Sardinia
My last trip was a few weeks ago and it was time to plan a new trip. Especially because it was summer time. Summer vacation means for me beautiful beaches, a lot of sunshine and an outstanding trip with friends. So we decided to spend almost 2 weeks at a beautiful Island called Sardinia. It was the first time for me. But this little beauty didn’t disappoint me. Because we wanted to see as much as possible from this island, we decided to stay in 2 different hotels located at different parts of Sardinia. And this was a very good idea. Our first accommodation was a luxury B&B/guesthouse. But this definition is not worth it. It is more than just a guesthouse. It was a place that felt more like a home or a home from a friend than a hotel. This place was just outstanding. From the first minute when we arrived to the last minute, it was mind-blowing. We stayed at the beautiful Albero Capovolto B&B.
This B&B is not a normal B&B. It is very luxury, unique and charming. It has only 5 rooms. So you can imagine how cute this place is. And the most lovely part is Alessandro, the owner. He will do anything to guarantee you a special stay at his B&B and on the island. He is such an amazing person, that he deserves a photo from only himself on this blog 😉 I hope he will be not mad at me – but Alessandro you look good on this photo 😉 .
Once you arrived at this place you will never want to leave it. It’s just 10min from the next beach away and 25min from Porto Cervo. Each room is different and so stylish. Every morning you will get a delicious and homemade breakfast prepared by Alessandro.
It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a great restaurant, a cool winery or the best beach. Alessandro will help you with everything. The worst part is, that this Guesthouse is so beautiful and calm that you don’t want to leave it. Even not for a beach day or a tasty restaurant. But let me tell you, that you have to do it, event if it’s hard. Because Sardinia is such a wonderful island with healthy and fresh food, amazing beaches, lovely people and a lot more. But I have to be honest and tell you that we also stayed one day “only” at this Guesthouse – but look at this beautiful and relaxing swimming pool and the garden. You can’t blame me.
As mentioned before this Guesthouse is approx. 10 min from the next beautiful beach away. But there is a very special place 30-45min away. The name is La Maddalena. It is a archipelago which consists of more than sixty islands and islets. You will have to take a boat to see this beautiful part of Sardinia. You will be rewarded with the bluest and clearest water which you can imagine – and this in Europe ! And because we definitely wanted to see it, we went one day on a small sailing boat to explore La Maddalena (of course with the support of Alessandro). Clear blue sky, a sailing boat, fresh salty air, turquoise water and some italian white wine. I think it could be worse 😉
This sailing trip was one of the coolest things during our stay in Sardinia. You will have a lot of fun and can besides enjoy the beautiful nature of Italy at the same time. Yes, it is a bit touristic and you will be of course not the only person sailing around La Maddalena but it is worthy. I would also recommend to take a small sailing boat for yourself than a big excursion boat.
As I told you guys before, the next beautiful beach is only 10min away from the B&B. It is a really nice beach. And a very cool part about the beaches around the B&B is, that there are a lot of locals. Of course you will also find other tourists, but most of the people there are from Sardinia – and this I liked very much. I think that you can get the best insider tips from the locals – it doesn’t matter if it’s a beach, a shop or a restaurant.
By the way, I think it’s time for the most important part of every trip (for me) – the food. Regarding Sardinia I don’t know where to start. If you have a favorite italian restaurant in your neighborhood which you really really like – then multiply it with 100. This is exactly what you can expect from the food and the restaurants in Sardinia. Everything is so fresh, so tasty, so local and so italian – just Bella Italia. We went almost every night to a new and different restaurant. But I would like to tell you more about my two favorite spots:
On our first night we went to this really cute Agriturismo near our B&B (and you could imagine who give us the tip for this evening 😉 ) Agriturismo means that all of their food is typically for the region and from the region. Most of their food is from their own cultivation. The other typical thing is that you pay a fixed price for a fixed menu – there is no à la Carte. This Agriturismo was the perfect start for our Sardinia vacation. Once you arrived at the Agriturismo, all you can hear is italian – and this is, as we know, a very good sign. You will get the whole italian package. What means: more food than you can eat, more wine that you can drink (even if I haven’t got a problem with this) and more hospitality that you could ask for. The food was so delicious and what I especially liked, was the fact that the whole Agriturismo was so typically italian. I just loved it.
