A beach holiday chilling in Alghero, Sardinia, an Italian Island paradise in the central Mediterranean.
Spent a very low activity two weeks break in Alghero, Sardinia.
If you are more of an activity style holiday maker then check out our other Sardinian holiday blog.
Youtube link to the JustRetired50Plus Laid-Back Sardinia 2022 Video:-
To view the video select:- https://youtu.be/-j5K__f6LJs
Youtube link to the JustRetired50Plus Laid-Back Sardinia 2023 Video:-
To view the video select:- https://youtu.be/JGlTzZGqE_4
There are three possible holiday types that a visitor can have in Sardinia.
the activity holiday, visiting all of the tourist destinations that the island has to offer ;
The laid-back, in-active holiday type of Sleep, Food, Sun & Entertainment ;
A holiday that is a mixture of both holiday options (1) and (2), above.
Sardinia, Italy 2022
As this is a blog from the perspective of a type (2) holiday above, possibly the beach walk and the walk to the old town will be the height of your ambition, especially if you are based in Alghero, as we were.
A walk along the promenade at either sunrise or sunset will possibly be the height of your ambition. For those more adventurous, then the walk along the beaches to Fertilia, followed by a bus trip (€1) back to Alghero, that will probably suffice as enough over-exertion for the entire week.
Our latest observations from our recent trip to Sardinia, Italy
The beach even with a breeze can still be inflexibly hot in direct sun. We advise buying two sun brolleys (Umbrellas) in a supermarket for €9 each and a €2 plastic hole borer. The other alternative is to pay €20 a day for two sun beds and a fixed sun brolley.
If you can put up with lying on towels on the soft beach sand, then you can move your shade to suit the changing sun direction or alternately move your sun brolleys throughout the day. Over a one week holiday you save €120 or twice that on a two week holiday.
Once the temperatures rise into the mid 20’s degrees on European beaches you have to wear shoes or stick to the boardwalks. This is due to the fact that their beaches have a very high solar heat absorption structure. Temperatures in the Caribbean can be in the mid 30’s degrees and you will not have to wear shoes on any of its white Sandy beaches, as their sand does not hold the solar heat. This is due to their extreme whiteness because they are composed of broken down white shell in the main, and as such, they have very high solar heat reflectivity.
There are realistically 5 modes of transport during your holiday stay (1) Walk everywhere. Good for your health and the cheapest option;
(2) hire bikes @ €10 a day. Safe on cycle paths but can be dangerous elsewhere; (3) hire a car. The most expensive option due to vehicle shortages globally; (4) hire an electric scooter. Cheap at €1 signup and 22cents per minute thereafter. Just scan you debit or credit card to go and scan again when done. You can leave the GPS located scooters any where when you are done, except in excluded zones; (5) Public transport. Really cheap but dependable only time wise on their limited destination schedule.
You are advised to bring Sun creams with you. We have found it difficult to replicate the sun protection factor, we are used to at home, in the products available locally.
An unexpected upshot of COVID is that there are no book swops available in hotels etc. it is also very hard to find books in English in the local book shops. So, bring ample reading material with you for the duration of your vacation.
We recommend you travel with only carry on luggage on your flight to Sardinia, for two reasons: (1) you will need way less cloths for even a two week vacation than you would normally. Sardinian nightlife is ultra casual in attire; (2) Due to COVID flights are being cancelled and there is a real problem developing with stowed luggage and baggage handling. So pack smart and light and have your luggage with you at all times ( a 10 Kilo case on wheels and a back pack that fits under the seat in front of you on the plane).
The town Lido (beach), Spiaggia san Giovanni is a nice beach but prone to sea grass accumulation along the shoreline. In our opinion the Spiaggio Di Maria Pia beach is far superior due to its pristine clear waters, soft white sand beach and very gradual depth gradiant as you enter the water. The waters are warm if the wind is any direction other than from the north. It is extremely safe with lifeguard stations every 200 metres or so along the length of the beach. And of course, the jewel in the crown on Maria Pia beach is the “La Palafitta” beach restaurant.
Sardinia does not produce enough wine to support export. That said, they have some fantastic wines, white “BLU”, available at very reasonable prices. You will not find these wins in the rest of Europe, so you will have to ship a crate home to continue your wonderful Sardinian wine experience at home.
When you move away from the beach front properties, the apartment blocks get higher and more dense. It can be loud, dirty and seems to be bursting at the seams with the mass of people living in high density apartments and those visiting this very popular holiday region. Dog ownership is very high amongst Italian apartment visitors in particular. As there is no discernible policy in place to penalise dog owners who allow their dogs to foul footpaths at will, a large percentage of dog owners do not clean up after their dogs. Tread warily particularly at night.
