Arbatax Park Resort - Dune

We had the worst hotel experience ever, and I truly regret booking this place. It ruined our vacation. Instead of relaxing, we spent hours dealing with problems and complaining, but got no real help from management. The whole stay was stress, frustration and disappointment, and I wouldn’t recommend this resort to anyone. Worst hotel in all of Sardinia. We chose this resort partly because its website said WiFi was available. In our room there was almost no phone signal and no WiFi at all. When we told the receptionist, she said she had a signal, which makes sense since she lives there and has an Italian SIM. We’re tourists and had basically no connection. We explained how serious this was for us and were told to “expect this on an island.” If guests might have no network or WiFi, that should be stated on the website before booking. It wasn’t. We wanted to check out straight away. We had barely used the first room, but even after explaining everything, the hotel refused a refund, so we were basically forced to stay one night. The next room was even worse: it smelled strongly of mold and humidity, so badly that sleeping properly was impossible. The sheets felt damp. Everything smelled bad, and the furniture was old, uncomfortable and not properly clean. The online pictures look beautiful, but the reality was completely different. We also said the strong mold and humidity smell felt unhealthy and unacceptable. Apparently that still wasn’t “a valid reason” for a refund. What exactly counts as unacceptable, then? The next morning we left as soon as we could and didn’t even have breakfast. And after all that, the hotel still refused to refund us for the night we DID NOT even stay there.

A special thank you to Sophie at cottage reception, she was an excellent staff member and her customer service was exceptional! The resort is lovely and clean, freshly painted and well maintained. They have free standup paddle boards, and breakfast was nice.

We spent the morning hiking around the grounds, and it was lovely to have such a large natural area to wander through. The place is huge, with about 40 acres, though the gardens could use more care: they needed sweeping, cleaning, and some fresh paint outside. Our room made the stay turn around. We had a beautiful, enormous suite by the sea, with a separate bedroom, a big living room with sofas, and patios facing the water. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom and shower were lovely. Breakfast was good, and we planned to have dinner there too. Getting to that point was rough. We arrived in the afternoon and waited an hour for our room. I hadn't eaten all day, and the only food we could find was a stale tuna sandwich at the bar. It was very hot, and with nowhere to sit there, we took a shaded spot at an empty restaurant, being careful and respectful. A woman rushed over, yelled that we weren't welcome at HER restaurant, and told us to leave immediately. It was shocking, especially since we hadn't left a crumb. We nearly checked out for another hotel. The place is basically all-inclusive, which isn't really my thing, but there weren't other places to stay at the time. In the end, it wasn't a bad stay, apart from that nasty woman who worked there.

If you want somewhere quiet and private to clear your head, this is a lovely choice. The surroundings are wonderful, and the staff were nice. Ms.Marina at reception deserves a special mention, and the restaurant team were very attentive. The food was good too. I would have appreciated coffee facilities in the room for an early cup, along with some courtesy products.