thursoexile

This is our first blog so please be patient. We are flying into Alghero from Ireland on Monday the 22nd of September 08. We shall attempt to be informative on our travel, drinking and eating experiences. We shall be hiring a car in Alghero and will be going on to Sassari for one night, Olbia for two, Oliena for one, Cagliari for three, Bosa for two and Alghero for two before flying out on the 3rd of October, hotel itinerary below:

Sassari - Hotel Vittorio Emmanuele

Olbia - The Melia Olbia

Oliena - Su Gologone

Cagliari - The T Hotel

Bosa - The Royal Hotel

Alghero - Carlos V Hotel

Mon 22/09/08 Arrive in Sardinia

We arrived in Alghero airport from Dublin 8 mins early thanks to good old Ryanair.  Got baggage and car sorted quickly and off we were on our 30 minute journey to Sassari with the help of our Tom Tom, though the signs were quite good from the airport .Our hotel in Sassari, Hotel Vittorio Emanuele  is on the main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which is in the old part of Sassari, an atmosphere we preferred to the new part.  Hotel is a good 3 star, small, immaculate, nice art, one negative – we hoped for a nite cap at 11pm but the bar was closed, not a big problem really as we were probably ready for sleep after travelling but if you want to party then try a local bar, many of which were open at this time.  We arrived at the hotel after 9pm, dropped off our bags and our main priority was food, as usual! Having enquired at reception re good local trattorias / restaurants we were given a map and recommendation of 3: L’Assassino – trattoria, Liberty – good restaurant noted in some of the guide books and Il Castello, another restaurant.  Apparently in Sardinia, there is very little price difference between trattorias and restaurant, but we opted for the trattoria as we fancied sampling the local cuisine. Long story short etc we must have passed the turn and ended up at Liberty. Glad we did as food was excellent, lots of fish on the menu and some meat dishes.  We were dressed smart casual and it was Monday night, but I would imagine it is quite a formal restaurant at weekends with the need for a reservation.  We shared a beautiful starter of bresaola with rocket and parmesan and of course the basket of fresh bread. For main course we had red mullet with pasta in a basil pesto, and veal fillet with porcini mushrooms, followed by a crème caramel, all washed down with a bottle of red Cannonau which I had read about. Because there was more than one on the menu, price varying from 20 – 50 euro the waiter helpfully recommended one at the lower end of the bracket. All in all food, decor and service was very good. We went for a dander afterward and to be honest I felt a little unsafe, possibly due to the small, dark winding streets and probably wouldn’t have ventured out as a woman alone in this city, however my husband felt very comfortable and I have nothing to base my fears on unlike other European cities where I have witnessed crime. The streets of course took on a very different appearance the next morning when we went out to explore the city.  We only spent an hour walking around, and usually tend to stumble upon points of interest to us personally rather than follow a map or guide book, so I would probably recommend you do your own reading in case there is something of particular interest to you.  That said as Sardinia’s second city it is not very big and quite easy to get around in a short time.  For any art lovers there is a nice gallery just off the main street with some powerful paintings by an artist from Tempio. 

 Tues 23/09/08             Sassari – Olbia via Castelsardo & Isola Rossa

We have made a reservation in Olbia for two nights and so this morning decided to travel via the coast road for part of the journey.  First stop Castelsardo, I read somewhere this was a medieval town well worth a visit. In my opinion I would say don’t waste any time or diesel. The drive in is quite nice with pastel coloured buildings and a castle at the top, however on parking up we had seen as much as we needed within a ten minute walk, lots of tourist souvenir shops and not at all  what we had anticipated. One bonus was the supermarket which we had parked outside and bought lovely fresh bread, meats, buffalo mozzarella and the same wine we had last nite for under 5 euro. We filled the boot and headed for Isola Rossa app. 20 miles away. Now this is the spot I would recommend if only for a picnic amongst the beautiful red rock, with only the gulls as company and an odd photographer.  

Having left the coast road we headed across country through Tempio and Aggius where we stumbled upon the spectacular Valle della Luna -Valley of the Moon, with its weird rock formations well worth a see. We then proceeded to waste 30 – 40 minutes in Olbia searching for our hotel, Melia Olbia, or known on the road signs as GeoVillage –Why hadn’t we thought of that!!! Even tom tom got confused but thanks to my gr8 husband it is now on the sat nav map as a point of interest.

