White sand, clear turquoise sea and lush trees swaying in the breeze. This might sound like a description of the Maldives — but it’s actually what I experienced on a recent trip to Italy.
Sardinia, the Mediterranean’s second-largest island after Sicily, is sometimes referred to as “the Maldives of Europe” for the beauty of its beaches — two of which appear on “The World’s 50 Best Beaches” 2024 list, chosen by more than 1,000 travel professionals.
Like the Maldives, parts of Sardinia have a reputation for being expensive. Those with deep pockets head to Costa Smeralda — or Emerald Coast — known for its yacht-loving jet set, upscale golf resorts and designer stores.
Porto Cervo, part of Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda region. The area was founded by Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in the 1960s and now attracts the jet set. Today, it is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority.
Emanuele Perrone | Getty Images
Luxury hotel company Belmond opened the renovated Romazzino at Porto Cervo in August, with fellow LVMH brand Cheval Blanc set to open a hotel in 2026. Hotels from the Rocco Forte group and Mandarin Oriental are also due to open in the same year.
But it’s possible to experience Sardinia’s beautiful coastline without spending a fortune, as I found on a recent vacation. Airfare obviously affects travel costs, but I spent $1,500 for a week on the island, including flights from London.
First, I was happy to travel in the fall when prices are cheaper. Schools in the U.K. start in early September, and I reasoned that the weather would still be fine.
I was also content with mid-range accommodations and wanted to stay somewhere that included some meals to make budgeting easier. I was also keen to be near local restaurants as they’re often cheaper than those in touristy places.
Guests can go on a kayak or paddleboard “safari” to an adjacent beach.
Source: Neilson
Searching online, I found that holiday company Neilson had a resort on Sardinia’s northeastern coast, not far from the Costa Smeralda. I’d been to a Neilson-run hotel in Greece a few years before and was impressed with its service and food, as well as activities like kayaking and yoga.
Neilson’s Baia dei Mori Beach Club is a 40-minute drive from the airport at Olbia, located next to the sand dunes of a pretty beach. I found a deal for 849 British pounds ($1,102) per person for a week, based on two sharing a room and traveling at the end of September.
The price included return flights from London Stansted Airport, transfers, daily breakfast and lunch, plus four dinners and on-site activities like tennis coaching, guided cycling, yoga classes and windsurfing. The hotel’s website showed pale sandy beaches lined with pine trees, and rooms in single-story buildings set among simple gardens.
I was sold, and I booked to go with my friend Sinead.
Guided bike rides were included in the cost of Lucy Handley’s vacation to Sardinia.
Source: Neilson
On the first morning, I headed to a yoga class held on a wooden fitness deck near the beach. Then I sunbathed for several hours and took an aqua aerobics class in the hotel’s pool.
In the afternoon, Sinead and I joined a guided mountain bike ride, choosing the “green” beginner level, which took us on a 9 km (5.6 mile) circular route. Keener cyclists can venture along the twisting roads in the hills for intermediate or advanced routes. We stopped for a lemon granita at the Shardana restaurant, set among the trees overlooking the white sand Baia Sant’Anna beach.
Our days continued to be a mix of activity and relaxation, often starting with yoga, followed by a weightlifting class or bike ride in the afternoon.
The author, Lucy Handley, with her travel companion, Sinead, before a bike ride.
Source: Lucy Handley
A highlight was a stand-up paddleboard “safari” during which, along with other guests, I paddled my way around a peninsula to the 4 km white sand Budoni Bay beach, which has stunning views to the mountainous Isola Tavolara. The resort also runs sailing classes for all levels, with a race at the end of the week.
On evenings when food wasn’t included, we walked into the village of Tanaunella for dinner. At L’Hotel Pedra Niedda, I enjoyed malloreddus alla campidanese, a Sardinian pasta with a sausage sauce, for 12 euros ($13), while family-run Pizzeria da Paolo had a wide range of pizzas for under 10 euros. At Ristorante La Volpe, I splashed out on a tuna steak with an anchovy mayonnaise for 25 euros.
The rest of our budget went to alcoholic drinks and coffees at local bars, and one day we hired a car (about 120 euros, including delivery, collection and gas) to head south to the Gulf of Orosei and Gennargentu, a national park with dramatic cliffs and a string of white-sand beaches.
Cala Fuili, a white pebble cove on Sardinia’s east coast, is popular with climbers.
Enrico Spanu | Reda&co | Universal Images Group | Getty Images
The coastal town of Cala Gonone has boat rides to the Grotte del Bue Marino caves, which I imagine are very popular in the summer. Instead, we drove along the coast to the cove at Cala Fuili, where a tiny, white pebble beach is flanked by cliffs popular with climbers. There, we headed down steep steps to find a spot among the sunbathers.
Like many destinations, Sardinia is keen to reduce overtourism and has introduced limits to the number of people who can visit certain beaches in high season. At La Pelosa beach along the northeastern coast, people must place mats under their towels to prevent sand getting stuck to them and being removed from the beach.
My hotel is a low-rise resort set back from the shore, with paths marked through the sand dunes to prevent damage — and its beach never felt crowded.
It was the ideal off-season escape.