# Olbia and the Costa Smeralda

White sandy beaches among granite rocks, Porto Cervo, giants' tombs and Gallura vermentino, less than an hour by car from Olbia airport.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sardinia/costa-smeralda · Revisado: 2026-11-13

The Costa Smeralda is the stretch of Gallura coast running from the Gulf of Cugnana to that of Arzachena, north of Olbia. In 1962 a group of investors led by the Aga Khan founded the Consorzio Costa Smeralda and built, in an almost uninhabited area, villages designed for tourism such as Porto Cervo. The result is rare in the Mediterranean: small coves of very fine sand between pink granite blocks, mastic and juniper scrub, and houses with rustic walls that hide in the landscape rather than rising above it.

Behind the coast there is another Gallura that few people visit: that of the Arzachena countryside, with giants' tombs and nuragic villages more than three thousand years old, farms that raise their own pigs and vermentino wineries. This page brings the two together. Olbia is the gateway: airport, port and the city with the most services in the area.

## How do you get there from Spain?

By plane to Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB). From Spain, only Barcelona has a direct flight to Olbia. If you leave from another city, you fly with a connection or choose another airport on Sardinia and cross the island by car. The airport is right next to the city: urban bus lines 2 and 10 drop you in the centre for €1, and the car hire desks are in the terminal.

From Olbia, Porto Cervo is about 45 minutes by car and the beaches at the south of the coast, such as Capriccioli or the Spiaggia del Principe, about 40. The Capichera giants' tombs, inland from Arzachena, are less than 40 minutes away.

## Do you need a car?

Yes, if you want to see more than a beach and a village. The beaches are scattered along provincial roads with small paid car parks, with 25 spaces at the Spiaggia del Principe and 80 at Liscia Ruja or the Grande Pevero; the archaeological sites are in the countryside, and the wineries among the vines. In summer a beach bus that the consortium calls Lu Pustali runs, but it doesn't reach all the coves. With a car, set out early: in July and August the car parks at the small coves fill up before eleven.

## What to do?

Sea. The Spiaggia del Principe is two arcs of white sand separated by a granite promontory, 300 metres on foot from the car park. Capriccioli is easier: coves sheltered from the mistral, facilities and a summer bus stop. To put your face in the water, the snorkelling by boat from Poltu Quatu run by the Orso Diving Club leaves in the morning or afternoon for Caprera and the Monaci lighthouse.

Porto Cervo. The Piazzetta, the harbour and the church of Stella Maris can be seen on an hour's stroll. The church, by Michele Busiri Vici, holds a Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco and a 17th- or 18th-century Neapolitan organ.

Nuraghi and wine. At Capichera, six kilometres from Arzachena, the Coddu 'Ecchju giants' tomb has a granite stele more than four metres high and, a kilometre away, the La Prisgiona nuraghe preserves its village of huts. The joint ticket costs €7. Very close, the winery Vigne Surrau holds Gallura vermentino tastings by reservation, from €45.

Olbia. If you arrive or leave with a few hours to spare, the basilica of San Simplicio and the archaeological museum tell the story of the city: a basilica from the late 11th century and the Roman ships that turned up in the old harbour.

## Where to sleep?

It depends on what you want nearby. In Olbia, the Jazz Hotel is a four-star with a pool 2 km from the centre and the airport bus stop 50 metres away: good for the first or last night. In the countryside near Arzachena, Tenuta Pilastru is a 150-hectare estate with an 1840 stazzo, 49 rooms, a spa and a Gallurese restaurant, a few minutes from the Li Muri necropolis. And above Porto Cervo, La Tiara di Cervo is 25 suites with a kitchen and two infinity pools, for those seeking the luxury Costa Smeralda.

## Where to eat?

In Olbia, Bacchus, the Jazz Hotel's restaurant, opens every day at lunchtime and in the evening, with Sardinian pasta, fish and meat from Bortigali. In the countryside near Arzachena, the Agriturismo Rena serves a fixed Gallurese menu with cured meats, cheeses and vegetables from its farm: zuppa gallurese, roast suckling pig, seadas. For a special dinner, Lu Pisantinu, in Liscia di Vacca, has a terrace over the sea and the same family in the kitchen since 1985.

## When to go?

May, June and September are the best months: the water is about 18–19 °C in May and reaches 24–26 °C in August, according to the Poltu Quatu diving centre. July and August bring the Porto Cervo atmosphere, but also the highest prices and crowded coves. Out of season, from November to March, many restaurants and hotels on the coast close, although the archaeological sites stay open and the countryside is green.