Italian food in restaurants is fantastic. With fish, paste, pizza dishes the main offerings. While in Alghero, if you get overdosed on Italian fair try the Bohan sushi Japanese restaurant just off the marina carpark or Yumi for a break with great taste and really good value.
Taxi’s to and from the airport are priced at €25 to €35 each way to Alghero. Buses on the other hand, to and from airport are €1 each way if ticket bought at machine in airport. If bought on the bus the fare is €1.50 each way. The buses run from 0530 until 2300 hours on the hour in each direction, with a journey time of 30 minutes. From Alghero to the airport pick up the bus at any of the bus stops on Via don Minzoni.
Restaurants on Saturday and Sunday are very busy because locals swell the holiday maker numbers. Unless you choose to eat your main meal in the afternoon, you will need a booking. To get a meal in any of the restaurants for the other 5 nights of the week are is not an issue. Locals like weekend meals out, and they bring an embarrassment of riches for all the local restaurants. In fairness, these restaurants are obliged to accommodate the locals first, given that the tourist season is short and the locals are the lifeblood of these establishments in the off tourist season.
Supermarkets on Saturday and Sunday are very busy also because yet again locals swell the holiday maker numbers. So if you want fresh bread milk etc, get up early and beat the inevitable rush or suffer the shortages of staple foods that arise in the late morning.
The majority of apartments and hotels provide television in their rooms with an Italian satellite service. The service offers hundreds of Italian speaking stations only. If you wish to keep in contact with English speaking news stations etc., you will have to bring along with you, your own means of accessing these stations.
The island of Sardinia
We have visited Sardinia many times over the last 10 year period. Sardinia is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. It has nearly 2,000km of coastline, sandy beaches and a mountainous interior crossed with great hiking trails. The climate is temperate Mediterranean and ideal for open air trips and excursions as it is surrounded by sea with a dark blue to turquoise palette of colours. With its tropical sea and transparent water it is both a perfect sailing and diving location.
Sardinia is bounded to the West by the Alboran Sea which has the greatest effect from the Atlantic Ocean current water exchange. To the East its seas are influenced by the waters from the Balearic Islands to Sicily. The Adriatic and the Eastern Mediterranean are the two other areas of influence on Sardinia’s North and South coasts. Sardinia is right in the middle of the central Mediterranean, in a position that is widely considered conducive to creating a synthesis of the marine biological characteristics of all these surrounding sea areas. Compared with other Mediterranean locations, the sea that surrounds Sardinia is relatively stable. Surface water temperatures fluctuate consistently from 12 to 14 degrees Celsius in February and 23 to 25 degrees Celsius in August.
Sense of Sardinia
The official currency of Sardinia is the Euro. During our various trips we have driven all around the island. If you get any opportunities during your travels in Sardinia to visit the old walled town of Alghero, then do so, it is a very worthwhile experience. Head north-west from the centre of Alghero for just a few kilometres, and you'll discover Maria Pia beach (Spiaggia di Maria Pia).
Our general experience of the Sardinian people was that they are extremely friendly. They are non formal and particularly in the countryside, they are very warm and welcoming.
Recommendations for Sardinia
There is no language barrier, if you speak only English. All the younger generation and the majority of older people can converse quite happily in English. So it lends itself to undertaking a trips that can be self guided.
In each of the locations around Sardinia we visited the local tourist trails and highlights on offer. We also visited some of the local communities market events and these left us with a genuine sense of Sardinian life. In Sardinia, the tourist season extends from April to November. The months of June and July are very busy tourist months and high temperatures. August is both hot and extremely busy with tourists from the Italian mainland making up the bulk of the tourists.
There are a lot of things to do in Sardinia depending on your preference:-
1 City visits to Cagliari, Olbia, Arzachena or Alghero;
2 Choose from any of the offshore boats tours on offer;
3 Cycling is a very popular method of touring various attractions;
4 Italians love their food, so visit the local food market to soak up the atmosphere;
5 Visit any of the very well preserved archaeological sites on offer;
6 Join in any of the many hill walks on offer;
7 Do a winery and wine tasting tour;
8 Visit any of the museums and nature parks;
9 There are a variety of sandy and rocky beach types to choose from.
All of the visits, tours, cruises and trips are available as both half day and full day experiences.
There is a wide variety of hotel accommodation available to suit all holiday budgets. If you like excellent Italian food and hospitality, then look no further, Sardinia has it all.
Our must see recommendation for a trip to Sardinia:-
(1) Our visit to Alghero was the highlight of our entire Sardinian trip.
(2) Our second choice would be a visit to any of the beach front restaurants and experience the Italian joy of people watching.
(3) Our third choice would be the joy to be had just strolling in the old walled town of Alghero.
As July is seen as high season, the average cost per couple / per week in a self service apartment is €1000.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
“Happiness is found in the journey and rarely in the destination, alone”
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