⛵️ SARDINIA
DJ sets in hillside caves, maximal sunbathing, and ‘70s Italian glamour
A quick note: there are a few ways to do Sardinia, and this isn’t the only one. Plenty of friends have rented a car, booked an Airbnb, and island-hopped the beaches. Almost everyone who had gone recommended we rent a car in advance of our last trip. The island is large, and the beaches are genuinely special. The water is some of the brightest turquoise I’ve seen. We opted for complete escape and maximal sunbathing, and centered our time around a fabulous hotel. Below are some of the highlights. No matter how you spend your time in Sardinia, you’ll want to visit these places.
One of my favorite dinners of the trip was at Giagoni in Piazza, in the village of San Pantaleo. The evening beautifully captured the whole essence of the island. The white-tablecloth establishment sits between granite mountain peaks on either end. The owner welcomes guests under an array of string lights, kissing every woman’s hand as she walks in, and shaking every man’s. He enjoys his own evening, accompanied by the kind of group that looks like they vacation as a profession, at a large lounge table by the front. The crowd includes elegant couples with purses of dogs, models smoking Vogue cigarettes, and young boys dressed the way you only see at art gallery openings in New York. By the time you open the menu, the waitstaff is walking over with an array of fresh seafood picks from the region. Appetizers start at around $40 USD. It’s all kinds of fabulous and romantic and impossibly chic.
The vibe? ‘70s Italian glamour that never left. Italian summer luxe dialed all the way up. You can spend a day being pampered at a hotel or an afternoon getting lost in a cobblestone village with a gelato. There’s a party here if you want one and total quiet if you don’t.
Who’s it for? Couples, families, and friend groups who like a bit of glamour. People who don’t mind a splurge.
Don’t miss. Rent a boat for the day. It’s the only way to reach the water that actually lives up to the postcards.
For other European summer travel inspiration, like Greece or The South of France, see everything I’ve published here.
Table of Contents:
Know Before You Go
Where To Stay
Where To Eat
What To Do
Google Map
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
You’ll fly into Olbia (Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport). As of this May (2026), Delta Air Lines offers direct flights from New York to Olbia, operating seasonally. Convenient, but pricey. Otherwise, spend two days in Rome on your way here.
There are only a handful of non-stop flights to prime summer locations from Olbia airport. If you’re looking to tack on another summer destination, check out this map before you book.
If you want to explore the island, rent a car. The island is huge, and some of the more beautiful beaches are at the end of unpaved roads. *If you’re staying at a luxury place and don’t mind splurging on cars, you probably don’t need to rent one. But if that’s the case, just choose 2-3 villages to explore and save the rest for a future trip.
The local beaches get crowded. Rent a boat or stay at a hotel with beach access (most aren’t directly on the water) to experience the best of the island.
Most of the shops open at 5 PM. Plan your browsing for the evening.
Everything runs late. Golden hour and aperitivo land around 8 PM in the Italian summer. 10 PM dinner is prime time.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Cala di Volpe
You’ve probably seen photos of the orange arches that identify this place. It’s the definition of Italian summer luxe and a very iconic spot. A 1960s masterpiece imagined by Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the hotel stretches along the bay like a little village. It’s equally whimsical on the inside as on the out, with rainbow stairways and colored glass, designed by French architect Jacques Couëlle. In the afternoon, expect to see tenders from the most impressive superyachts in the world arrive on rotation to drop notable guests for a poolside lunch at the hotel (…at the subtle price of $300/pp for non-hotel guests). No surprise to see Kylie Jenner’s instagram slide include a subtle pic (2nd) on the Cala di Volpe lawn.
The most popular hour to visit, though, is around sunset, for an 8 PM aperetivo at the Atrium Bar. It gets pretty busy at this hour and is definitely a place to see and be seen.
Note: This hotel is one of the most expensive options on the island. Many guests visits for the day. If you stay here, you’ll want to spend most of your days soaking it in, so naturally it will shape the majority of your trip.