## Plans and getaways from Olbia

For a day: Capichera nuraghi and vermentino at Surrau or snorkelling in the morning and dinner at Liscia di Vacca. With more time, the two nights among nuraghi and coves getaway sleeps one night in the countryside and another above Porto Cervo. If you have days to spare, the Gulf of Orosei is a couple of hours to the south.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: La Maddalena Archipelago (a 16.5 km), Gulf of Orosei (a 90.9 km), Barbagia (a 100.2 km), Stintino and Asinara Island (a 110.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Coddu 'Ecchju Giants' Tomb and La Prisgiona Nuraghe, Capichera** (1 h 30 · Everyone; with children, best first thing or late in the afternoon · Desde 7 € per adult, both sites): In the Arzachena countryside, half an hour from the beaches of the Costa Smeralda, are two of the most photographed monuments of prehistoric Sardinia. The Coddu 'Ecchju giants' tomb is a collective Bronze Age burial with a 4.04-metre granite stele, and a kilometre away the La Prisgiona nuraghe keeps its tower and the village of huts that surrounded it. You can see them together in an hour and a half, with a €7 ticket.
What you see
Coddu 'Ecchju. The stele is an arched slab, with a frame in relief and a small opening at the bottom where offerings were left. At the sides opens the exedra, the semicircle of upright stones that served as a forecourt. Behind is the burial gallery, where the community was buried without distinction of age, sex or rank. According to the body that manages the park, the gallery was built between the 21st and 19th centuries BC and the exedra was added between the 18th and 17th centuries BC.
La Prisgiona. It is a complex nuraghe: a two-storey main tower, which today stands about seven metres high with its false dome of corbelled stones, inside a triangular bastion with two other towers. Around it spread a village of about four hectares, inhabited from the 14th to the 8th century BC. In the courtyard is the Meeting Hut, with its continuous bench, and a well more than seven metres deep that still has water. The excavations turned up a bread oven, pottery workshops and jugs for serving wine at the bottom of the well.
Getting there and parking
Both sites are in the locality of Capichera, about six kilometres from Arzachena on the SP14 provincial road towards Luogosanto. From Olbia it is about 40 minutes by car. The ticket office is at Coddu 'Ecchju: buy the ticket for both there and then continue to La Prisgiona, a kilometre away. The park's website gives no parking information.
Hours and price
They are open every day from 9:00 to 19:00. Entry to one monument costs €4, and the Capichera package, with both, €7. Under-12s go in free. There are five other monuments in the Arzachena archaeological park, such as the Li Muri necropolis and the Li Lolghi tomb, and the combined ticket lowers the price per site: €10 for three, €20 for all seven. For guided visits, the archaeology office answers on +39 393 897 5528.
When to go
In summer, first thing or after five: there is no shade and the granite gives back the heat. In spring and autumn it is fine at any time, and the countryside is green.
- **Spiaggia del Principe, the Pink Granite Beach Next to Romazzino** (4 h · 300 m · Adults and families who do not carry much · Free beach · paid parking): Spiaggia del Principe is on the Romazzino headland, south of Porto Cervo. It is the image most people have in their heads when they think of the Costa Smeralda: two arcs of white, very fine sand, separated by a promontory of pink granite, and water that goes from green to blue in a few metres.
Getting there
From Olbia, take the SS125 and the SP73 as far as the SP94, and from there via Romazzino. From Arzachena, take the SP59 towards Porto Cervo and then the SP94 towards Cala di Volpe. At the end of the road there is a barrier with a paid car park of only 25 spaces. From there you walk down about 300 metres, eight or ten minutes on a path partly paved and partly dirt. From Olbia, in total, about 40 minutes.
The summer beach bus, Lu Pustali, does not come here: the nearest stop is Capriccioli, a good walk away.
What you will find
The sand is among the finest on the coast. There is a small business that hires out sun loungers and parasols and a drinks stand, and the rest is free beach.
When to go
The beach faces south-east, so it is best on days of westerly wind, when it is sheltered. With an easterly or sirocco the swell comes in. In July and August, with 25 parking spaces, the key is to arrive before ten; at midday it is easy to find the barrier closed. In June and September it is much quieter.
With children and with a dog
With small children, think about the 300-metre walk carrying things and the fact that the bar is small. If you want something more comfortable, Capriccioli, a few minutes away, has more facilities and a bus stop. The consortium states that animals are not allowed on this beach.
If it is full
Next door is Romazzino beach, with a paid car park, also of 25 spaces, behind the sand. A good part belongs to the hotel of the same name, but there are beach clubs open to everyone.
- **Capriccioli, the Coves Sheltered from the Mistral, with Liscia Ruja Next Door** (4 h · Families and anyone who does not want to walk with bags · Free beach · paid parking): Capriccioli is the easiest beach on the Costa Smeralda. It is not one beach but several small coves of very fine, white sand with grey tones, wedged between granite boulders and scrub, on the road from Porto Cervo to Cala di Volpe. They are sheltered from the north-westerly wind, the mistral, which blows most on this coast, so it is the safe bet on days when other beaches have waves.
Getting there and parking
From Porto Cervo, take the SP59, the SP94 towards Abbiadori and the SP160 towards Capriccioli. A kilometre past the junction with via Romazzino there are paid car parks on both sides of the road. From Olbia it is about 40 minutes. The car park and the beach's service centre are run by GE.SE.CO., the Arzachena town council's company.
In summer the Lu Pustali beach bus stops here, the only way to reach this part of the coast without a car.
What you will find
An information point, sun lounger and parasol hire, bars, public toilets and showers. At the cove called Pirate Beach there is a jetty where boats and pedalos are hired.
Liscia Ruja, next door
If you are after a long beach, Liscia Ruja is a few minutes to the south. You get there along a dirt track of about two kilometres that leaves the SP160, about 100 metres after the Cala di Volpe junction. It has 80 paid parking spaces, sun loungers, boats, pedalos, kayaks, playgrounds and restaurants, and slightly coarser sand of a reddish tone. The consortium asks you to leave the car only in the Liscia Ruja and Li Itriceddi areas, never on the verge of the track.
With children and with a dog
It is the best option with small children: you park close and there are toilets, showers and a bar. Liscia Ruja, with its playgrounds, also works. Dogs are not allowed at either, according to the consortium.
- **Snorkelling Boat Trip from Poltu Quatu to Caprera and the Monaci Lighthouse** (3 h 15 · Those who can swim; children with an adult · Desde 55 € per adult): The clearest coves in northern Gallura do not always have a road. From Poltu Quatu, a small harbour between Porto Cervo and Baja Sardinia, the Orso Diving Club goes out by boat every day in season for snorkelling: in the morning towards the island of Caprera, about two miles away, and in the afternoon towards the Monaci lighthouse. The boat anchors offshore and you swim to the beaches, with mask and snorkel.
The four trips

