Posted on Tuesday, 18 August 2015

We flew into Alghero expecting a kind of off-shore Italy, but the main resort city of Sardinia's north west feels more Spanish than Italian.

As we sauntered around the tight-knit medieval centre – and brushed up on our Mediterranean history via quick bursts of our roaming data – we narrowed this Iberian feel down to a Catalan influence. Alghero was once a Catalonian colony, and as we discovered while seated in an outdoor pizzeria in the Piazza del Teatro, the menu was in Catalan as well as English – as it was to be in many other menus.

The sun dipped behind the glittering Mediterranean as we strolled along the harbour and admired the gleaming white yachts, mouth-watering Italian gelatos in hand.

But while Alghero was a delight, we were really in pursuit of coastal pleasures. This was meant to be a beach holiday, after all.

The rickety old train from Alghero to Sassari was something one might find in a developing country – but was all the more alluring for it.

Sassari, however, was less alluring; sprawling and a little charmless. If we had more time, perhaps it would have grown on us, but we were glad to board the coach to San Teodoro.

La Cinta, San Teodoro

Here we found what we had really come for: sublime beaches. After checking into a very reasonably priced hotel in town, we headed for the sea. The main sand-and-pebble beach of La Cinta arcs around a bay of translucent turquoise water. Gentle waves would make this a great beach for young children, but for even calmer water, one could visit the placid lagoon behind La Cinta.

Among the couples and families we met, the conversation often arrived at the question: where is best beach in Sardinia? We found it hard to believe that La Cinta could be beaten, but one other beach came up again and again over evening drinks with fellow holidaymakers: Cala Goloritzé.

After three nights in La Cinta, we decided to seek out this isolated and rather mysterious sounding beach.

Baunei

Once again relying on Sardinia's good bus network, we travelled down the island's east coast. After a four hour journey, we arrived in Baunei, where we decided to stay the night; Cala Goloritzé would have to wait.

Besides, Baunei was charming in its own right – giving the sense of a mountain village, positioned as it was on the edge of an escarpment. We found a wonderful old guest house and spent the evening exploring the town's narrow alleys.

We were so taken with the area we decided to stay another night, postponing the increasingly legendary Cala Goloritzé.

Santa Maria Navarrese

Next morning, a small local bus trundled us down to a beach called Santa Maria Navarrese. The sandy strip was evidently popular with locals as well as tourists, and was backed by a rustling forest of carob trees and cork oaks.

Our urge to explore was hampered by the desire for lunch, until we spotted a sign for a boat trip that included food: we could do both at the same time!

We joined a small group of tourists on the modestly-sized vessel, and sailed out into the sea. This afforded us spectacular views of the coast which were so good we almost forgot about our hunger. But soon the friendly Sardinian staff served us with some fresh fish from the Med, as well as bread, wine and desserts. Delicious.

After another tranquil night in Baunei, it was time to visit the El Dorado of beaches (as we had been led to believe).

Cala Goloritzé

Because Cala Goloritzé is so remote, there are limited transport options. It is unreachable by car or boat. So we chose the third option: hiking. Buying a set of snorkels in town and stocking up with bread, local goats cheese, tomatoes and plenty of water, we headed off having downloaded the necessary maps on the hotel Wi-Fi (by now we were both concerned about racking up costly roaming charges!).

We began early to give us more time at the beach. The route we took gave us a taste of the beautiful Supramonte Mountains. We stopped often to enjoy the view and the silence – and to rest and hydrate. Soon we descended in to the lush ravine that we sought, at the base of which was Cala Goloritzé.

It was worth the effort. Cala Goloritzé is tiny but perfect, lapped by varying shades of green and blue water. Little wonder this magical place was given UNESCO status in 1995.

We snorkelled in the crystal waters, spotting countless silvery fish – so infrequently disturbed by humans! We reclined in the soft white sand and sunned ourselves, then feasted on the cheese, bread and tomatoes. Apart from another young couple who left soon after out arrival, the beach was ours alone.

We both agreed it was one of the best beaches we had ever seen – and all the better that it was so hard to reach.

Was this the paradise we had in mind when we booked out flights to Sardinia? Quite possibly.

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