When you go to Sardinia, the BEST thing you could do is rent a boat from Cala Gonone!  It’s my #1 must-do in Sardinia and was the highlight of our trip!  Spending the full day out on the water with just your crew will never get old.  Dave and I had the luxury to explore the coast as we wanted, stopping to see what caught our fancy on our own time! #freedom.

Rent Your Boat

To rent a boat, walk up to the Cala Gonone ferry terminal where there will be a circle of different huts selling ferry tickets and boat rentals.  Most huts sell the same or similar items, so we shopped around to get the best price.  The going rate for a full day boat rental was 120€ for a boat without shade and 140€ for one with shade.  The hut closest to the port offered 20€ less: 100€ without shade, 120€ with.  You get the boat from 08:00 until 18:00.  Make sure to secure your boat rental at least the evening before, so the next morning all you have to do is show up and the boat will be ready for you.  You don’t need a boat license either, by the way!

Our hotel offered free parasols to take to the beach each day so we chose without shade and brought our parasol to hook into the boat when we weren’t cruising.  We went with the cheapest hut and paid 100€ for a full day boat rental without shade.  You’ll pay gas extra upon return, ours cost 40€.

You can also ask the boat rental hut if they will provide a cooler for you, and they should upon request.  The evening we secured our reservation, we went to the local grocery to pick up lunch provisions of salami, bread, nectarines, waters, and ingredients to make Aperol Spritz’s.  Our all in cost for the day was about 160€.  Not bad for what we had in store!  The next morning of we walked over, packed up the cooler they provided, and off we went!

As with the beaches in the North of the island, the water is crystal clear and changed color as the sun position moved and we transitioned from sandy or rocky areas below.  At times it was a bright green, others a turquoise green blue, and even a deep, beautiful blue color.

There are over 10 beaches that are yours to explore in the Bay of Orosei.  We chose to drive all the way down to the southern-most beach first, Cala Goloritze, and then meander our way back north as the day passed.  This allowed us to check out all of the beaches first as we drove by, to take note of which ones we’d want to stop at later in the day!

Cala Goloritze

After about a fun two hour drive south, we made it to Cala Goloritze!  We found a nice spot to anchor down and relaxed for a bit enjoying the gorgeous view in front of us.

Cala Goloritze is one of the most famous beaches in the area because of it’s stunning beauty and steep mountain peek shooting up to the sky from the water.  It’s popular amongst rock climbers to summit the top, which we actually witnessed a guy doing the day we were there!

It was the most gorgeous beach I think I’ve ever seen!  Now all we had to do is… relax and have a little fun too.

Cala Mariolu

From Cala Goloritze we drove up to Cala Mariolu, another gorgeous beach full of large rocks to jump off of.  You can drive your boat to the sand to unload your gear and then park your boat back in the deeper water, but we didn’t find it necessary to leave our boat as we had everything we wanted right there.  We anchored next to a gorgeous cave area and had our picnic lunch on the boat, relaxing in the sun and hopping off for a swim when we chose to cool off.

Snorkel with the Fish

Our boat was anchored at 100m above the sand and we could easily see straight down to the bottom of the sea.  Make sure to bring your snorkel gear with you and you’ll be able to see all the fish you’re swimming with!  The water throughout our whole Sardinia trip was the BEST snorkeling we’ve seen in Europe because it was so clear so please don’t forget your gear!  We also use these waterproof phone protector cases to take pictures under water.

My husband likes to crush crackers to feed the fish right as I hop into the water… only to have my mind wander to the much LARGER fish that must be lurking around and hungry too!  He is an a bit of an instigator if you didn’t know him yet 😉  always keeping me on my A-game!

Even though I was mildly freaking out under my snorkel mask, I have to admit swimming with all these little fishies was so cool.  Thanks, babe. 😉

 

Stop as You Please for a Swim and Climb

The beauty of renting your own boat is that you can do literally whatever you want!  As we were slowly meandering back North after our lunch, we passed this little ‘beach’ with a big large rock in front of another beach cave.  I told Dave to cut the motor and dove into the water to swim over!  I could. not. get over. this scene.  The staggering cliff running right up to the beach, the crazy rock structures, and the GREEN water was almost too much to take in!  Dave snapped a few pictures from the boat and then I eventually swam back to find our next destination.

 

Cala Mudaloru

We found this tiny little beach area named Cala Mudaloru and it looked so quaint and perfect we decided to anchor down.  We loved it so much we ended up staying all afternoon – this was our favorite little oasis!  The beach area really only consists of a bunch of rocks forming a steep cliff down to into the water, and right next to it a little cave.  These eastern beaches are full of the fun beach caves!

Again as soon as we anchored, I jumped off and snorkeled to the rocks.  This beach is also accessible by a long hike, and while we were here an Italian family had finished their hike and was enjoying the cool sea while their hiking clothes dried in the sun.  I shared the rocky beach with them and their cute little puppy, it was such a peaceful afternoon!  Dave took the drone out again for some epic shots, can you believe how insanely gorgeous this area is?

Before we headed back for the evening, I had to reach for my camera to snap a few last pictures of my cute view, to cherish this memory forever.  It really was the most perfect day spent with my love.

I think Sardinia would be an excellent European honeymoon destination!

Know

Location

This is due East in Sardinia.  You’ll want to stay in Cala Gonone, a smallish town and center base for exploring the gorgeous beaches. It’s along the Bay of Oresei, a large bay hosting 10+ gorgeous beaches for you to explore by boat!

Stay

Try to find a place within walking distance to the marina port.  Hotel prices hover around 100€ per night including breakfast.  We stayed at Hotel La Conchiglia and loved the location right on the water and large breakfast included.

Your hotel may provide free umbrellas for you to take to the beach for the day.  We took advantage of this and opted for a boat without shade and saved 20€ on the boat rental, and opened up the umbrella when we anchored down.

Eat

We had wonderful dinners at Da Graziano il Pescatore, a fresh seafood restaurant, and Hotel Costa Dorada Restaurant, which would also be a lovely hotel to stay at.  There is also a grocery within walking distance to pick up groceries or a picnic lunch for your boat day.

Make it More Affordable

Don’t be afraid to use your credit card points or frequent flyer miles for bookings, that’s what they’re there for!! We almost always use our Delta points for free rental cars, and this trip we also booked all hotels using Chase credit card points.  That means we only paid for the flights (cheap direct flights through Eurowings!) and meals.  I love using my travel reward points so wanted to give a friendly reminder if you haven’t used yours in a while! 🙂

See what did on Sardinia Itinerary parts I, II, III, and IV.

ENJOY beautiful Sardinia!!! This was my FAVORITE summer holiday I’ve ever taken in my life.  If you have any questions leave them here I’ll be glad to answer any!

xx