Club Esse Cala Bitta

The fresh fruit and vegetables at the food bar were good, though there was plenty of processed food too. Our room was clean and nice, the A/C was welcome, and the staff around the pool and bar were great. The staff in general were warm and pleasant. Getting a taxi was the real problem. My family and I aren't fluent in Italian, and when we asked the young woman at reception to help arrange one, she said her manager had told her she wasn't “allowed” to. The manager was off that day, and no one else in management would speak with us or help. In the end I called the neighboring resort, 7Pines. The man who picked up was glad to assist, even after I explained we weren't guests there. Taxis are hard to find in summer, so we were grateful to 7Pines for making sure we had a way back to the airport for our flight to Rome. Cala Bitta needs to improve its customer service.

Never going back. The room was awful: the bed was terribly uncomfortable, the shower head kept falling off the wall, and the water wouldn't drain. They wouldn't give me a pool towel without a deposit, and I didn't have cash with me. For what you get, it was wildly overpriced, with kids screaming all over the place.

The harbour and sea view from our room was gorgeous, and the bed was huge. We were also pleasantly surprised to hear we'd been upgraded for free. We got in around 10 pm after a late flight, but the staff had answered my email straight away when I checked whether check-in would still be possible. They even took us to the dining room, where they'd put aside some food since we'd been travelling all day. The food was lovely, especially the handmade pizzas prepared in front of you each night, along with the authentic Italian dishes. If you're a fussy eater, it may not all appeal, but we enjoyed it. Some staff spoke very little English, yet communication was no trouble and everyone was extremely polite. We rented a car, which made getting around easy. Baja is only five minutes away, and there's also a regular shuttle running to and from there. We had such a great stay that we're already thinking about coming back.

The pool looks great, and the outdoor spaces are nicely designed. Our family room was excellent, with a lovely view of the nearby beach and port. The hotel has been renovated and now feels comfortable and looks quite nice. The restaurant has a decent range of food for the basic needs of a holiday in this area. The location also works really well for exploring Cannigione and Porto Cervo. At the price they charge, I'd strongly recommend staying here on the Costa Smeralda. Cheers!