Summer in Sardinia

This summer my family and I visited the beautiful Italian Island of Sardinia.

After a short two and a half-hour flight from Bristol, we arrived at Olbia, which is in the north east of the island. We collected our car, which we had pre-booked in the UK and were on our way within an hour of the plane landing. As you know the Italians have a reputation for not being particularly patient on the road, however we were able to travel at a sensible speed and were all surprised at how quiet the roads were, bearing in mind it was August. The roads were well sign posted, which made it an easy twenty-minute drive south to Murta Maria, where we were staying for the week.

Murta Maria is a small resort with a handful of restaurants, bars and a very well stocked supermarket, which even had its own deli. We had been warned that Sardinia could be expensive for eating out, and this is the case on the very exclusive Costa Smeralda in the north, which is a haven for the rich and famous (definitely worth visiting if you enjoy people watching!) However we were pleasantly surprised with excellent pasta and pizza dishes, which were certainly better value for money than in the UK.

Sardinia boasts some of the most beautiful white sand beaches that I have come across in the Mediterranean, but in high season you need to drive to beaches a bit off the beaten track to avoid the crowds as the island is very popular with Italians from the mainland.

Away from the coast Sardinia is an island of rolling hills and dramatic mountains, beautiful rugged scenery and an unhurried pace of life. However it was the stunning beaches and the crystal clear emerald waters that made this a great destination for us.

So if you have been to Spain, Greece and Portugal and are looking for a different Mediterranean destination that you may not have considered before, maybe Sardinia is for you.