Italy’s paradise island
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Sardinia has gotten a lot more attention on the world stage in the last 10 years or so and there is a reason why! Only a short 1 hour flight from Rome to Olbia, this incredible island paradise has everything you would want to taste, see, experience! Its renowned for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world as well as one of Italy’s finest regional cuisines.
I am lucky enough to have grown up with a bunch of Sardinian friends, and there are a few things I have learnt over the years. One, pork is the food of life. One of the famous Sardinian delicacies is pork on the spit, and damn is it delicious! Two, the ‘Sardo’ pride is real deal. The patriotism of the Sardinian’s is one to be admired. They even named their national language ‘Sardo.’
Sardinia is a relatively large island, although easily accessible by car. I spent four days here and explored a decent amount of the north east part of the island known as The Costa Smeralda. In this blog post, I’ll be revealing all the go to beaches we visited and some of the best local eateries to try!
During the peak summer seasons this island is bustling! The first must while organizing your trip here is to ensure to book your car in advance (especially if you require automatic as most dealers have very limited numbers.)
STAY
We stayed in Palau, a really cute port town, about 30 minutes from the famous town of Porto Cervo. During the summer nights, Palau held a night market with local stalls, rides and family entertainment. The main street is full of little coffee shops and bakeries for the perfect morning pick me up or local restaurants for a casual dinner. The Palau port is also the one stop shop for private chartered yachts as well as boat hire for visiting the incredible La Maddalena.
Resort Le Saline Palau I could not recommend this accommodation more! There are about 10 individual 2 bedroom stand alone houses, sprawled along the mountain side. Each was equipped with their own outdoor shower, sun day beds and portico. It was close to town and the owners were so helpful in offering all their local tips.
EAT / DRINK
Porto Cervo is one of the most expensive sea side towns in Italy, lined with the yachts of the rich and famous. There are a number of Michelin star restaurants to treat yourself, or simply have a drink or grab an ice cream and take in the sights.
Agriturismo; in essence it is a farm to table concept. Sardinina is renowned for their Agriturismo’s and the one we visited is close to being one of the best meals I’ve ever had! Agriturismo La Colti was set within an open air stone courtyard, surrounded by olive trees and had an open roast spit going with their house specialty of suckling pig as its center piece. Be sure to book ahead of time. There are no menus, all the dishes are made from locally grown, seasonal produce. Come hungry! We were lucky enough to taste just some of the traditional Sardo dishes; Guttiau Bread or Pane Guttiau, (a customary flatbread) Porceddu (roast suckling pig) and Seadas (dessert, pastry stuffed with ricotta and lemon.)
Vigne Surrau is an incredible winery set within the sunny valley, about a 20 minute drive from Palau. They are renowned for their award winning white wine blends, but have a delicious range of red and rose. I would highly recommend signing up for a tour. It only goes for about an hour but they’ll give you a peak into the cellars as well as giving you an expansive history lesson on the family vineyard and has an optional wine a food tasting afterwards. The tasting is held within the dining area, an enclosed patio surrounded by a 360 degree, full height glass facade so you overlook the entire vineyard and the surrounding rugged mountains in the distance. Belissimo!
Phi Beach Bar is the place to go if you’re after the euro summer vibes. An upscale beach bar/restaurant turn night club. Get in early afternoon to grab a cabana, perfect place to watch the sunset with some euro beats playing in the background. (We went a little off-season, it is known as the summer party hot spot during the weeks of August.)
BEACHES
Along the entire coast line of Sardinia, you’ll find some of the most divine white sand beaches with turquoise blue waters. You honestly can’t go wrong, you’ll notice as you drive along the cost, there’ll be a number of small unknown inlets to explore. I’ve listed below a few of the beaches we visited.
The Maddalena Archipelago are a small set of islands situated to the north of Sardinia. Accessible by boat only, weather permitting you can either hire a small boat for the day or choose to go on one of the many chartered yachts. This set of islands is a must see! While we were there, the winds were extreme and all small boats were not able to go out, so we optioned to go for one of the chartered yachts. For a whole day, including all food, drinks and equipment it was the best 90 euros I’ve spent. The crew took us around to some of the most spectacular, secluded parts of the The Maddalena Archipelago. We were a part of a small group of 6, so there was plenty of room to lay out and bask in the sun, as well as join in on each of the activities they offered. The islands beaches and inlets have some of the most pristine, clear waters I have ever seen.
Spiaggia della Pelosa with it’s crystal clear, shallow waters, its worth the trip! This was a decent 3 hour drive from Palau to Stintino (tip – leave early!) This family friendly beach gets packed to the brim. It has beautiful views of Isola Piana and the larger Isola Asinara behind it. To escape the madness, I’d recommend setting up on the rocks to the far left of the beach which is also conveniently located right near beach bar for a refreshing summer spritz.
Saline Bay / beach – Mali Beach Bar this was located just down from out hotel and was a quiet, relaxing inlet that was perfect for an after breakfast or afternoon dip.
La Sciumara beach was yet another white sand bay, clear waters with calm waters and not too over populated which was only a 15 minute drive from Palau.
Unfortunately as we were only here for 5 days we didn’t get explore all the beauty Sardinia has to offer. There are other parts of Sardinia I have been recommended to go to further south, one of them was Cala Ganone – it’s on the top of my list for next time.
Below are the marked locations of all the places I’ve mentioned above.
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Hope this helps with planning your trip to this amazing island paradise!
A
taste, see, experience 