Tahiti, from 9:15 to 12:30, at Caprera: €60 adults and €30 under-8s.
Caprera Tour, from 15:15 to 18:30: €70 and €35.
Faro dei Monaci, from 15:00 to 17:30: €55 and €30.
Dolphin Watching, from 9:00 to 13:00, spotting cetaceans in open sea: €80 and €40, with water, tea and biscuits on board.

On all four you are given a mask, snorkel, fins and a shorty wetsuit. The beaches of Caprera are marked off with buoys and can only be reached by swimming: the boat does not dock.
Who it suits
Anyone who swims confidently and wants to see granite and posidonia seabeds without diving with a tank. For families it is a good way to spend a morning at sea: under-8s pay half. The website does not publish a minimum age for snorkelling; ask when booking if you are travelling with small children.
If you dive, the same centre runs tank dives from €80 for a single dive, cheaper per dive from the second one, at Caprera, the island of the Monaci and, with a supplement, in the Strait of Bonifacio. The centre has been operating since 1987.
Getting there and booking
The base is at Poltu Quatu, about 40 minutes from Olbia by car. If you are staying between Porto Cervo and Baja Sardinia, the centre offers a hotel transfer for €10. You book online from the page of each trip or on +39 0789 99001 and +39 348 064 1825. The base opens from 8:00 to 19:00.
When to go
Trips depend on the weather and on there being a minimum number of participants. The water is around 18–19 °C in May and 24–26 °C in August: in June and September you are fine with the shorty wetsuit they lend you. The website does not publish season dates.
- **Gallura Vermentino Tasting at the Vigne Surrau Winery, Arzachena** (1 h 30 · Adults; someone who does not drink drives · Desde 45 € per person): Gallura is vermentino country, the white wine that goes with fish all along the coast. Vigne Surrau is a winery on the road that links Arzachena with Porto Cervo, at the foot of the countryside and close to the beaches, and it receives visitors all year with tastings lasting from an hour and a half to three and a half hours. It is the plan for the afternoon when you want no more sun, or for rounding off a morning at the Capichera nuraghi.
The winery
Surrau's headquarters are in the locality of Chilvagghja, among vines and granite. The building combines glass façades and local stone walls, designed, according to the winery itself, to save energy and blend into the land. The website does not publish the year of foundation, hectares or grape varieties, so ask during the visit about whatever interests you in the wines.
Which tastings there are
The winery publishes nine options, all booked on its website:

I Colori del Territorio, €45, 1 h 30: the shortest and cheapest.
Il Vermentino in Gallura, €65, 2 h: focused on the area's white wine.
Le Eccellenze, €70, 3 h, or €60 in 2 h without the winery tour.
Oltre le Eccellenze, €80, 3 h.
La Dolce Vita and L'Appuntamento, from €80, 3 h 30.
Aperitivo Gourmet, €45, 1 h, and Brunch, €55, 1 h 30, with food.