Melia Olbia seems a very new hotel well maintained and located app 6 miles from Olbia centre. It is situated just off the motorway and on the edge of an industrial estate, however as other trip advisors have said once you are in the complex the location becomes less significant. Facilities wise there are tennis courts, Olympic size swimming pool, health and beauty, fitness centre, hairdresser etc. There are also 3 restaurants ranging from buffet, pizzeria and a la carte. On the first evening we went to the bar for an aperitif, quite expensive but they offer nibbles with your drink so it was quite nice and decided to try the a la carte restaurant. Excellent choice, quite dear, however the buffet restaurant was 32 euro per head before wine and so it probably wasn’t that much more expensive. We had a mixed fish and tuna tartare with soy bean sprouts and wasabi to start, followed by beef tournado and chocolate fondant and pannacotta for dessert, washed down with a bottle of Sicilian wine. It was probably one of the best meals we have had over the last year or two in terms of both food, decor and professional service. The highlight of the evening was recognition of a Sardinian seated at the next table, who had sat next to us the night before in Liberty, 120 kms away in Sassari - Spoooooky, perhaps he is a food critic and in that case we mite follow him!

 Wed 24/09/08 – Melia Olbia – day 2 – travelled to Porto Rotondo & Porto Cervo

We had read that the Costa Smeralda was a result of a huge investment by a group headed by Prince Aga Khan IV in 1960’s providing a jet set playground with luxury marinas, hotels and restaurants etc  This sparked visions for us of a busy Saint Tropez and so on arrival to Porto Rotondo we were pleasantly surprised at how well this new area blended in with its existing rugged landscape. Again because we were visiting off season there were less tourists around and very few restaurants / bars were open but we had a very pleasant stroll and found the atmosphere less artificial than expected. Same said for Porto Cervo and on departure we found lots of remote stretches of beach where once again we parked up for a true Italian style picnic. We returned to the hotel late afternoon via Olbia and made a half hearted decision to venture in to the centre for dinner. However on reaching the hotel and on recommendation of two nice English guys that we had met at breakfast, we quickly opted for the hotel pizzeria instead.  Dominic and Alastair were already enjoying a beer in the garden when we arrived and social animals as we are, we enjoyed another few with them before dinner.  The pizzeria was absolutely packed and food was good and modest in price. The night was made complete with another few bottles of wine on the balcony, good music and banter.  This was certainly the cheaper way of enjoying beverages at this hotel as a glass of wine and one beer cost about 14 euro in the hotel bar, although the cafe bar beside the pizzeria was cheaper.

Thurs 25/09/08 – Depart Melia Olbia – arrive Hotel Su Gologone, near Oliena.

Hotel Su Gologone was one of our more extravagant hotel choices when planning our Sardinian itinerary but it sounded like a must both from accommodation and culinary points of view. Having enjoyed a fabulous buffet breakfast at Melia Olbia, we said goodbye to our new friends and headed for Central Sardinia and Barbagia at app 10.am. About an hour and half drive brought us to Nuoro with spectacular scenery en route including the musical sheep- grazing along roadside with bells on. Nuoro is built into the side of a mountain and from a distance looks like it is clinging on. We parked up on the outskirts of the town and arrived in the centre on foot to find bustling streets packed with young people sitting outside cafe bars. Later on arrival to Oliena, which was like an eerie ghost town we guessed that all of the locals were either at school or work in Nuoro. With hungry stomachs we scanned the area of Oliena for lunch possibilities but to no avail, and so decided to go straight to the hotel, about 8 km away in the hope that they could satisfy our needs.  The hotel is set in the mountainous Sopramonte and is made up of stone buildings covered with olive trees so much so that it was difficult to imagine there were 65 bedrooms as advertised, which made the experience all the more personal. Very friendly and professional service from the moment we checked in and on entrance to the restaurant at lunch time we were surprised to see how busy it was both with locals and residents.  All the meat were on spits over a huge open fire so the aromas were enough to get the taste buds going. The plan of a light lunch went straight out the window and we enjoyed a complimentary aperitif while opting for our pasta of gnocchi with wild boar sauce and ravioli with fennels.  We then managed some roast pork and mixed meats from the grill, and the only thing we were fit for afterward was sleep to prepare us for our wonderful pre booked meal –( we were on a half board basis) that evening. I truly cannot say enough about this place. I was pre concerned that my expectation levels may be too high however I could not find fault at all with this place and it is definitely somewhere I would return to.  There is something for everyone to do, lots of activities organised by the hotel such as trekking, horse riding, quad biking etc. Personally our walk back past the swimming pool, art gallery and library to what I would only describe as our garden villa was enough for us. I noticed a hot tub close by but discovered it was part of the junior suite so unless you are feeling particularly extravagant the swimming pool will have to do. Whether it was the large lunch or the peaceful surroundings or a combination of both but we slept through most of the afternoon before we started our food experience all over again. When we arrived at the restaurant about 8.30pm there was a friendly banter among tables with recommendations of what to have or what looks good etc and I don’t remember seeing any plates that were not empty. The best tip I can offer is to pace oneself as for half board you can avail of all 6 courses. The anti pasta was laid out in a separate room with every salad, vegetable and meat and fish imaginable.  We then shared a pasta course before embarking on the plate of grilled meats and side dishes. It was mostly ice cream on the menu for dessert so we opted for the selection off the buffet table and again were not disappointed. Local house wine was reasonably priced at 9 euro per jug. When we felt able to remove ourselves from the table there was a vast range of comfortable chairs both inside and out where we enjoyed a digestiv. The art and sculpture is wonderful and if you are really lucky the house cat may pay your lap a visit.  

