Olbia in Sardinia – a beach paradise

After talking about visting Sardinia for years, we finally got round to booking a five night trip in early September. Sardinia (or Sardegna as the Italians call it) is a really large island – around 24,000 square kms and almost 2,000 kms of coastline. It has four provinces and three international airports. We opted to fly into and stay in Olbia, which is in the North-East of the island. From London, it’s about a 2 hour 20 minute flight and many airlines fly there.

Now, I’ve seen Instagram pictures of Sardinia and was aware of its stunning beaches… all clear, crystal water and white sand. But seeing it in the flesh still blew me away! I’ve been to the Caribbean and I have to say, Sardinia definitely gives it a run for its money (plus, it’s much closer!). This is Cala Brandinchi, affectionately known as ‘little Tahiti’ and is about a 20 minute drive from Olbia city centre and close to the town of San Teodoro. Can you believe this is in Europe?! We were also very lucky with the weather. Every day was cloudless, hot but not too hot, and sunny.

What’s amazing about Sardinia is that there are beaches like this EVERYWHERE. It’s not surprising that Sardinian beaches often feature in the ‘best beaches of the world’ awards. I’ve seen a LOT of beaches around the world and not many compare to the ones we saw (and swam in) in Olbia.

Lu Impostu

Porto Taverna

Porto Cervo

I’m pretty certain you’d agree that Sardinia’s beaches are spectacular! Of course, if you’re not a ‘beach person’ there are other things to do. Olbia has a lot of shopping malls and Porto Cervo and Porto Rotundo are lovely marinas with (mainly luxury brand) shops and restaurants.

The historical centre in Olbia is quite small but there is a free National Archaeological Museum to visit. Also, despite there being lots of beaches, Sardinia is also quite rugged and mountainous and there are many hiking trails. If you fancy something a bit different, you can go horse riding.

What was really interesting to us about Sardinia – or at least Olbia – was how modern it was. It almost doesn’t feel Italian! Apart from the historical centre, all the houses, shopping centres and resorts are quite new. I’ve never been anywhere in Italy where it is so modern and it reminded me a bit of Kwa-Zulu Natal, where I am from in South Africa. We too have beaches with mountains not too far away and as we’re a relatively new country (in terms of history) our homes and buildings are quite modern. The photo above could easily be the Drakensberg.

If you are looking for a beach holiday then I absolutely recommend you look into Sardinia!

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