The page does not detail which wines or dishes are included in each, the languages or the minimum age. You will see it when booking in their system, or ask on +39 0789 82933.
Opening hours
Surrau is open every day with hours that lengthen with summer: from 10:00 to 20:00 from November to February, until 21:00 in March, April and October, until 22:00 from May to July and in September, and until 23:00 in August. Tastings are always by advance reservation.
Getting there
The winery is on the provincial road between Porto Cervo and Arzachena, a few kilometres from Arzachena. From Olbia, a little over half an hour by car. If you are coming from Coddu 'Ecchju and La Prisgiona, it is about 10 minutes. Decide beforehand who is driving: the winery does not mention any bus that reaches it.
- **A Walk Around Porto Cervo: the Piazzetta, the Harbour and Stella Maris Church** (1 h · Everyone · Free): Porto Cervo is not an old village: it was built from scratch by the Consorzio Costa Smeralda, founded in 1962, in an almost uninhabited part of Gallura, as a self-sufficient centre designed for tourism. What you will see is 1960s architecture imitating a Mediterranean village: rustic walls, irregular corners, plaster mixed with ground granite and natural pigments, untreated wood. You can walk round it in an hour, and in the evening it has the most atmosphere.
The Piazzetta and the harbour
The centre is the Piazzetta, a small square, and the walk that goes down to the marina. The streets and villas around follow the same curved line. In summer the harbour is full of boats; out of season many shops close and the village is almost empty, which also has its charm if you only want to stroll.
Stella Maris church
On the heights, looking over the harbour, is Stella Maris church, which can be seen from afar and serves as a landmark for those arriving by sea. It was designed in 1966 by the architect Michele Busiri Vici in a neo-Mediterranean style: white rounded volumes, a curved bell tower with an iron cross and a portico of six stone pillars. The bronze doors, with the Annunciation and Christian symbols, are by Luciano Minguzzi, and on the façade there are two sculptures by Pinuccio Sciola, of Saint Joseph and of John Paul II.
Inside, the floor is granite and the light enters through stained glass. It has a 16th-century Mater Dolorosa attributed to El Greco, which arrived as a donation, a Neapolitan pipe organ by the De Martino family, from the 17th or 18th century, and two crucifixes of the German school. The attribution of the painting to El Greco is not certain: Italy's official tourism website presents it with caution. The official sources do not publish visiting hours.
Getting there and parking
Porto Cervo is about 45 minutes from Olbia along the SS125 and the SP59. In summer it is not easy to park near the Piazzetta; arrive early or in the late afternoon. From Poltu Quatu, if you are coming from the snorkelling, it is about ten minutes.
With a dog
The streets and the harbour promenade are public space: with the dog on a lead there is no problem. Inside the church, no.
- **Olbia in a Morning: the Basilica of San Simplicio and the Archaeological Museum** (2 h · Everyone; a good option for the day of arrival or departure · Free): Olbia is usually just the airport and the port, but it has two visits that fit into a morning: the basilica of San Simplicio, which the regional tourist office presents as the oldest Christian monument in Sardinia, and the archaeological museum, with the ships found when the ancient harbour was excavated. It is what to do on the day you arrive or the day you leave.
The basilica of San Simplicio
San Simplicio was built between the late 11th and early 12th centuries, and is the most important church in the north-east of the island. It is on via San Simplicio. At the foot of the altar is the necropolis museum, with about 450 Punic and Roman, later Christian, tombs, on which the church was built.
In mid-May, Olbia celebrates its patron saint with the feast of San Simplicio: a procession in traditional costume and the Palio della Stella. If you coincide, it is worth it.
The archaeological museum
It is on the islet of Peddone, in the old harbour, next to the Molo Brin. The most striking thing is the ship remains: in 1999, when the old harbour was excavated, 24 wrecks turned up, some of them sunk during a Vandal siege. It also holds a hoard of almost 900 gold coins. Admission is free.
Sardegna Cultura publishes hours of Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00 to 13:00, but other sources give different hours: call before going if you are counting on it on a particular day.
Around the centre
Between one visit and the other you can see ancient Olbia without entering anywhere: on via Torino there are remains of Carthaginian towers and walls, and next to the town hall, traces of the Roman forum. The walk is flat and short.
Getting there
From the airport, lines 2 and 10 of the ASPO city bus drop you at via Mameli, in the centre, for €1. From the centre you walk to San Simplicio and the museum. By car, you reach the museum along the Molo Brin.
With children
The museum's ships and gold coins work well with primary-school children, and the visit is short and free.