Friday 26/09/08 – Cagliari

Breakfast at Su Gologone was served on the terrace overlooking the swimming pool with the mountain range behind and was a typical Sardinian buffet. After a last look around we began our next leg of the journey to Cagliari. Both google and the tom tom wanted to take us there via Oristano but we tried out a different route through Central Sardinia and eastward toward the coast as we hope to travel through Oristano on the way to Alghero. It may have added another half hour onto our journey, however it was well worth it if time is unimportant. At some parts we reached such altitude that it compared to the white knuckle ride on the way back down to sea level and this time we found pigs and piglets grazing at the roadside. One place of interest not far from Oliena is Orgosolo.  As you ascend from the outskirts of the village you can begin to see murels painted on rocks. According to the guide book the paintings describe the harsh life of the shepherds and many other injustices around the world, and this is particularly evident on the stone houses in the centre of the village.  

We found our hotel – T hotel in Cagliari without much stress, and so far are impressed with its modern decor and service. We found that as many of the hotels in this city are business hotels they offer much cheaper rates at weekends and so we plan to stay until Monday. Because it has a tall tower it is easily identifiable from many points in the city and therefore you are less likely to get lost. Tonight we walked to the old part of the city via the Castello district which took about 20 - 25 mins but there is a bus stop a few minutes walk away which costs €2.30 for a daily pass. We searched off the tourist track for a local trattoria and certainly found that. When we were offered our table I immediately thought it was already occupied due to the amount of untouched food already on the table. We quickly discovered that all 3 serving dishes were the antipasto which was served with each menu, consisting of vegetables, salad, cold meats and fish, quickly followed by mussels. As there was a language barrier we watched the locals and got stuck in. Our insistent waitress decided we should have pizza / pasta, of which we had both, (pasta was fregola - traditional dish of cous cous and clams) but were too full for meat course or the bowl of fresh fruit which we spotted at the next table. A jug of wine and water had accompanied our food and we were still nervously totally unaware of price. When the bill arrived it was just over €20 per head, great value and a true Sardinian experience.

Saturday 27/09/08

Following a hearty breakfast we left the hotel map in hand, in search of the daily food market which is actually located only about 5 mins walk from the hotel. Large and impressive, however the one in Florence is still my favourite. Onward and upward we followed in an almost straight line our way to the port and from there made our way through the many winding streets, some with traditional bars and restaurants. On arrival at the Botanic Gardens we could see our hotel which proved a good choice for lunch. It was reasonably priced and also offered a health conscious selection which is something I had forgotten about this week. I have forsaken the beautiful sunshine outside to continue with my blog and after a siesta will go sniff out a nice restaurant for dinner.

