Sardinia by Boat

Stop for lunch at a humble agriturismo (an inn that is also a working farm) not more than 30 minutes from Cala Gonone called Agriturismo Su Cuile, where they serve a light, maybe 8,000-calorie meal made from produce they grow on their farm: ricotta in several different forms, tomatoes, prosciutto and sausage made from wild boar, ricotta ravioli, braised baby pig, Cannonau wine. All served by a daughter of the large family that owns and runs the place, while some of the younger kids watch Japanese cartoons blaring from a TV, and the farm animals snort and nose around in their pens a few yards beyond the window.

Address:
12 Via Clori
Dorgali
Italy

Phone:
39-0784-93448

Boomerang offers private or group travel itineraries on a variety of boats.

Address:
40 Via Garibaldi
Olbia
Italy

Phone:
39-0789-24293

Guests continue to pour in, on dinghies from giant yachts anchored in the bay and from the hotel’s private beach, not to mention the people like me who’d come to people-watch. Meanwhile, just inside the window, the waiters and chefs are putting out the buffet: countless antipasti, endless desserts. Dinner for two $426.

Address:
Porto Cervo
Italy

Phone:
39-0789-976-111

Located on the Costa Smeralda, one of the most exclusive spots in the Mediterranean, the Hotel Cala di Volpe was built 40 years ago by the Aga Khan. The limestone compound, modeled after a fishing village, has porticos, archways, turrets, and 124 whitewashed, pastel-accented rooms. Power broker guests and anchored yachties meet on the patio for an elaborate buffet dinner that’s booked solid all summer long.

Address:
Porto Cervo
Costa Smeralda
Italy

Phone:
(800) 325-3589

The 47-room La Coluccia—near the small town of Santa Teresa di Gallura—is ideal for couples craving undisturbed beach time. The stretch of sand alongside the hotel is so remote, there’s no danger of guests getting distracted by Sardinia’s famously high-octane social life. The only decision to make is whether to sunbathe by the gleaming free-form pool, take a boat trip to the nearby archipelago of La Maddalena, or build sandcastles on the beach. As is typical of a Mediterranean village, the hotel is whitewashed, though it combines an arrestingly modern design scheme (wave-shaped façade, mosaic-lined tubular showers) with traditional details such as a juniper branch-covered arbor

Address:
Località Conca Verde
Santa Teresa Di Gallura
Italy

Phone:
39-0789-758-004

The park consists of seven mostly uninhabited islands, and is destination No. 1 for Sardinian vacationers.

Address:
La Maddalena
Italy

Phone:
39-0789-790-211

The hotel is a “rustic” building (i.e., built in the local style to look like a big, white, very beautiful farmhouse) with a pool surrounded by hedges and extensive grounds with mature, fragrant plantings.

Address:
Località Su Gologone
Oliena
Italy

Phone:
39-0784-287-512