Hotel Le Dune Piscinas

The spa team were the bright spot. They were attentive and professional, and helped with problems reception couldn’t or wouldn’t deal with. That was a sharp contrast with the rest of our stay at Hotel Le Dune Piscinas (Sardinia), which fell well short of what we expected of a 5-star hotel. The location is beautiful and unusual, as many reviews say, but service, upkeep and attitude didn’t meet luxury standards. The “gourmet” restaurant was average at best. For the price, I can’t recommend it. We’d hoped for a perfect end to our 11-day trip around Sardinia, but check-in set the tone. A new staff member was trying to be helpful, yet gave us no introduction or basic hotel information, so we had to ask later. Our car was nearly out of fuel, and with the difficult, remote road we weren’t sure we’d reach the next station. When we asked if anyone could help get fuel in a canister, we were simply told the station wasn’t far. No help was offered. The room seemed neglected and perhaps shouldn’t have been in service. We killed around 30 mosquitoes, and neither the bathroom fan nor the ceiling speaker worked. There was no TV remote either. After our first call to reception, nobody came. We called again, someone said she’d look into it and get back to us, but never did. When we asked in person, the only answer was “no TV,” with no explanation or apology. We’ve rarely been treated so dismissively at a 5-star hotel. We also asked about checking out late or storing our luggage because we had spa treatments booked. We were told there was an event and to ask someone in the morning, with no attempt to accommodate us. In the end we cancelled the spa, which meant lost business for them and a poor experience for us. Worse, housekeeping came into the room even though we’d put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. That’s completely unacceptable at any hotel, especially one claiming five stars.

The location and design are incredible, but it felt understaffed and lacked the smooth service you’d expect from a 5* hotel. The few staff members on hand were doing everything they could, and you could see how hard they were working, though at times the pressure came out as frustration with guests. Because it’s so remote, you’re pretty much tied to eating at the hotel for every meal, which gets expensive. The beach bar stayed closed all week, and even at the other bar it was hard to find someone to serve us. The price and star rating need to come down, or the service needs to improve.

We stayed in May 2024 and found it a lovely place to unwind. The restaurant served excellent meals and breakfast, though it is expensive. The hotel sits in a rare spot among the dunes beside a broad, open beach, in a completely refurbished building that’s part of an abandoned mining complex. It takes a 7k drive down a dirt track to get there, which is great when the track is dry. This is a less touristy part of Sardinia, but we thought the setting and unusual history made the drive worthwhile.

The beach is idyllic, and the place itself is incredible. It had just reopened after a major renovation, so everything felt new. They did a lovely job mixing the old mining town’s history with touches of hotel luxury. The suite photos here seemed outdated to me, since our room was much more updated. It’s quite isolated, so you’ll probably eat most meals onsite. When we were there in June 2020, only one dinner restaurant was open, though I was told one or two more were on the way. That restaurant had some outstanding dishes. Breakfast was a standard but lovely buffet, and it’s a great spot for people watching. A lot of the staff seemed new and still in training, but everyone was lovely and keen to do what they could to make our stay nicer.