Sardinia
Our Sardinia Collection
If you are looking for luxury villas for rent in Sardinia, we offer a wide selection of carefully chosen vacation houses. We have villas of all sizes, so whether you’re a couple, a group of couples or a large family, we will have a villa for you.
Sardinia is a large island in the Mediterranean to the west of Italy. It has a mountainous interior and a famed coastline with turquoise waters which attracts thousands of holiday-makers every year.
The island has a long history and is dotted with interesting archaeological sites. In the Bronze Age the island was populated by an enigmatic people who built nuraghi – stone towers – across the island. The importance of these sites is recognised with a UNESCO World Heritage listing. As Sardinia is on Mediterranean trading routes, various subsequent civilisations colonised or conquered the coastal areas, including the Phoenicians, Romans and Byzantines. Later the island was for some time under Spanish domination. A version of Catalan is still spoken in Alghero. The mountains inland, difficult to conquer and offering little to invaders, have a reputation as untouched pockets of ancient culture and tradition.
The smartest destination in Sardinia is the Costa Smeralda, the ’emerald coast’.
This beautiful stretch of coastline at Sardinia’s north-east corner was developed in the 1960s by wealthy investors including the Aga Khan. Every summer gossip magazines are full of photos of Italian and international ‘celebrities’ partying, swimming or hanging out on huge yachts in Porto Cervo and the other exclusive resorts of the Costa Smeralda.
Sardinia isn’t all glitz, though. The island has many beaches and stretches of coast which are largely unspoiled and plenty of down-to-earth towns and resorts. Lagoon, island and mountain habitats all feature among the region’s nature reserves, where you can see a wide range of wildlife including flamingos, golden eagles, mountain goats and wild white donkeys.
Sardinia has three international airports: Alghero, Olbia and Cagliari. All three are served by flights from the UK, although services are reduced considerably in the winter. British Airways and EasyJet both fly to Sardinia’s capital Cagliari. Ryanair fly to Alghero and EasyJet to Olbia. These three airports make Sardinia, in the summer months at least, very accessible. The airports are all very close to the towns they serve, and connected by public bus services.
Ferries connect the island to mainland Italy, and if you prefer not to fly, you could travel by train via Paris to Genoa or Livorno and then catch a ferry.
Sardinia is best explored by car, as the island’s prehistoric archaeological sites and glorious beaches are scattered and often remote. However, the island’s towns are connected by trains and buses, and with a bit of research it is possible to enjoy a rewarding holiday using public transport. In the summer steam trains – trenino verde (little green train) – operate on some of Sardinia’s scenic routes.