Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, and the distances are far greater than most first-time visitors expect: 24,000 square kilometres, a little over half the area of Denmark, with 1,800 kilometres of coastline. Which part of the island you pick shapes the holiday more than which hotel you book. The drives are long, public transport is thin and the three airports sit in three different corners. Base yourself in the wrong place and a day trip turns into five hours behind the wheel.
This guide works through the island's main areas: who each one suits, how they differ and which airport to aim for. Every area links through to the luxury hotels in Sardinia we have reviewed.
The areas at a glance
| Area | Best for | Airport | Hire car | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Smeralda | Luxury at full volume and life on the water | Olbia | Yes | •••• | Beach and resort |
| Palau and Arzachena | Island-hopping and La Maddalena | Olbia | Yes | ••• | Beach |
| San Teodoro | Beaches with more going on | Olbia | Recommended | ••–••• | Beach and town |
| Alghero | Town, history and beach | Alghero | In part | ••–••• | Town and beach |
| Costa Rei | Quiet and long beaches | Cagliari | Yes | •• | Beach |
| Villasimius | Beach with somewhere to eat | Cagliari | Recommended | ••• | Resort town |
| Pula and Chia | Resorts and families | Cagliari | Yes | ••• | Beach and resort |
| Cagliari | City life and the quieter months | Cagliari | No | ••–••• | City and beach |
| Golfo di Orosei | Landscape and boat trips | Olbia | Yes | •• | Nature |
There is no objectively best part of Sardinia – it depends on what the trip is meant to be about. In short: luxury and boats point to Costa Smeralda, town and history to Alghero, the low season to Cagliari, landscape to Golfo di Orosei, beaches to San Teodoro and Costa Rei, and the archipelago to Palau.
Costa Smeralda – for luxury, boats and celebrity-spotting
The 55-kilometre stretch of coast north of Olbia is the most expensive and the most famous on the island. It was planned from scratch in the 1960s by the Aga Khan, and it shows: the buildings are low and rendered in earth tones, the signage is discreet, and every summer the harbour at Porto Cervo fills with superyachts.
The beaches here are among the finest in the Mediterranean – Liscia Ruja, Capriccioli and Romazzino – where turquoise water meets white granite sand. The prices follow suit, especially in July and August.
Four of our hotels sit here. Hotel Cala di Volpe, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Costa Smeralda (Booking 9.1) is the area's institution, with a bay of its own. Cervo Hotel, Costa Smeralda Resort (Booking 9.0) stands in the middle of the Porto Cervo village with the marina on the doorstep. Hotel Pitrizza, Costa Smeralda (Booking 8.7) is smaller and more private, its villas tucked into the rocks. Romazzino, A Belmond Hotel, Costa Smeralda (Booking 8.6, though from only 29 reviews) sits on the beach of the same name.
Ideal for: anyone who wants the highest standard and isn't worrying about the bill. Airport: Olbia, 30–45 minutes.
Golfo di Arzachena and Palau – archipelago days without Porto Cervo prices
Just west of Costa Smeralda the coast calms down and gets considerably better value, with no loss of scenery. This is where the ferries leave for the La Maddalena archipelago, a national park of more than 60 islands and islets in which Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli is the best known.
Hotel Capo d'Orso Thalasso & SPA (Booking 9.3) stands at Cala Capra outside Palau, with two private coves and a thalassotherapy spa that puts the sea water to work.
Ideal for: swimming and island-hopping through the archipelago without paying Costa Smeralda rates. Airport: Olbia, about an hour.
San Teodoro and Tavolara – for beaches with more life than Costa Smeralda
South of Olbia runs a stretch of coast that is routinely overshadowed by Costa Smeralda, though the beaches are every bit as good. La Cinta is three kilometres of sand between the sea and a lagoon where flamingos stop off, and further north Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu have shallow, almost Caribbean water. Offshore, the limestone bulk of Tavolara rises out of the sea, and the boats out to it leave from San Teodoro's harbour.
What separates this from Costa Smeralda is the tone. San Teodoro is a working town with a centre, restaurants that don't need booking weeks ahead and a summer nightlife that pulls a younger crowd. The Puntaldìa golf resort just to the north is the priciest corner of the area. Prices across the board sit below Porto Cervo's.
We have no hotels in San Teodoro today that meet Tripplo's criteria – the area runs to four-star properties and aparthotels. It is a good choice when the beaches count for more than the hotel does.
Ideal for: spectacular beaches, restaurants and a bit more life, without Porto Cervo's price level. Airport: Olbia, 25–30 minutes.
