Emerald-coast villas and a yacht along a pristine, glamorous shoreline.
Emerald-coast villas and a yacht along a pristine, glamorous shoreline. Here is Sardinia, arranged privately — browse it by the occasion you're marking, by what moves you, or by the season that suits you best.
What an advisor can open that an algorithm cannot. Each of these is staged on your terms — the access, the timing, the people.
A crewed vessel through the Maddalena archipelago — granite-cliffed coves, turquoise depths that run to white sand, a captain who has sailed these waters for thirty years and knows which anchorage will be empty at noon.
A drive into the island's mountainous interior with a local guide — a Barbagia shepherd who has tended the same stone enclosure since adolescence, a lamb roast over open flame, a cheese-and-wine table set in the shade of a rock face.
Su Nuraxi at first light with the Bronze Age specialist who led the most recent excavation — the 3,500-year-old stone towers, the sound of the wind in the basalt, the mountains rising behind a site that predates Rome by a millennium.
Not a package — a starting point. Each is a journey we have designed and refined; your advisor reshapes it for the version only you would recognise.
A Costa Smeralda villa above a turquoise cove, a crewed yacht to the Maddalena archipelago, a lunch in a sea-cave accessible only from the water, and a dinner at the restaurant the island's winemakers consider their own.
A crewed vessel through the Bocche di Bonifacio — the uninhabited islets of the Maddalena National Park, granite cliffs above turquoise shallows, anchorages the charter agencies do not log, a beach dinner prepared by the yacht's chef.
An exclusive estate above a Costa Smeralda cove — a private pool, a direct path to the sea, a chef who shops at the Olbia market daily and can arrange a boat for the afternoon.
Sardinia in June before the charter boats fill the Costa Smeralda — a crewed yacht to the Maddalena archipelago's uninhabited granite islets, lunch at anchor above white sand, and the drive into the Gennargentu interior in the afternoon to reach the stone village where the shepherd has been making Pecorino Sardo since his father taught him.
Each a starting point — our advisors weave them into a single, seamless journey.
Late May to June and September are the prime months, with warm seas and the Costa Smeralda lively but not overwhelmed, in contrast to August when Porto Cervo reaches its glittering, crowded peak and prices climb sharply. Spring and early autumn also suit exploring the interior and the southern beaches in comfort. The season runs from May into early October.
The Costa Smeralda in the northeast, centered on Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo and the surrounding Gallura coast, is the established home of the island's most exclusive villas, hotels and marinas. For a quieter alternative, the area around Cala di Volpe and the inlets toward Baja Sardinia appeal, while the south near Chia and Pula offers superb beaches with less of the scene. Five to seven nights, usually in a private villa or a five-star coastal resort, is typical.
A private yacht day to the Maddalena archipelago, viewing the pink beach of Budelli from the water and anchoring in the clear waters around Spargi and Caprera, is the defining Sardinian outing. Forest Travel arranges crewed charters with provisioning, as well as berths and tenders at Porto Cervo's marina during the busy summer weeks. Sunset aperitivo in Porto Cervo's piazzetta remains a social ritual of the coast.
The island's interior holds the prehistoric nuraghe stone towers, Vermentino vineyards in the Gallura hills, and traditional villages where Sardinian gastronomy and pecorino are at their best. A private visit to a working winery or a guided day inland contrasts with the glamour of the coast. The waters around the Maddalena are protected national park, so reputable, licensed operators are essential.
Sardinia pairs well with a few nights on the Italian mainland or with neighboring Corsica to the north, a short crossing across the Strait of Bonifacio by yacht. Olbia airport serves the Costa Smeralda directly and is well connected to Milan and Rome. Your advisor will arrange private chauffeured transfers and helicopter links between coast and yacht, as the island's distances are considerable and the best coves are reached by sea.
Most of Sardinia's famous beaches must now be booked in advance. La Pelosa at Stintino admits 1,500 people a day at €3.50 each from 15 May to 15 October 2026. Of these, 500 places are bookable in advance and 1,000 more are released two days ahead at 09:00, with a maximum of four per booking. Cala Goloritzé caps 250 visitors a day at €7, booked through the Heart of Sardinia app from 72 hours out. Cala Mariolu allows 700 a day from June to November.
No. Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli lies in the strictly protected Zone A of the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park: no landing, swimming, walking the shoreline, anchoring or stopping. Boats view it from roughly seventy metres, and that is the whole experience. Navigation inside the park requires a permit, and speed is capped at 7 knots within 500 m of the coast and 10 knots between 500 and 1,000 m. The yacht day is planned around what is legal.
Su Nuraxi can be seen at first light with the Bronze Age specialist who led the most recent excavation. Its stone towers are 3,500 years old, and the site predates Rome by a millennium. At dawn you hear the wind in the basalt, with the mountains rising behind the towers. It offers a strong counterpoint to the yachts and villas of the Costa Smeralda.
A shepherd's fire lunch in the Gennargentu begins with a drive into Sardinia's mountainous interior with a local guide. Your host is a Barbagia shepherd who has tended the same stone enclosure since adolescence. Lamb is roasted over an open flame, and a cheese-and-wine table is set in the shade of a rock face. In the Sardinia Summer journey, the afternoon drive inland leads to a stone village where a shepherd makes Pecorino Sardo, as his father taught him.
Sardinia is a sea holiday with a booking system attached, so it suits travelers for whom the water is the point. It is the wrong choice for anyone who wants a spontaneous beach day in August, a short trip, or culture as the spine of the week. Travelers wanting layered history should take Sicily instead. Those wanting sea plus towns should look to the Amalfi Coast.
Start with a crewed yacht day through the La Maddalena archipelago, then: Budelli's pink beach, seen from the water as the park requires; La Pelosa and Cala Goloritzé, booked ahead; Su Nuraxi at dawn with an archaeologist; a shepherd's fire lunch in the Gennargentu; a Vermentino di Gallura vineyard; sunset aperitivo in Porto Cervo's piazzetta; lunch in a sea cave reached only by boat; the southern beaches at Chia and Pula; and a beach dinner from the yacht's chef in the Bocche di Bonifacio.
To the Costa Smeralda in the northeast. Porto Cervo, Porto Rotondo and the Gallura coast hold the island's best-known villas, marinas and yacht berths, and August is when Porto Cervo reaches its peak. The social ritual is sunset aperitivo in Porto Cervo's piazzetta after a day at anchor in La Maddalena. Travellers who want the same sea with far less scene go south to Chia and Pula, or to Ogliastra.
Yes, at the level we plan. A private Sardinia trip is estimated from around US$1,200 per person per night, so a week runs from around US$8,400 per person before flights, plus our US$250 planning fee per itinerary. August costs more, as prices on the Costa Smeralda climb sharply. Beach access fees are small by comparison, €3.50 at La Pelosa and €7 at Cala Goloritzé in 2026, but they must be booked ahead.
Five to seven nights. Distances on the island are considerable and the best coves are reached by sea, so a shorter stay spends too much of itself in transfers. A week allows a yacht day in La Maddalena, a day inland at the nuraghi or in the Gennargentu, and unhurried beach days planned around the capped access systems. Sardinia is the wrong choice for a short trip.
Every journey here is a starting point a private advisor reshapes entirely around you — your pace, your people, the Sardinia only you would recognise.
A real person answers: an in-house luxury travel advisor, in English or Spanish. The first conversation is complimentary.