## Dónde comer
- **Bacchus, the Jazz Hotel Restaurant in Olbia, Open Every Day** (Restaurant, Olbia, €€). Qué pedir: at lunchtime, the paccheri with stracciatella or the Bacchus salad; in the evening, the black fregola with clams and bottarga or the Bortigali beef tagliata.
- **Agriturismo Rena, Fixed Gallurese Menu with Farm Produce, in Arzachena** (Restaurant, Arzachena). Qué pedir: let yourself be guided by the fixed menu and do not fill up on the board of cured meats and cheeses: the zuppa gallurese, the oven-roast meat and the ricotta with honey come afterwards.
- **Lu Pisantinu, Gallurese Land-and-Sea Cooking with a Terrace over Porto Cervo** (Restaurant, Liscia di Vacca, Porto Cervo, €€€€). Qué pedir: the chijusoni with guinea fowl ragù and black truffle or the culurgiones with crustacean sauce, and for a main course the rack of lamb or the fish of the day from the display.

## By plane: Flying to Olbia and Hiring a Car on the Costa Smeralda
Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB) is the coast's airport. From Spain, only Barcelona has a direct flight to Olbia; from other cities you fly with a connection or to another Sardinian airport and cross the island by car. From the airport, the beaches in the south of the Costa Smeralda are about 40 minutes away and Porto Cervo about 45.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Tenuta Pilastru, Countryside Estate with Spa beside the Li Muri Necropolis, in Arzachena** (Country house): Tenuta Pilastru is the other face of the Costa Smeralda: the Gallura countryside, among junipers, wild olive trees, dry-stone walls and granite boulders. The estate has 150 hectares five kilometres from Arzachena and between twelve and fifteen from the sea, according to the page, and grew up around a stazzo, the traditional Gallurese farmhouse, dating from 1840. It is run by the Filigheddu family, who began raising livestock in 1980 and in 2005 commissioned the architect Savin Couelle to design the buildings that now stand around the old house. It is the base for anyone who wants beach in the morning and silence at night, without the coastal prices.
The rooms
There are 49, of stone and wood and with country-style furniture, spread among the greenery and in the shade of old trees. The Classic rooms, 20 to 25 m², were the first and face the garden with their veranda; the Superior, about 25 m², have a terrace over the countryside; the Superior Comfort, 28 m², large terraces with sofas under the wild olive trees. The Family Rooms, about 30 m², have a double bed and single beds. The Suites are 50 m² with a living room, and the three Lodge Deluxe, detached, up to 55 m². There are also apartments with kitchens, such as the Quercia, with two bedrooms with bathroom.
The restaurant and the spa
The restaurant occupies the old stazzo, among granite boulders. It cooks dishes from the Gallurese tradition with meat and wine from the estate itself and pasta rolled by hand every day, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. In the morning, a breakfast buffet with home-made sweets; in the evening, à la carte. It is also open to those not staying on the estate, at lunchtime and in the evening, always by reservation. The house also runs fresh pasta cookery classes.
The wellness centre offers massages, face and body treatments and a room with fitness equipment, and has its own telephone for booking: +39 0789 83354. The pool is outdoors, among wild olive trees.
Getting there and what is nearby
The estate is in the locality of Pilastru, at kilometre 5 of the road from Arzachena. From Olbia it is about 45 minutes by car, and to Spiaggia del Principe, about 35. A few metres away is the Li Muri necropolis, one of the sites of the Arzachena archaeological park, and a few minutes by car the giants' tombs and nuraghi of Capichera.
- **La Tiara di Cervo, 25 Suites with Kitchens and Infinity Pools above Porto Cervo Harbour** (Hotel): La Tiara di Cervo is a hotel of 25 large suites at Liscia di Vacca, on the hillside facing Porto Cervo marina. It occupies ten hectares of Mediterranean scrub, among centuries-old olive trees, junipers and granite, inside a protected natural park. It is the luxury option on this page, designed for stays of several days as a couple, a family or a group: each suite has a kitchen, and the hotel works more like a set of serviced residences than a hotel of corridors.
The suites
