Family Holidays: Sardinia family holidays and breaks
Take the Family holiday rating 
Why
This is an island holiday with a difference; situated halfway between Italy
and the African coast, it's an exotic, beautiful place, with some of the cleanest,
most spectacular beaches in the Med. It's a little further to go, but this means
its less crowded and more welcoming. There are very few large cities in Sardinia
and the coastline is still relatively unbuilt-up.
Its a holiday for slightly more adventurous families, ones who enjoy exploring
or are interested in sports. Sardinia bears the traces of all the civilisations
that have passed through; from Carthaginian to Spanish and the extraordianary
Nuraghic civilisation, whose ancient monuments lie scattered throughout the
interior. Take the kids sailing and snorkelling through crystal-clear waters
and come home to some superb food, or hire a car and explore the beautiful interior.
All in all its a memorable, magical family holiday destination.
- Top left: Neptune's Grotto, (Grotta di Nettuno). A sea - level warren of natural caves.
- Top middle: Traditional dress with bread basket
- Top right: Capo D'Orso. The Cape of the Bear.
- Bottom left: View at Arbatax
- Bottom right: View from Costa Smeralda beach
When
Visit Sardinia anytime from late Spring right through early November. Note
that it can get hot and busy in August. If you want to coincide with the festivals,
take a look at our favourites.
May
Sagra di Sant’Efisio, Sardinia’s
most famous religious festival. Thousands of residents of Caligari don
traditional garb to complete a 40km pilgrimage to Pula in honour of St.
Efisio
Our
Lady of the Sea in Orosei, a procession at sea with costumes, singing
and music
July
S'ardia in Sedilo, a popular horse race held every
year in honour of San Costantino
August
Alghero World Music Festival in August
with concerts staged in San Francesco church, Alghero’s open-air theatre,
and the pièce de résistance, the remarkable Grotta di Nettuno
caves.
How
Fly in just a couple of hours from numerous airports in the UK to Alghero
or Olbia in the North, or Cagliari in the South. Options range from British
Airways, through charter to low cost airlines.
Ferries are also an option from mainland France, Corsica or the Italian mainland.
You do of course need to get there first and it will end up being a long journey,
especially with kids in tow. Take a look at our ferries
page to find the best
deal.
Stay
Sardinia offers a wide range of villa, hotel, B&B and even
farm-stay accommodation, a truly Sardinian experience. Mark
Warner's Hotel Abamar and Forte
Village (with Kids in the Med), are
real family favourites, but your choice really depends on budget and your
desire to have someone else keep the kids occupied. The
Romazzino, in Porto
Cervo is perfectly placed to explore Costa Smerelda's 35 miles stretch of
white-blonde sandy beaches and coves, plus to do a bit of celeb spotting, or
mingle with the jet-set sipping cappuccinos in the piazza. Self catering is
also a great option for families, and can make the most of any holiday budget.
For an ideal base to explore the real Sardinia, consider the fabulous Su
Gologone Hotel, from Simply Travel, in Oliena, with superb restaurant with
specialities such as suckling pig spit-roasted over the huge open fireplace
and ricotta and honey ice-cream, and over 100 years of rave reviews. Partners James
Villas have many 2 and 3 bedroom villas to choose, from unpretentious
comfortable and relaxing villas in the south, many with spectacular elevated
views over white sandy bays and stunning turquoise seas, or at Stintino, in
the north where you can enjoy one of the best beaches in Italy, La Pelosa.
Do
Although Sardinia has some lovely towns and fascinating monuments, it's more
of an adventure holiday destination than a cultural one. That said, it's definitely
worth choosing holiday dates to coincide with one of the many local festivals,
often bizarre, always interesting.
Sardinian attractions are mainly based around
its beach-life and kids will love the many watersports and other activities
that the main resorts and most popular beaches have to offer. All children
seem to love caves and a highlight of your trip could be a visit to Neptune's
Grotto, (Grotta di Nettuno), where near the town of Alghero. This
sea-level cave warren uses dramatic lighting to enhance a multitude of stunning
stalactites and stalagmites. These
marine caves are located to the west of the town and can be reached by two
different methods, car and 656 step descent, with steps carved into the cliffside
known as Escala
del Cabirol or 'goat steps' or by boat, (departing hourly over the summer
months.).
Visit Anghelu Ruju Necropolis, Alghero.
Dating back to around 3000 BC, the Anghelu Ruju Necropolis is a conglomeration
of ancient tombs excavated from sandstone, one of the most significant
archaeological sites in Sardinia.
If you want to hang out with the beautiful people, then you'll struggle to
find a holiday haven on the island more chic than the Costa
Smeralda. The natural ancient
harbour of Porto Cervo is the hub of the Costa Smeralda
and the centre of its social life. You'll find designer boutiques, chic
bars and renowned restaurants including The Grill, Il Pescatore and Il
Pomodoro, plus even a handful of nightclubs. Note that most bars also sell
ice cream and patisseries. This is one of the best-equipped marinas in
the Med, it attracts many world famous yachting events and tournaments.
Hang out at the Piazzetta San Marco, in the heart of town, a square which
has been the centre for hundreds of years. It's also a terrific place to
spot celebs. Try to retain some cool if you do see Roman Abramovich or
Kate Moss tucking into bowls of mussels at the next table.
Trenino
Verde (Little Green Train) runs twice daily between Arbatax
and Mandas from June to September, and surely must rank as one of
the world's great small railways; A roller-coaster ride through mountains
and meadows. The big tourist attraction is in the form of a
massive bronze-age stone edifice at Barumini, and like our very own
Stone Henge it's purpose is unknown. Beyond, however, is something
even more intriguing. Rising from a broad plain is a volcanic plateau
called Giara
di Gesturi,
a nature reserve of ancient cork forests and shrubs, and is home
to the cavallini della Giara, Europe's last wild horses,
of which there are believed to be around 500, as well as wild boars
and even wildcats!
Take a trip to the rocky north of the island, to Capo D'Orso, the
Cape of the Bear, so named because of a gynormous wind-carved
rock in the shape
of a great crouching bear, looking out to sea.
Click here for an up-to-date family- friendly events
guide to Sardinia.
Eat
Sardinian cuisine is most heavily influenced by Italian cookery, although of
course, it has its own very distinctive specialities. Traditional dishes are
mostly ones based on locally produced meat, including boar and goat, hard noodles,
fabulous cheeses and a number of wonderful breads, which figure more largely
than pasta here. Recently there has been more of a concentration on fresh fish,
which is cooked simply with local herbs. There are very few fast food restaurants
and your children will need to learn to be content with delicious, simple food
and two hour lunches.
Cost
Sardinia is well worth considering for both budget sun or a luxury
family holiday destination. It is still possible to find reasonably priced
rooms and a plate of great food for about a fiver. And even in the best holiday
areas you can find recommendable hotels with double rooms that cost less than £85
a night. Family holidays can cost
from under two hundred pounds to well over a thousand pounds per person.
Travel reading
by Fabrizio Ardito
Buy from Amazon.co.uk - Save 34%
'The key to this book is accessibility, allowing a quick and enticing overview of the island.'
