Albergo Corallo

I thought readers would like to know about our experience in Sardinia, 3 – 15 September 2005. Flights: we flew by Easyjet to Cagliari, no problems to comment on but do not get a cheap flight to Sardinia in the wrong location for your accommodation as you will need a hire car to get to it. Car Hire: You definitely need a hire car if you want to get around the area where you will be staying, taxis, buses and trains are a rarity. Pay the extra for a car with Air-Con - the Island is much larger than initially anticipated, plus there are lots of mountains to drive around and unless using the major motorways the rest of the roads would be categorised as a B road in the UK. A word of warning when collecting your hire car at Cagliari airport, the majority of the car hire desks are not located in the airport terminal and in fact there are no signs to direct you on where to find them. (Exit the terminal on the Ground floor, you will be by the drop off / collection point. Turn right out of the terminal doors and follow the footpath to the end of the road. Cross the road through the gap in the barrier and take a right. Follow the edge of the road where you will come to the parking lots for the offices of Hertz, Avis, etc. Be prepared and have bottles of water to hand as there is no shade, the offices can only manage one car rental at a time and you find like we did that your whole plane have booked with the same company – for us the process took 2 hours!) Accommodation: There is a wide range of accommodation in Sardinia, but in the South East there are very few hotels situated on the beach and hotels seem to be expensive. We stayed in self catering apartment at a place called Porto Corallo Residence, Sardegna – cost £460 for two weeks in a one bedroom villa with balcony, double bedroom, shower room, living room with kitchen area. Great as it allowed us to cook some food and to freeze numerous bottles of water. We hired the use of sheets and towels, plus took our own (just in case), the place was clean but the furniture was a little tired, but would dependant on which villa you get because each are owned privately and rented out by the site office. There were TV’s to rent and a pool which you needed to buy an extra pass for, we didn’t because the beach was a 5 minute walk. If you decide to stay here follow the S125 signs from the airport to Muravera, go through Muravera and Villaputzu. Porto Corallo is signposted outside Villaputzu – transfer is about 1 ½ hours. Food: In the South East there are plenty of restaurants to choose from especially if you venture towards Costa Rei and Villasimius - but these have more tourism generally. Where we stayed we had two restaurants and a supermarket on site plus a few bars, the nearest town was Villaputzu (5KM) and then Murvera (12km). The food can be a repetitive; every restaurant has the same menu with vary little variety – this is a holiday full of carbs! Eating out for Pizza seems to be the main Italian order and we could only put this down to the Pizza ovens that the restaurants have. Salads and vegetables where limited on the menu but we know there were lots of varieties in the supermarkets. Chicken is also not on the menu but there is plenty of fish and if you are lucky you can get beef and pork. Most of the restaurants do not speak English, we had to take our dictionary every night and translate the menu to ensure that we were not eating the local speciality of Horse Chops! An average meal for two was 40 euros per night – this included a starter, main meal, salad, bottles of water and wine. Nightlife is low key - bring lots of books, enjoy the local wine and chill out. Beaches: These vary where you go. Our beach was a darker sand but very shallow and safe for a long way out. It was quiet during the week but busy at the weekends. The beaches are generally clean but the quality of the sand and colour of sea is dependant on good calm weather and we found the further towards Villasimius we travelled the better the whiter the sand and bluer the sea. We did visit some lovely secluded coves which had fantastic visibility and would recommend investing in snorkels and masks. Should also warn you of the beach sellers - they move around the main beaches so you may see the same people on your travels, ignore them and they go away. Weather: The weather can vary between very hot and sunny to warm but raining. The weather never dropped below 20c but when it rains it pours. We spent our rainy/cloudy days sight seeing and visiting the Capital Cagliari. Bring one pair of closed shoe for the rainy days as the water sits on the surface on all the streets and roads. Cagliari: The capital, we headed for the signs “Poetto” and parked along here. Check to see the parking restrictions. We then walked about ¾ mile into the main town, using our guidebook. The main street is called Via Rome, so head for here as a starting point. This is where the majority of shops are including a department store. From Via Rome you are just a short walk from the old Town and the amphitheatre. We were warned of thieves in the town, especially handbags under a ladies chair, we didn't see any crime but like any where be cautious. If you still want a shopping mall head to Carrefour in Quartu Sant’ Elena. Follow the road signs for the Quartuccio – you will need the road called. V.delle Serre. Useful tips: •Sardinia has a siesta ranging from 13.30 – 17.30 •The second language in some areas is German •Expect women to be asked to leave their handbags in lockers in supermarkets. •Your best investment if you don’t speak Italian is a phrase book/dictionary •Do lots of research before you go and buy a guidebook - Sardinia is also known as Sardegna when searching on the web •Don’t forget your electrical socket – Italy is different to the rest of Europe and obtaining one in the small towns is impossible •Unless you are staying in a hotel or near a town – few places change traveller’s cheques. To sum the South East coast up - the area provided a lovely tranquil holiday, ample of secluded beaches, we will definitely go back but spending more than a week in a resort is sufficient – next time we will split a fortnight in separate regions so that we can see and do much more. If you would like more information please contact us, as we have photos, websites and maps that we can share.