There are suites of one, two and three bedrooms and a penthouse, La Tiara Penthouse, with large spaces inside and out. They are spread over four zones named after precious stones: Paraiba, Acquamarina, Citrino and Smeraldo. The materials are local stone, Sardinian granite and marble and reclaimed pieces, with private gardens and terraces facing the sea. All have a living room and a kitchen with a pantry of Sardinian produce, and breakfast, à la carte from 7:30 to 11:00, is served in the suite or in the restaurant below the lobby.
All stays include daily cleaning, a welcome basket, soft drinks in the fridge, two infinity pools, a gym of about 52 m² open 24 hours, private parking, concierge and security day and night. For an extra charge there is a private chef, transfers, a nanny, laundry, boat hire and massages in the suite.
Beach, Porto Cervo and children
The hotel has reserved sun loungers on Cala Granu beach, five minutes away, with a free shuttle, and another shuttle to Porto Cervo and the harbour from 8:00 to 20:00. For children there is a supervised area from 9:00 to 19:00. It accepts dogs of up to 10 kg and cats of up to 3 kg, with a €50 supplement per night and animal.
The hotel's local-cuisine restaurant is Lu Pisantinu, the Gallurese restaurant of the Orecchioni family, open Tuesday to Saturday evenings, and beside the pool there is another restaurant open all day.
Getting there
From Olbia airport it is 33 km, about 35 minutes along the SS125 towards Liscia di Vacca. The hotel arranges private transfers for an extra charge. Porto Cervo is five minutes away, and Poltu Quatu, where the snorkelling boat trip departs, less than ten.
Booking and conditions
Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00, with late check-out on request. All rates require a deposit or prepayment, and cancellation depends on the rate. The website does not publish prices or an official star rating.
- **Jazz Hotel, a Four-Star with a Pool between Olbia's Airport and Centre** (Hotel): The Jazz Hotel is a four-star hotel in Olbia on via degli Astronauti, in the area of hotels and shops between the airport and the centre. It is not a beach hotel or one for long holidays: it is the practical bed for the night you land late or the last one before the flight, with a pool for free time and a restaurant open every day on the ground floor.
The rooms
There are four types: standard double, superior with balcony, junior suite and suite with a whirlpool bath. The standards measure 24 to 27 m² and have a queen bed, adjustable air conditioning, wifi, minibar, safe, television, desk and hairdryer. The style is modern, with bright colours, in keeping with the hotel's name: the meeting rooms are called Jazz, Blues and Fusion. The website does not publish how many rooms there are or the check-in and check-out times, but it offers early check-in and late check-out on request, subject to availability, which is useful with flights at odd hours.
Pool, relaxation and restaurant
The hotel has an outdoor pool with sun loungers and parasols and a relaxation area; the website does not say in which months the pool is open. In the same building is Bacchus, the hotel restaurant, which according to the Michelin Guide is open every day at lunchtime and in the evening and has a veranda facing the pool. At lunchtime it serves a simple menu; in the evening, Sardinian fish and meat dishes. The website mentions a half-board rate.
Getting there and what is nearby
The website itself gives the distances: 50 metres to the bus stop for the airport, 500 to the airport taxi rank, 2 km to the centre of Olbia, 3 km to the train station and 1 km to the Marina di Olbia marina. There is a shopping centre 700 metres away. If you arrive without a car, you can go from the airport to the hotel by bus or taxi and hire the car the next day.
From here, the centre of Olbia, with the basilica of San Simplicio and the archaeological museum, is a short step away. Porto Cervo and the beaches of the Costa Smeralda are about 40 or 45 minutes by car.
### Servicios
- **Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB)**: The airport of the Costa Smeralda, about 5 km from the centre of Olbia; direct flight from Barcelona and car hire at the terminal.
- **ASPO Buses 2 and 10 between the Airport and the Centre of Olbia**: City bus from the airport to via Mameli, in the centre of Olbia, for €1; also on a combined ticket with the train.

