European {Honeymoon-Inspired} Travel Journal: Sardinia

ENTRY NO.28 // SARDINIA

A few weeks ago, I took off with a dear friend of mine, B, for a long weekend in Sardinia {which is a big island off the coast of Italy ... in case you were like whaaaa?}. My hubby was away on yet another business trip and when my BFF and I found round-trip flights for less than 50 euro, we were on that like bees to honey. And I'm so glad we took this spontaneous little trip. Sardinia is seriously a jewel - an overlooked jewel ... which, in my mind, is the best kind. ;) I think this little island would make for a fabulous honeymoon locale and I hope my tips can help you plan just that!

Alghero's coastline. Seriously - couldn't this be the setting for The Little Mermaid?
I think I hear Eric and Max playing in the distance! :P

Traveling to Sardinia in late November, we encountered exactly 0 tourists ... and not that many locals, either. For some, this might be a drawback but for us, it was heaven. There were no crowds to fight and it felt like we had the whole island practically to ourselves. The first day it was a little windy and rainy and chilly but we made it work and we were treated to warm + glowing sunshine for the rest of our trip.

We stayed in the town of Alghero and had a beautiful view of the coastline from our room along with a free spa package. For more info on the hotel, check out my top tips at the bottom of the post. Alghero is a charming town with winding cobblestone roads, chippy pastel-colored buildings and fresh laundry hanging from every available window {which I could not stop photographing - it's soooo Italian, no?}

On our second day, we tried to catch a boat out to Capo Caccia to see the famed Neptune's Grotto but were told they weren't running because it was low season. Boo. So we found a bus that took us out there and enjoyed a stunning hour-long ride {shown above} to the cliff. Unfortunately, the waves were too rough in the grotto {we could hear them pounding} and so we weren't allowed to walk down but we still explored the coastline. Then we decided to take another bus to Boza city which was another hour from Alghero. The coastal views were again stunning but the Italian bus driver's preferred driving style {we're talking NASCAR-style on steeeeeep cliffs with no guard rails} kinda distracted me from any pretty views. I had experienced a near-fatal taxi ride in Rome but that was nothing compared to this cray cray bus ride. Between sweaty palms and steadying breaths to keep my cannoli and Campari down, I was praying we'd just make it back to Alghero in one piece. We did ... but it was a close call, I tell ya.

Boza city was small but adorable. It felt like a perfectly preserved Italian town that tourists had yet to discover. The house and boat colors were so cheerful and vibrant. Oh, and the people here were so incredibly friendly. It was hard to leave.

We found some hidden alleyways in Boza city and hiked to the top of the hill to discover this pretty view. While it might have been nice to have a few more days in Sardinia, our little trip was a great getaway and I enjoyed every minute of it {even the death-defying maneuvers our bus driver tried out on the coastal cliffs!}.

Sniff Sniff. Bye Sardinia! {You can see Capo Caccia on the left.}

Obviously, I think Sardinia would be amazing for a honeymoon.

So here are my top tips to help you make that happen:

CB's Top Tips for Sardinia:

Alghero and Boza City are the two areas we spent our time. I would highly recommend staying in either or both. Alghero seemed to have a bit more going on, though.

Hotel Margherita. If you want 5-star luxe accommodations, this isn't it. But it fit our needs perfectly. Clean rooms with gorgeous views {ask for a front-facing room on the 3rd floor or up}. Yummy breakfast. The rooftop view is also amazing and worth checking out. And my favorite? Free included spa package! The hotel just recently added a heated pool + hot tub that has a cool grotto vibe going on and they also have Turkish baths, salt caves and saunas. It was fun to unwind each night in the spa after a little Sardinian wine.

Sartoria del Gusto. Definitely our favorite restaurant of the trip - so much so, we visited it twice! The service was incredible and the owner was a delight to talk with. We tried the daily special for dinner and were not disappointed. The mixed salad and tiramisu were also delicious.

Capo Caccia / Neptune's Grotto. If you're staying in Alghero, I would definitely try to visit the grotto if it's open. Even if it's not, the ride out there is stunning and I don't think you'd be disappointed. Boat rides are supposedly easy to catch during the spring and summer months but buses run year-round.

Souvenirs? Coral is abundant off the shores of Sardinia and you'll see it for sale everywhere - necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. You'll also find lots of turquoise jewelry. Prices are good, too. I was particularly smitten with some conch shells that had scenes carved on the sides but since they started at around 1800 euro, I admired them through the glass case, snapped a photo or two and moved on ... but if you're looking for something really special to remember your honeymoon, that might be the perfect thing. :)

Have you been to Sardinia? If you have any tips, insights, suggestions or comments, I'd love to hear them! Happy Honeymooning!

Did you miss the other entries of CB's Travel Journal? Click here to catch up! ;o)

All images by moi.

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