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Hello, my name is Claudia. I was born and raised in Sardinia and I still call it home. I am the mastermind behind the Sweetly Sardinia travel blog and now the Sweetly Sardinia podcast where each week I will bring you the best of Sardinia and share my most useful tips that will help you plan a memorable trip to my wonderful island. Today we're going to talk about one of my favorite topics, the best beaches in Sardinia. It's a great topic now, especially as you're probably planning your summer holidays to my beloved island. Now the great news I have for you is that we have gorgeous beaches in Sardinia. Around the island, you don't need to ever travel far to find a gorgeous place that you can relax in. Sometimes people email me or call me and say, hey Claudia, you know, I am in Olbia and I want to visit La Pelosa beach in Stintino and it's so far and I'm thinking there are so many gorgeous beaches nearby. Why do you need to drive two hours away just for a beach? You know, you have some people have this obsession that unless they visit that specific beach, they're missing out. Now that's not the case in Sardinia. As I said, we have thousands of beaches around the island and you don't need to drive two hours to get to a beautiful place when there is one that is likely just as gorgeous, 10 minutes drive at best. So I won't be giving you an exhaustive list of the best beaches in Sardinia. It's impossible, we have too many. I'll give you what I find are my favorite beaches. So you can visit all of these beaches thinking this is, this was recommended by a local. Let me start with the Oasi di Biderosa in Oroseill. Now the Oasi di Biederosa in Oroseill is located along a coast that we call Golfo di Rosail, but internationally is often referred to as Baune Coast. It's a series of five small coves and a pond in the east coast of Sardinia, towards the north in a protecting natural park. These coves have the softest sand, the clearest water and they are backed by beautiful Mediterranean vegetation, pine forest and some of them are serviced so you're gonna find a place to rent umbrellas. And some of them are completely natural so you won't find anything. You're gonna have to bring everything you need for your day and they're all suitable for families there. This life saving service if you need. And this is a protected beach though and you're going to have to book your, your, your Visit. Now, another beach I love. Oh, this is a jewel of Sardinia, Cala Goloriza. It's located in the B coast and it's an Italian jam. Now, getting to this beach isn't really that easy. This beach is very secluded. You can only get there by hike. Now, there are some boat tours that stop along the coast of Baunai that allow you to see Cala Golorica from a distance. But if you actually want to spend time at the beach, you're gonna have to hike. And it's an hour and 15 minutes hike down. And on the way back up, it's at least an hour and a half and it's quite steep. So you have to be quite fit for this hike and you have to keep in mind that it's going to be hot if you visit in the summer. Now, this beach is stunning and it's protected, so you're going to have to book your visit if you want to go. Now, on my site I have a full post dedicated to how to visit Kalagoloriza. Don't worry, I will give you a link in the description of the podcast, so. So that you can easily access it and I explain everything you need to know to make sure that you reach this wonderful beach not far from it. Another wonderful beach that is very famous among both, well, locals, Italians and foreign tourists. Cala Mariolo, again, part of the Baune coast. The local name for it is Ispolige de nie. Snowflakes, literally, because Cala Mariolo is made of teeny, tiny grains of what looks like rice almost. They're tiny white pebbles and the water is impossibly clear, but also immediately deep. Families love it, you know, children love staying there because swimming is just a wonderful experience. And the beach is quite sheltered from the wind, so it's always, it's always protected. Cala Mariolu is another protected beach in Sardinia that can only be reached via, well, Astranius height. Like, I. I won't recommend it because I've not done it or by boat. And the best way to get there is on a boat tour because the boats know there. There's a limit, there's a time limit to how long people can stay and boats usually will know how, when to drop you off and when to pick you back up. They. They have agreements. So this is another beach that you have to visit. I also love, again, part of the Bounty Coast. I feel like I'm always talking about the Banai coast when I talk about the best beaches in Sardinia. Another beach I love is Cala Luna. Cala Luna is has appeared in many movies filmed in Sardinia just because it's so beautiful. It's the longest beach in the Baunai coast. It's framed by limestone cliffs and surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation. And again, the easiest way to get there is by boat from either Santa Maria Navarrese or Calagonone, which are actually at either end of the Baunet coast. Otherwise you can get there on a hike that starts in Calafuiri, which is the very last beach that is accessible by car from Calagonone. It's a wonderful beach with there are caves that you can explore. The sand is nice. It's a wonderful place for snorkeling. Now I'm going to move to a different area of Sardinia and talk to you about Calacutico. Calacutcio is located in Caprera Island. It's just out of this world. This is another protected beach in Sardinia. You cannot go on your own. But the only way to get there and get to spend time at the beach is via a hike that you have to book with one of the guides of La Maddalena National Park. Again, I have a post on my blog that explains exactly what you need to do to find a guide to get you to Calacuticio. The hike is not too difficult. It takes about an hour to get there and an hour to go back up. But you're gonna have. You're gonna need a hiking shoes once you get there. It's a tiny, tiny