Sardinia Part I: Emerald Coast

We had heard that the Costa Smeralda had the most beautiful beaches on the entire island and so we decided to lodge ourselves near this community. We had read about this incredibly wealthy enclave on the Costa Smeralda on the western coast of Sardinia called Porto Cervo. Unfortunately, Mr. Weather was not cooperating with us. It was chilly and stormy as we drove across the island from the airport. (The first night we stayed at an agriturism farm, where the room was sparse and close to camping while the small Italian dinner they served us was delightful.) After stopping for a delicious pizza lunch, we finally found our hotel. The pool was beautiful but clearly unheated. Our terrace didn’t really get any real sunshine pouring onto it but the room was lovely. It was cold however and we are quite sure that the owners of the hotel were not going to run the heat. They were closing for the season in 3 days so were clearly on the wind down. After dropping our stuff, we decided to check out the fancy and upscale Porto Cervo. When a coastal community has closed for the season, it means, it has CLOSED for the season. While the yachts in the marina were of impressive size, the entire little community had rolled up the sidewalk for the winter. Additionally, there was nothing charming about Porto Cervo, but rather was a modern rendering of say Fashion Island, Newport Beach. We were not impressed and couldn’t really figure out why the rich and famous would gather here. We expected a quaint little old city feel and instead we got a modern shopping mall. Perhaps when the rich and famous stroll about in the glistening sunshine, it is a different story, but by mid-October it all felt like a deserted beach community.