Restaurant - Bataclan

Found a restaurant named Bataclan as highly recommended on Trip advisor, and to begin with all was good but unfortunately turned into a Fawlty Towers experience by the end.  We sat outside as a lot of the restaurants we found were not air conditioned (perhaps it’s just the time of year). Husband chose the four course tasting menu while I opted for a la carte thus choosing anti pasta and second course. Starters were lovely and service good and then my main course arrived with my husband’s second course, which seemed odd. Anyhow after this course we were offered dessert and we explained there was still a course missing. One waitress apologised and ran off to the kitchen while another arrived suggesting we had received all we ordered.  As she finished her explanation, the first waitress arrived with the main course, but of course we had already eaten the side dishes, so it was all very confusing and instead of laughing about it the waitresses from that point chose to ignore us and many others in fact that were seated outside while they served what seemed to be their locals inside. It was very frustrating and we left without dessert but with a bitter taste in our mouths. To add insult to injury we stopped in a bar at the top of the street and were charged a “think of a number type figure” for two drinks.  

 Sunday28/09/08 Poetto beach and T hotel restaurant

We spent a nice lazy day at Poetto beach, a hit with the locals and lunched at a pizzeria there. By 3pm it was like the locals were expecting a tidal wave and all disappeared leaving us and a handful of others to share the evening sun. The laziness with us continued and so we decided to dine in our hotel, the T hotel. We both opted for the tourist menus of €25 including water and a glass of wine and again this began good. (Tip – eat around 8ish for the best service as the locals tend to eat around 9pm and the restaurants become very busy with not enough staff to meet the demand sometimes involving long waits).  Risotto and pasta was followed by beef, which was extremely tasty but tough as boots, and dessert had so much rum we didn’t need a nitecap! All in all a friendly atmosphere, professional service, and food was ok.

 Monday 29/09/08 & Tuesday 30/09/08 – Beautiful Bosa & Restaurant Verdi

Left Cagliari early and arrived in Bosa around midday. Found our hotel – The Royal hotel on the main street halfway between the Marina and the old town, very well located and good value( this was the cheapest hotel of our travel). Provided with map we headed off on foot on our fifteen minute journey to the centre of the old town and out toward the water to what appears like a mini Venice. There are two bridges which are beautifully lit at night and on one side of the river, a few hotels and eateries and the other – abandoned buildings which had been used in the past as tanneries. Very picturesque and as it was near 30 degrees we decided to make the most of it and eat outside along the river. We chose well and indeed revisited once more for lunch and once for dinner in our entire 2 day stay.  We must have tried 8 dishes on the menu all of which were beautiful from the sea bass in pea puree to the mushroom strudel with courgette mousse, spicy squid, rare beef.... We dined early here on our second night – 8pm, and again by 9pm the place was thriving, so much so that some tables had well over an hour’s wait. I am guessing they will not share the same experience as us, which is such a shame as the food and service had been so good. 

We did not spend much time at all at the Marina as there didn’t seem to be a whole lot going on, however the old town is small but quaint with lots of narrow alleyways and cobbled streets. And the cleanest beach and the friendliest Sardinian people are to be found here!! I would certainly return here and recommend a visit before tourism really begins to change this beautiful town.

 Wednesday 01/10/08 –Alghero – Carlos V Hotel

The drive along the coast from Bosa to Alghero takes about half hour and is stunning.  Our hotel is situated on the road in to Alghero, and is a ten minute pleasant stroll along the promenade into the old town.  Hotel is large and seems newly renovated, maintained well, has a nice pool and large bedrooms.  We were quite unsure what to expect of Alghero but had been in touch with the guys from Olbia who stayed an extra night in Alghero they liked it so much. While there is evidence of tourism, the old narrow streets with traditional trattorias and ristorantes provides a romantic feel to the place. We had lunch along the front of the old town and the food was great, fish of the day, with all its clothes on, to my dismay, but let’s say it could not have been more fresh! We also had fried squid which was yummy but could have done with a garlic dip or tartare sauce. The waiter was completely unfriendly and it almost seemed like hassle to serve us. We then had coffee in one of the piazza’s and while the waiter was friendly, he got the whole order wrong and my husband ended up with my decaff coffee in the form of a latte and I an espresso, which was quite funny really but wouldn’t like to venture there for dinner. My faith was then redeemed in the Gelateria next door – yes we literally meant eating and drinking our way round Sardinia – as the blog suggests. Talking of ...its seems a good time to head off for dinner! Ciao!