## By car: By Car Through the Costa Smeralda and the Arzachena Countryside
A car is the way to see the Costa Smeralda: the beaches are scattered along provincial roads with small paid car parks, and the nuraghi and wineries are in the countryside. Distances are short, under an hour between any point and the airport, but the roads are winding and in August there is traffic.
Presupuesto orientativo: 120–300 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Tenuta Pilastru, Countryside Estate with Spa beside the Li Muri Necropolis, in Arzachena** (Country house): Tenuta Pilastru is the other face of the Costa Smeralda: the Gallura countryside, among junipers, wild olive trees, dry-stone walls and granite boulders. The estate has 150 hectares five kilometres from Arzachena and between twelve and fifteen from the sea, according to the page, and grew up around a stazzo, the traditional Gallurese farmhouse, dating from 1840. It is run by the Filigheddu family, who began raising livestock in 1980 and in 2005 commissioned the architect Savin Couelle to design the buildings that now stand around the old house. It is the base for anyone who wants beach in the morning and silence at night, without the coastal prices.
The rooms
There are 49, of stone and wood and with country-style furniture, spread among the greenery and in the shade of old trees. The Classic rooms, 20 to 25 m², were the first and face the garden with their veranda; the Superior, about 25 m², have a terrace over the countryside; the Superior Comfort, 28 m², large terraces with sofas under the wild olive trees. The Family Rooms, about 30 m², have a double bed and single beds. The Suites are 50 m² with a living room, and the three Lodge Deluxe, detached, up to 55 m². There are also apartments with kitchens, such as the Quercia, with two bedrooms with bathroom.
The restaurant and the spa
The restaurant occupies the old stazzo, among granite boulders. It cooks dishes from the Gallurese tradition with meat and wine from the estate itself and pasta rolled by hand every day, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. In the morning, a breakfast buffet with home-made sweets; in the evening, à la carte. It is also open to those not staying on the estate, at lunchtime and in the evening, always by reservation. The house also runs fresh pasta cookery classes.
The wellness centre offers massages, face and body treatments and a room with fitness equipment, and has its own telephone for booking: +39 0789 83354. The pool is outdoors, among wild olive trees.
Getting there and what is nearby
The estate is in the locality of Pilastru, at kilometre 5 of the road from Arzachena. From Olbia it is about 45 minutes by car, and to Spiaggia del Principe, about 35. A few metres away is the Li Muri necropolis, one of the sites of the Arzachena archaeological park, and a few minutes by car the giants' tombs and nuraghi of Capichera.
- **La Tiara di Cervo, 25 Suites with Kitchens and Infinity Pools above Porto Cervo Harbour** (Hotel): La Tiara di Cervo is a hotel of 25 large suites at Liscia di Vacca, on the hillside facing Porto Cervo marina. It occupies ten hectares of Mediterranean scrub, among centuries-old olive trees, junipers and granite, inside a protected natural park. It is the luxury option on this page, designed for stays of several days as a couple, a family or a group: each suite has a kitchen, and the hotel works more like a set of serviced residences than a hotel of corridors.
The suites
There are suites of one, two and three bedrooms and a penthouse, La Tiara Penthouse, with large spaces inside and out. They are spread over four zones named after precious stones: Paraiba, Acquamarina, Citrino and Smeraldo. The materials are local stone, Sardinian granite and marble and reclaimed pieces, with private gardens and terraces facing the sea. All have a living room and a kitchen with a pantry of Sardinian produce, and breakfast, à la carte from 7:30 to 11:00, is served in the suite or in the restaurant below the lobby.
All stays include daily cleaning, a welcome basket, soft drinks in the fridge, two infinity pools, a gym of about 52 m² open 24 hours, private parking, concierge and security day and night. For an extra charge there is a private chef, transfers, a nanny, laundry, boat hire and massages in the suite.
Beach, Porto Cervo and children
The hotel has reserved sun loungers on Cala Granu beach, five minutes away, with a free shuttle, and another shuttle to Porto Cervo and the harbour from 8:00 to 20:00. For children there is a supervised area from 9:00 to 19:00. It accepts dogs of up to 10 kg and cats of up to 3 kg, with a €50 supplement per night and animal.
The hotel's local-cuisine restaurant is Lu Pisantinu, the Gallurese restaurant of the Orecchioni family, open Tuesday to Saturday evenings, and beside the pool there is another restaurant open all day.
Getting there
From Olbia airport it is 33 km, about 35 minutes along the SS125 towards Liscia di Vacca. The hotel arranges private transfers for an extra charge. Porto Cervo is five minutes away, and Poltu Quatu, where the snorkelling boat trip departs, less than ten.
Booking and conditions
Check-in from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00, with late check-out on request. All rates require a deposit or prepayment, and cancellation depends on the rate. The website does not publish prices or an official star rating.
- **Jazz Hotel, a Four-Star with a Pool between Olbia's Airport and Centre** (Hotel): The Jazz Hotel is a four-star hotel in Olbia on via degli Astronauti, in the area of hotels and shops between the airport and the centre. It is not a beach hotel or one for long holidays: it is the practical bed for the night you land late or the last one before the flight, with a pool for free time and a restaurant open every day on the ground floor.
The rooms
There are four types: standard double, superior with balcony, junior suite and suite with a whirlpool bath. The standards measure 24 to 27 m² and have a queen bed, adjustable air conditioning, wifi, minibar, safe, television, desk and hairdryer. The style is modern, with bright colours, in keeping with the hotel's name: the meeting rooms are called Jazz, Blues and Fusion. The website does not publish how many rooms there are or the check-in and check-out times, but it offers early check-in and late check-out on request, subject to availability, which is useful with flights at odd hours.
Pool, relaxation and restaurant
The hotel has an outdoor pool with sun loungers and parasols and a relaxation area; the website does not say in which months the pool is open. In the same building is Bacchus, the hotel restaurant, which according to the Michelin Guide is open every day at lunchtime and in the evening and has a veranda facing the pool. At lunchtime it serves a simple menu; in the evening, Sardinian fish and meat dishes. The website mentions a half-board rate.
Getting there and what is nearby
The website itself gives the distances: 50 metres to the bus stop for the airport, 500 to the airport taxi rank, 2 km to the centre of Olbia, 3 km to the train station and 1 km to the Marina di Olbia marina. There is a shopping centre 700 metres away. If you arrive without a car, you can go from the airport to the hotel by bus or taxi and hire the car the next day.
From here, the centre of Olbia, with the basilica of San Simplicio and the archaeological museum, is a short step away. Porto Cervo and the beaches of the Costa Smeralda are about 40 or 45 minutes by car.