cove. Really small and the color of the water is out of this world. The beach is completely surrounded by thick Mediterranean vegetation. Is just paradise. I also want to mention Calabrandinki in San Teodoro. The beach is backed by a lagoon where you see can spot pink flamingos depending on the season. It's again another protected beach of Sardinia. From the beach you can spot the massive of Tavolara island which is just another gorgeous place to visit. You can get there by boat. It is a sandy beach with very, very shallow waters. Loved by children because it's so safe, so easy to play there. And it's protected from the wind. It's just stunning. I'm gonna now mention Likosi beach in Costa Paradiso. That's the nearest village. It's a bit more difficult to get to compared to other beaches in Sardinia because there is about half a mile from walk from the parking lot. Once you get there, you're surrounded by this massive pink granite rocks. It's sheltered from the wind, so it's A wonderful place to spend some time, even on windy days. A wonderful place to snorkel. The color of the water is just out of this world. Finally, now I'm getting to talk about La Pelosa. La Pelosa is probably the most famous beach in Sardinia. Well, the most famous beach in, well, I want to say the Mediterranean. It's a protected beach located on the north western tip of Sardinia, facing the island of Azinara. You're gonna have to book your visit in advance and it can be quite a struggle because it's such a popular spot. It's honestly a paradise. Imagine the softest whites, sand and really shallow clear waters. There is an Aragonese watch Spanish watchtower on one one end of the of the beach. You know, although they only allowed no more than 1500 visitors per day. The beach can get quite crowded. You know, it's, it's quite, it's fairly small. So if you want to visit, make sure that you know you're on top of your game and you book your stay, you book your visit. Another beach that I really, really love and that tourists almost never know about is Rena Mayore della Norra. It's not too far from Stintino. In fact, I think I once visited because I wanted an alternative that was more secluded, not as crowded, it's quite isolated. You're gonna have to hike down a trail to get there. It's not hard. But just so you know that it's not the kind of place where you park your car and you immediately access the beach. And the beach is made of tiny, of small pebbles so it's not too comfortable. Bring a small chair if you can. And because of the fact that there's no sand but just pebbles, some children may not like it, but the water is just out of this world. Transparent, just so, so beautiful. One of my, one of my favorite places. Now moving to the west coast of Sardinia, let me tell you about Isarutas. Isarutas is one of the most famous beaches in the Sinis peninsula. It's made of teeny tiny quartz pebbles. So it's not really sandy, it's teeny tiny quartz pebbles. The water is, that are so white. The water is so transparent and there are large rock formations on, on its sides that are just wonderful to observe. It's a wonderful place to snorkel, to swim, to spend the day. It's an equipped beach. So if you want to, I don't know, have lunch, rent, rent a sunbed, you're gonna find it. There's a large parking lot so you don't have to wait, worry about getting there too early. Just keep in mind that because this beach is on the west coast of Sardinia, it's facing the mistral wind. And when it's. When the mistral wind is blowing strong, you really should avoid going there. Not far from it. If this beach is too crowded for you, for you. There are two other beaches that I love. One is Marmi, which is very similar to Isarutas, to be fair. And the other one is Maimoni. Another beach that I love in the south coast of Sardinia is Piscinas. Now this is beach made of impressive sand dunes that are up to 160ft tall. You cannot climb the dunes. The dunes are protected and it looks like the desert because of its layout of the beach is highly exposed to the wind. And you should never go here on a wind on a strong mistral day because you won't even be able to get near the water. It's just the strong the wind, the strong the current, sorry, is very, very strong. Now if you like diving, it's a wonderful place. It's a very remote beach, quite a bit harder to get there. But if you do, you're gonna have the beach to yourself. There's also a specific spot that it's for naturalists, nudists, so people that prefer to stay naked and it can be done legally. Another place I really love, Mazua Pandizucaro. We also call it Porto Kauli. It's in the Sulchis coast of Sardinia and it's a small cove of around 100 meters, 350ft. No, no more than that. And in front of it you are going to see the Pandizucara massive stack that it's actually higher than the famous sea stack of Capri. And it's also where you'll find one of the most famous mining sites in Sardinia, Porto Flavia. So if you take, if you, if you go on a boat or you know, for example, hop on a Zodiac or even rent a kayak or Santa paddle and explore the coast. You can see the marvelous views of this mining harbor that are. Is facing the sea. It's just, just something truly unique and truly spectacular and I really highly recommend it. Now let me get to another beautiful sandy beach that I really, really like, Porto Pino. Porto Pino is located in southern Sardinia, not far from Carbonia. It's in the Solchis region. It's a long sandy beach backed by beautiful white sand dunes that are protected again and unique Mediterranean thick vegetation the beach is equipp. So if you go there with your family, you can find places where you want to rent your umbrella. You can have lunch though one thing that you have to keep in mind is that these spots can get particularly packed. So if you walk further along the beach, you may find places that are more secluded, a bit empty. Another beach that is protected also in the south of Sardinia, Tua Redda. This is protected and you cannot book it in advance, contrary to others. So what you're going to have to do in this