Santo Stefano Resort

We remembered how lovely the place, service, and food had been when we visited in 2016, so we booked again without a second thought. The setting is still charming, but this time the new management made what should feel like a privileged stay feel more like being trapped. Food was poor, and with nothing else on the island, eating elsewhere wasn't even an option. Our five-day break was short enough to manage, though I doubt I could have stayed longer. We did relax in the sun, but when we left, we all felt liberated. Having a great breakfast in the port of Palau afterwards says it all. This should never happen.

It's a paradise island, but the resort is the only thing there, so everything they sell is overpriced. The boat was described as free, and it is free for getting to the resort and back, but every other transfer costs 7.5€ each. The pasta and breakfast coffee were disgusting for Italy. The quality for the price is very poor. Better to avoid.

The bungalows are well equipped and fit into the surroundings nicely, though they're not very big, max 2 + 1. There's no swimming pool, which suited me since it meant relatively few small children. This is the only hotel on a beautiful island, with a lovely beach and a decent resort full of attractions for different people. The food was very delicious. For the nearest store, you need to go to the island next to La Maddalena, either by the hotel's boat or a water taxi. Guests' spending is added to a special payment card assigned at check-in, then settled by card at check-out.

The beach was great, very much like sardegna, but the rest of the stay was a mess. We chose the resort because its website said an airport shuttle, a pool, and a boat to palau were included. None of those things was provided as promised, so my bf and I paid 200 euros extra. The boat to reach Palau wasn't free, either. We also spent more than an hour sorting out our departure, arranging both a boat taxi and an airport taxi ourselves. The receptionists were all very unfriendly and didn't seem able or interested in helping. They treated us differently when they realized we didn't speak Italian perfectly. Never ever again. That's 200 euros for taxis, plus 15 euros a day for the boat taxi from santo stefano to palau.