Casa Azzurra

We never stayed, after an hour of frustrating back and forth we found somewhere much nicer nearby. When we arrived, there were three tourists at the front desk and six men waiting behind it. They told me to book online to get a room. I was standing right there and asked if they could tell me what was available and show us a room, but the lobby felt tense and unwelcoming. After 15 minutes, a man showed us two rooms. Both were dark, one beside the pool party area and the other quiet. Neither matched what I’d seen on the booking site. There was no charm, warmth, or luxury, and it didn’t feel like a four-star hotel. The place seemed like a maze full of children and organized budget tour groups. Back at reception, we waited another 20 minutes, then were told the room they’d offered wasn’t available and we had to take the noisy poolside one, even though it was still listed online. The chef didn’t apologize or agree to talk with us. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone I care about.

It’s close to the beach if you walk, and the place is nice enough if this is your kind of holiday. But taking the car doesn’t work, since the camping ground blocks the way there.

The beach is 300-400 meters from the hotel, and Cala Ginepro is a lovely base for visiting the east Sardigna coast. I also liked the family’s own olive oil, and chef Andrea prepares Italian dishes and Sardignian specialties carefully for lunch and dinner, so you should try at least one. The rooms are well organized, but the services elsewhere aren’t ready for a four-star hotel. The garden needs a lot of work, and plenty of improvements are needed before next season. As things stand, it feels like a three-star place.

The sea, food, and hospitality make this one of my favorite places, with a nice balance between them. Some of the structures are getting old and could use modernization.