Hotel Cala Bitta Arzachena

Our main concern was the room, and it was very clean, so we left fairly satisfied. The location is good, though swimming nearby wasn't appealing because the beach is beside a shipyard. With so many beautiful beaches around Sardinia, that stood out. Staff were friendly, but only a few spoke English. Breakfast was limited to one kind of cheese, so vegetarians and anyone avoiding pork were pretty much left with coffee and a croissant. They also supplied cloths instead of proper face towels, which wasn't great to use after washing up in the morning. The air conditioning only cools, so autumn visitors should bring warm pajamas for chilly nights.

Never again. There were kids screaming everywhere, and the price was way too high for what you get. My room was awful: the bed was extremely uncomfortable, the shower head kept falling off the wall, and the water wouldn't drain. They also wouldn't give me a pool towel without a deposit, and I had no cash with me. I'd give it zero stars if I could.

Getting a taxi was difficult since they were constantly busy in summer. We needed help arranging one, but the young woman at the front desk said her manager had instructed her that she wasn't allowed to do that. The manager was off that day, and no one else in management could speak with us or help. Luckily, a man at the neighboring 7Pines was happy to assist, even though I explained we weren't guests there. I'm grateful they helped us make sure we could get back to the airport for our flight to Rome. Cala Bitta needs to improve its customer service. We weren't fluent in Italian, which made the lack of help especially difficult. On the positive side, the rooms were nice and clean, the A/C was welcome, and the staff were warm and pleasant. The pool and bar were excellent. The food bar had great fresh fruit and vegetables, though there was also a lot of processed food.

The food was a real highlight, with handmade pizzas prepared in front of you each night and delicious Italian dishes. Picky eaters might find the choices less appealing, though. We also had a lovely big bed and a gorgeous view across the harbour and sea after receiving a complimentary room upgrade. We arrived around 10pm because our flight was late. The staff replied right away when I emailed to check whether we could still check in, and they had set aside food for us after our day of travel. Baja was only five minutes away by car, and getting around was easy with our rental. The hotel also ran a regular shuttle there and back. Some staff spoke very little English, but communication was still easy, and everyone was extremely polite. We had an amazing stay and are already thinking about returning.