WHERE TO EAT
Giagoni in Piazza, San Pantaleo - A favorite, and maybe the most romantic dinner setting of my life.
Go to Caffe Nina for an aperitivo before.
Pedri Garden, Porto Cervo - After dinner here I learned that Rebel Wilson had her rehearsal dinner at this spot, before inviting guests to Cala di Volpe for the wedding celebration. All that to say: it’s a spectacular atmosphere. Twinkling trees (that make you feel like a fairy in a secret garden) and a view overlooking the lineup of yachts along the pier. The food was some of the best we had all trip. Their dessert menu is enticing, but might I suggest you double dip dessert with a walk to La Pasqualina for some of the best gelato you’ve tasted. The 73% chocolate is a must.
Matsuhisa at Cala di Volpe - I’m the first to say we should stick to Italian/Mediterranean food while traveling in Italy. And specifically, we should avoid the Nobu Matsuhisa we have in several cities in the US. But I hate to admit, the food (paired with the setting) here is FANTASTIC. It’s impossible not to have a good time. I still probably wouldn’t go out of your way for this place, but if you’re staying at the hotel, it’s hard to miss. But be prepared to spend. More than you thought in the first place.
What to Skip
Agriturismo La Colti - This place came highly recommended by a few publications and friends. We ended up cancelling our reservation here because two friends shared terrible experiences the week before. Both said - beautiful setting, bad food.
WHAT TO DO
Rent a boat - The waters are so beautiful, and since most of the hotels aren’t directly on the beach anyway (and the local beaches get packed), seeing the coast by boat is best.
Porto Rotondo - A local village that didn’t come highly recommended in most of my research, but turned out to be a favorite. If you want to do some shopping that isn’t at Hermès or Prada, spend an evening here. Shops open at 5 PM. A few to visit:
Salotto Virginia - One of the most well-curated shops I’ve ever visited, featuring a collection of independent designers from around the world. I bought a necklace by a designer named Carola Sainz. She’s based in Jaipur, has no online store, and only produces for Virginia. Everything in this place has a story. It will make you want to rebrand to Marisa Berenson in her ‘70s Italian style (hence my Substack note). I fell in love with some of the art pieces too. Virginia kindly DM’d me the artist’s name afterward: Licia Sanna, from Porto Cervo, who sadly has no Instagram. Let’s just say I wanted to buy everything.
Said Salotta Virginia store Reina Olga boutique - A great collection plus a few pieces from other designers, including Made some.
There are a few amazing local boutiques in Piazzetta San Marco that I forget the name of. But go wherever catches your eye.
San Pantaleo - The cutest artsy village, surrounded by dramatic granite mountains on all sides. I can’t believe this place is real. Spend a late afternoon hopping around the stores here, or better yet plan a dinner in the town and spend a few hours before and after enjoying it. (This is home to Giagoni in Piazza and Caffe Nina, above.)
Porto Cervo - The glossy heart of the Costa Smeralda: the Promenade du Port, the marina packed with yachts, and a romantic two story pedestrian area filled with designer shops and Michelin restaurants.
Treasures in Porto Rotondo 
Beautiful San Pantaleo, Unfortunate ice cream tragedy
GOING OUT
The two names everyone talks about are Phi Beach and Ritual. Phi Beach is an open-air club perched on the cliffs at Baja Sardinia. It’s built around an old fortress with one of the best sunset views on the coast. Come here for sunset drinks if you’re enjoying a more casual evening. Later in the summer (July/August), there’s an Ibiza-style lineup of DJs performing here and it really picked up. Ritual is a nightclub situated in a castle. It’s as iconic as it sounds. It’s particularly fun on weekends.
GOOGLE MAP
This map has all of the locations mentioned above and more pinned. Use it to build your own itinerary and easily pair spots that are close together into a day or an evening.
Jewels of information to my next destination!
She’s back!!!!!!!