## As a family: The Costa Smeralda with Children

With children, the Costa Smeralda works better if you choose beaches with facilities and alternate the sea with something different: a giants' tomb, a boat trip or the Roman ships in Olbia's museum. Driving distances are short, almost everything is under an hour away.

### What works best
Capriccioli, with parking nearby, bar, toilets and showers, and Liscia Ruja, with playgrounds

Coddu 'Ecchju and La Prisgiona, free for under-12s and done in an hour and a half

Snorkelling boat trip from Poltu Quatu, half price for under-8s

Olbia's museum, free, with ships and gold coins

### Where to stay
Tenuta Pilastru, with Family Rooms, apartments and a pool in the countryside

La Tiara di Cervo, with multi-bedroom suites and a supervised children's area

### Where to eat
Agriturismo Rena: a long fixed menu, better at lunchtime with children

Bacchus, in Olbia, with a simple lunchtime menu

### Bear in mind
At Spiaggia del Principe you walk 300 m from the car park

There is no shade at the nuragic sites: go first thing

Dogs are not allowed on the main beaches

### Qué hacer as a family
- Coddu 'Ecchju Giants' Tomb and La Prisgiona Nuraghe, Capichera
- Capriccioli, the Coves Sheltered from the Mistral, with Liscia Ruja Next Door
- Snorkelling Boat Trip from Poltu Quatu to Caprera and the Monaci Lighthouse
- Olbia in a Morning: the Basilica of San Simplicio and the Archaeological Museum

## Consejos

### Get to the coves early
The car parks at the Spiaggia del Principe or Romazzino have 25 spaces. In summer, before ten.

### Check the wind
With a mistral, go to the sheltered north-west coves, such as Capriccioli; with a westerly, the Spiaggia del Principe is better.

### Leave the dog at home for the beach
The consortium states that animals are not admitted at Capriccioli, the Spiaggia del Principe, Liscia Ruja, Pevero and Romazzino.

### Combine sea and countryside
A beach morning and an afternoon at Capichera or a winery is the best day in the area in summer: the countryside is cheaper and empty.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Is there a direct flight from Spain to Olbia?
Yes, from Barcelona. From other Spanish cities there is no direct flight to Olbia: you fly with a connection or to another Sardinian airport.

### How long does it take from Olbia to Porto Cervo?
About 45 minutes by car. To the beaches at the south of the coast, such as Capriccioli, about 40.

### Do you have to pay for Costa Smeralda beaches?
The sand is free; the car parks are paid and some areas have sunbeds and parasols for hire.

### Can you take a dog to the beach?
Not to the main ones: the consortium states that animals are not admitted at Capriccioli, the Spiaggia del Principe, Liscia Ruja, Pevero or Romazzino.

### What is there to see besides beaches?
The giants' tombs and nuraghi of Arzachena, the Stella Maris church in Porto Cervo, a vermentino winery and, in Olbia, the basilica of San Simplicio.

### How many days do I need?
Three or four days to combine two or three beaches, Porto Cervo, the Arzachena countryside and a boat trip.