case is get there really early and find a spot. You know, they allow, they have. They allowed a limited number of visitors, but again, as I said, there's no booking system. The beach is faced by a small island that you can circumnavigate if you hire, if you rent a kayak or send a paddle. It's characterized by white sand and clear water. Not far from it, also in the south of Sardinia, you will find Cala Zafferano. Now Cala Za Ferrano is part of a military area, can only be accessed by boat. And you can go there on boat tours that depart from Porto Tramazzo or Capo Malfatano. I cannot explain how beautiful this beach is. Just imagine incredibly white sand, sand dunes, Mediterranean vegetation. And because it's in a military area, there's nobody there. You cannot plant an umbrella. You cannot really spend more than say half hour, 45 minutes because there's. The beach is patrolled, but even just seeing it with your own eyes is worth the time and effort to get there. If you want a beach that is super easily accessible and fun for the entire family, I recommend going to Sujoodao. It's one of the Kia beaches. It's easy to go there on a day trip from Calgary. The beach is long and sandy. The sand is wonderful, golden. The sea is transparent. Kids love this place. The beach is backed by sand dunes which are protected. There's signs all over the beach to say don't go on the dunes. And it's also a nice equipped beach, so you'll find, you know, toilets, you will find kiosks that sell full food and drinks. You will find a place to rent umbrellas and whatever you may need for the day. Now the one thing you need to keep in mind though is that it's not a good place to go on a very windy day cuz it's so sandy and the sand blows everywhere. Moving to the other coast of Sardinia, the south eastern coast of Sardinia, my favorite favorite spot. And you may have Heard me talk about this before. Punta Molentis in Villasimios. It's a protected beach. It's also really. So when I say protected, it means that you need to reserve a spot in advance to visit and there's a small fee to pay. And the beach is also protected, sheltered from the. Which means that even when the mistral wind is blowing, you can stay safely there. The water is shallow and incredibly transparent. There is a small promontory where you can walk up for wonderful views. Children love it. The sand is nice and soft. It's equipped. There is a kiosk where you can get food, drinks, apparatus, whatever you want. And there is a place where you can rent umbrellas and sunbeds for the day. I go every summer. Remember that you need to book your spot in advance. It's quite far from the village of Villasimius, so you're gonna have. You're gonna need a car to get there. I also really like this Piaggia di Santa Justa or Scolio di Pepino in Costa Rica. This is a place where I spent all my summers when I was a child and I still go every summ own a holiday home in Costa Ri. So I know it really well. Now, the Scoglio di Pepino specifically gets very, very crowded during the peak summer months. But there is a small beach next to it called Santa Justa, which doesn't really get as crowded. It's a wonderful spot for photos. It's a wonderful spot for snorkeling. The village of Costa R is nearby, so you can, you know, you can easily access it on foot just walking along the beach. If you're coming from Costa beach or you can Dr. There is parking spot as well. It's just a. A truly unique place for snorkeling as well. Love it. Now, there is one place that I like to mention that is hardly known among locals and even lesser known among tourists. It's called Calamortas. It's in Villa Puzzu. Now, the reason why not so many people know Calamurtas is that it's part of a military area and there are zero villages, zero buildings next to it. So it's a real hidden gem. You go to this beach on the 15th of August, which is the peak summer holiday in Italy, and there's hardly any people. The beach is completely unequipped. So if you go there, you're gonna have to bring whatever you need for the day. But it's a long, sandy beach mixed with small pebbles. This, the sea is incredibly transparent, wonderful place to swim. The water tends to be quite deep immediately, so you may find that it's not so suitable if you have small children that are afraid of the water or if you're not good swimmer. But it's again, it's also a beach, a dog beach. They also have a dog beach. So if you're traveling with your pet, you can take them there. Last, but definitely not least in my list of best beaches in Sardinia, and this is purely because I am from here. Poeto beach in Cagliari. It's the main urban beach in the city. It's a long, long, long, sandy beach that we in Cagliari love to go throughout the year. We go in the winter months. I was there for a run on Monday, you know, just with my friends because they have a running and biking lane. We go there, we go there to, to eat because they have lots of kiosks, restaurants, bars, gelato places. We just go there whenever we need air. Throughout the year, the beach may not be as beautiful as other beaches on the island. It can be a bit of a hit or miss depending on the winds and how they blow. The last few years it's been spectacular choice. So imagine just, you know, nice sand and transparent water. The beach is fully equipped, you're gonna find whatever you need for your stay. And there's many, many spots where you can rent umbrellas and chairs and sunbeds and obviously food is everywhere and it's easy to get to from the center of Calgary by bus. So I hope you enjoyed my selection of the best beaches in Sardinia. Remember, it's a very personal selection. Next time on the Strictly Sardinia podcast, we're gonna talk about the unmissable places to visit on the island and the best things to do on the island. Let me know if you have questions. My email is in the podcast description. If you need to get in touch, you're going to find a short summary where I mentioned my favorite beaches again. And if you like this podcast, give it a five star rating and a good review. Until next time, goodbye.