Alghero and the north-west coast – the island's most charming town
Alghero was ruled by the Catalans for several centuries and the inheritance is still on show: the street signs are bilingual and the local dialect, algherès, is a Catalan variant. The walled old town, all cobbled lanes and sea bastions, is the best place on the island for an evening walk.
Just north lie the Porto Conte nature park and the limestone headland of Capo Caccia, where Neptune's Grotto is reached down 654 steps cut into the cliff – or by boat from the harbour.
Three options here: Villa Las Tronas Hotel & SPA (Booking 9.1) is a former royal summer villa on its own promontory with a saltwater spa; El Faro Hotel & Spa (Booking 9.3) sits on Porto Conte looking across to Capo Caccia; and Hotel Catalunya (Booking 8.7) is the practical town choice, within walking distance of the old quarter.
Ideal for: town life, history and restaurants without giving up the beaches. Airport: Alghero, 15 minutes.
Costa Rei and Villasimius – quiet beach or proper resort town
The island's south-eastern corner is more thinly developed than the north, and it is where Sardinians themselves head. The two places lie a little over half an hour apart but work quite differently in practice.
Costa Rei is the quieter of the two: nine kilometres of sand with scattered development, few hotels and a limited choice of restaurants. You will mostly eat where you sleep, and a car is essential even for the shopping.
Villasimius is an established resort town with a centre that hangs together, far more restaurants, boat trips out to the Capo Carbonara marine reserve and services that stay open right through the season. Prices are higher, and in July and August you notice it on the beaches.
La Villa Del Re - Adults Only - Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Booking 9.2) at Castiadas lies between the two, directly on the beach. It is an adults-only member of Small Luxury Hotels and one of the few five-star addresses along this coast.
Ideal for: putting beaches ahead of nightlife – Costa Rei for quiet, Villasimius if you want to walk out to dinner. Airport: Cagliari, about an hour.
Pula and the south-west coast – the resort coast below Cagliari
The coast running from Pula down towards Chia has the island's most dune-backed beaches, with sand dunes, juniper scrub and lagoons where flamingos stop off. It is also where the island's large resort complexes are.
Forte Village Resort - Il Castello (Booking 8.9) at Santa Margherita di Pula is the best known: a resort complex with 21 restaurants, a spa and a water park, of which Il Castello is the most lavish part.
One honest note: Chia's two big names, Conrad Chia Laguna and Baia di Chia (Curio Collection by Hilton), stand at 7.8 and 8.0 respectively on Booking as we write – below our threshold of 8.5 – and so are absent from our selection despite the area's reputation.
Ideal for: a large resort with plenty laid on, and Cagliari close by. Airport: Cagliari, 40 minutes.
Cagliari – for city life and travelling outside high season
The capital is comfortably the island's largest city and its best year-round base, with the medieval Castello quarter on the hill, a Roman amphitheatre and Poetto beach running eight kilometres just beyond the centre. Restaurants and museums stay open all year. Out on the coast things go much quieter between October and April, and many hotels and restaurants shut altogether.
Palazzo Doglio (Booking 9.2) is centrally placed in a carefully restored palazzo with a spa and a courtyard.
Ideal for: travelling outside the summer, combining city and beach, or staying only a few days. Airport: Cagliari, 15 minutes.
Golfo di Orosei – for the landscape, not the hotels
The east coast around Cala Gonone is the most dramatic part of Sardinia: limestone cliffs falling straight into the sea and coves such as Cala Goloritzé, Cala Mariolu and Cala Luna – several of them reachable only by boat or after a serious walk.
We have no hotels in Golfo di Orosei at present that meet Tripplo's criteria for the luxury selection. What is on offer runs to four-star family hotels and small guesthouses, which is worth knowing before you book.
If Golfo di Orosei is one of the main reasons for the trip, a night or two in Cala Gonone or Orosei can still be worth it – the boats to Cala Luna, Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzé leave from there, and you avoid a long drive first thing. If the trip is really about the hotel, the choice is far stronger in the north and the south, and the area works as a full-day excursion.
How to choose – the short version
Fly into Olbia and you land in the north: Costa Smeralda, Palau and La Maddalena. Alghero opens up the north-west, town and landscape together. Cagliari puts the south within reach: Costa Rei, Villasimius, Pula and the capital itself. Combining north and south in a week is perfectly possible, but it means three to four hours at the wheel – better to plan one base per week.
A hire car is effectively essential everywhere except Cagliari. To see the whole selection, head to our page on Sardinia.