Of course everybody knows Porto Cervo – the famous Porto Cervo. So we also decided to visit Porto Cervo. Which to be honest, was not the bomb. It is nice for a little walk but all the restaurants there are too touristic and overpriced. Because of this, this little restaurant is more than welcome after a trip to Porto Cervo. I Frati Rossi is just a few minutes away from Porto Cervo. It looks a bit unremarkable but the food is more than remarkable. It is a italian restaurant per definition. Most of the food is pasta. But the kind of pasta which blows you away. The food is really outstanding. And if you are near Porto Cervo, you have to try this restaurant.
At one of our last nights, Alessandro prepared a dinner for all guests. This was such a magical evening. From the table decoration to the wine, everything was perfect. Alessandro prepared a 4 course dinner which could be served in every gourmet restaurant. But the food was only one part of this magical evening. The other part was, of course, the B&B itself and just the surroundings. We felt a bit like in paradise. And of course the dinner ended with a bit more alcohol than it should 😉
At the end of the week it was time to say goodbye to our “new home”. The farewell was not easy but we were also excited about our new accommodation. I’m not often speechless, but regarding this place I don’t know what to say. Because on one side I would like to keep this hidden place as long hidden as possible, but on the other side I think that everybody should get the chance to see this place. So if you are planning a trip to Sardinia and you are not a fan of all the commercial hotels and you love a good atmosphere, you are more than right at this place. Trust me, you will feel like at a friend’s house. This is a place which I can’t recommend enough.
After our amazing days at Albero Capovolto we went to our new home, called Su Golgone. Which was so different from Alessandro’s B&B. It was located in the mountains which was very cool. The whole concept of the hotel is build up like a little italian village – in the middle of the mountains. The hotel has a perfect basic position for a lot of excursions to explore the Golfo di Orosei area of Sardinia. Which we of course did 😉 – more about this later. The hotel looked a bit like an old sardinian village. Of course it has everything what a hotel has to offer: different restaurants, a swimming pool, a wine cellar, a gym and a lot of more. A really cool part of the hotel was, that all of their rooms looked very traditional and showed Sardinia’s history. All rooms had different concepts, for example the shepard’s room. I liked this very much. Another very cool part of this hotel was, that they had so many different bars and terraces where you could see and enjoy the whole beauty of Sardinia.
I liked very much the combination of mountains and sea. I don’t need absolutely the view of the sea. I just need the nature around me. And this is exactly what you will get there. My favorite place was the White Bar at this hotel. Not only during the day, but also during the night. I think that I never had seen more stars in the sky like during the nights at Su Gologone. Just beautiful !!
Another cool part about this hotel is, that they have a traditional handcraft shop where you can buy traditional handcrafted sardinian arts. I like these kind of shops. Because I think that we, the tourists, can get a better knowledge of the traditional arts and the locals can show us their items. Altogether the hotel showed us a beautiful and interesting side of Sardinia. They are trying to show the people their home – and I think this worked out very good.
As mentioned before, this hotel has a great basic position for a lot of excursions. Now, I will tell you why. Just 15-20mins away you will reach a place called Cala Cartoe. I think this is a really Mus-See. Because in this little village you can rent a rubber motor boat and drive it on your own. And this means, that you will be allowed to see the beautiful Gulf of Orosei – exactly this is what we did. We went on one day (very early) to Cala Cortoe, rent a rubber motor boat and explored the whole day all the beauty of the Gulf of Orosei. We shopped before our excursion a lot of provisions like cheese, fruits, wine, water etc. and had the best day which you could have cruising around Cala Cortoe. Could you imagine to spend the day in a better way than this ?!? For me, it was the best way.
We spent only 3 days at Su Gologone (the main part we spent at Albero Capovolto) and because the food at the hotel restaurant was so good and delicious, I can’t tell you so much about the food outside the hotel. But we left the hotel at one night and tried a nearby Agriturismo called Guthiddai. The system was the same as at other Agriturismos – you pay a fixed price for a fixed menu. The food was very good. It was fresh and tasty with a lot of meat and vino rosso – just the way I like it 😉
Sardinia treated us very good. We had everything we wanted and more. The clearest water which you could find in Europe, the most delicious food of Bella Italia, the best host you could wish for and the most fun you could have during your summer vacation. I am pretty sure that this was not my last vacation in Sardinia. If you are looking for an alternative of Ibiza, Mallorca, Crete or other islands in Europe for your next summer vacation – this is definitely an option. I don’t say Bye to Sardinia – just Arrivederci !!!
