and would like to split this between coast and inland, with maybe a day or two in Alghero (??)--your trip report and comments really sparked my interest!"

I am delighted it did - this is what trip reports are for, isn't it?
You might be interested to read the other two : Cagliari and area dated March 2008 and the East coast dated October 2009.
One day in Alghero should be enough : the historical center is rather small and you can easily visit the main attraction
- Neptune Grotto - the same day.

Yes, the food is very good. The local specialties are rustic (olive oil, pecorino sardo, tomatoes, tiny gnocchis called malloredus, fish) and the wine excellent. Try the seadas, a sort of dumpling filled with cheese and drenched in honey, they are delicious.

Thanks so much, PV. I will read the other reports and come back with more questions on a new thread...I know so little about the island it is almost embarrassing. I noticed that the Fodor's Italy guide does not even include the island.

My daughter and spent one week in Cala Gonone the first week of June. There were very few people there. I believe the tourists arrive in droves in July & August.

The beaches were beautiful. I would recommend renting a boat and finding your own private beach along the coast. The water is incredibly beautiful.

As we were piloting our boat a man was passing us in his boat stark naked. The small inland coastal areas are the perfect area for nude sunbathing.

There was no night life not even a cafe. No good restaurants either. But as I said the beaches were gorgeous.

I heard later that Santa Teresa which is south of Gala Gonone would have been a better choice.

Also, the road to cala Gonone is best suited for day time travel. It is poorly lit, if at all and once you enter the highway there are not exits for miles.

Thanks, Susie!

Why would you think that Santa Teresa would be a better choice? I know the another poster here who is familiar with Sardinia likes that area a lot, too. I need to do some reading!

" I heard later that Santa Teresa which is south of Gala Gonone would have been a better choice."

Do you mean Santa Maria Navarese or is there another Santa Teresa? I only know of Santa Teresa di Gallura and it is North of Cala Gonone.

I noticed that, too, PV.

I am planning to order a guidebook.

Eks,

When I was researching our trip, which was in 2007, i believe that I asked for advice and someone on SlowTravel, or Fodors told me about Santa Teresa after I had already booked Cala Gonone.

In order to have the primo beaches it is necessary to rent a boat and find an unoccupied cove. Renting the boat was half of the fun. We had never captined a boat and the only instructions we received were in Italian with a lot of hand gestures It was well worth it. I have never seen such an exquisitely colored sea. The water was warm.

We found a place to rent that was obviously meant for groups of young people that rent during the late summer months.
It was very basic with a lovely view of the sea. The kitchen was located on the terrace with a two burner stove and sink
There was a small refrigerator in the apartment. There were two bedrooms and one bath and the "living room has two additonal single beds.

All this for only 60Euro per night. If you would enjoy a perfectly lazy week on spectacular beaches, this would be the place for you.

My daughter and I had been to Venice, Rome, Montepulciano and
and agriturismo for a total of three weeks so we were ready to relax on the beach.

I have heard the Maddalena Islands are beautiful as well.

Susie, many thanks. I am wondering if Cala Gonone would be too isolated for us. I am also not sure if I want to depend on having to rent a boat, as the prices seem a bit high for us to consider doing this more than once.

We would only have one week and would like to find a combination of perhaps three destinations that would allow us opportunity for scenic drives, swimming, and probably a day or two in Alghero. (I saw two days only because we will likely arrive and depart from there). It is also very important, essential, actually, for us to be able to eat good local food.


I was wondering about perhaps having one base on the west coast (the area around Oristano seems to be quite a food center) and one either on the northeast or east coast, plus a day or so in Alghero...we would also like to visit the area around Nuoro to get an idea of inland Sardinia. (Maybe spend a night in an agriturismo in that area)

I will begin a new thread once I get a guidebook...it is overwhelming to try to figure out a plan..I am bout to order the Lonely Planet guide but the Rough Guide might be good, too, although it is older than LP. Cadogan does not appear to have a recent guide to the island.

Thanks for all the posts. You have all given me some ideas and i have been doing some online research from the contributions made.

Do any of you knowledgeable travellers have any hotel recommendaitons in the Cala Gonone area?

We stayed at hotel Bue Marino in Cala Gonone and were very happy with our choice.
See also Su Gologone but it is quite a distance from the sea.

Thank you PV. The Blue Marino looks good!

Any other suggestion anyone?