Northern Sardinia

Sardinia is one of the few places in the Med that can justifiably claim to be still be a “hidden gem”. I went to take a closer look at the northern half of the island.

As the Med’s second largest and most remote island, Sardinia offers diverse landscapes. As you might expect, the island has a spectacular coastline – 1800 kms of it in fact offering everything from dazzling white sweeps of sand to hidden coves and sparkling emerald seas.

The Costa Smeralda, or Emerald Coast is perhaps the best known stretch

Porto Cervo is the heart of the Costa Smeralda and its here that the Aga Khan started his dream back in the sixties to build a perfect Mediterranean resort. At times its really ostentatious but the thing about the Costa Smeralda is that its really understated elegant as well.

Port Cervo is certainly fun to visit for a glimpse of how the other half live but there are lots of places to stay right along the Costa Smeralda and indeed the whole of the North Coast. I looked at several styles of hotel

The small and intimate Hotel Capo D’Orso… the family orientated Cala di Lepre... and the resort style Valle dell’Erica

On the shoe, what we've found here is really distinctive character places. You've got none of the big high rise that, you know, block out the sun by 3 o clock. Its all very restrained on the whole and its been very well managed I think. The star rating can give some indication but what you really need is that insider knowledge and that's where a specialist like Just Sradinia really come in to its own - they can ask the right questions of you to match the holiday to the right person

Wherever you stay, there are lots of different ways to enjoy the coast and that stunning emerald water. There are all sorts of boat trips out to the islands and of course sailing is huge here…

Another option is to hire a RIB, you can either drive one yourself, after some quick instruction if needed, or you can hire a driver

The Costa Smeralda is all about exclusivity and you don't get much more exclusive than this - a whole beach to yourself. You've got every gradation of blue out there and its crystal clear, perfect temperature, fantastic

As if the attractions of its coastline weren’t enough, rural Sardinia also has much to offer and I’d certainly consider spending at least a couple of days exploring the interior. I headed to Su Gologone set in the mountainous interior just an hour’s drive south of Olbia

Su Gologone is a really good example of rural tourism at its best. This guy started this 40 odd years ago and its a real hymn to the countryside. You've got all these great little secret nooks and crannies where you can disappear so you that feeling of a real escape which is what the countryside should be.

Aside from relaxing at the hotel, locally there are plenty of activities on offer such as kayaking, cycling and of course great walking…

There’s history here too – this is an example of a Nuraghi settlement

Last but not least, we took a look at the North East coast from our base at the Carlos V hotel in Alghero.

Increasingly popular due to regular low cost flights and the short 20 minute transfer from the airport, Alghero is a working town with more of a traditional feel.

You can see why Alghero is such a good base for a holiday. You've got these endless powder sands stretching along the lido, then you've got the swish Marina and, over here, we've got the medieval heart of the town which is really interesting. Catalan from Spain.

The season for Sardinia is quite defined from May to early October – you can come here in winter of course but in the warm summer sunshine the island really comes into its own

I'd only actually been to the south of Sardinia and then I was very impressed but the north even knocks spots off that. I mean its such a sensational coastline. Finely fretted bays, beautiful coves, wonderful food and the interior is really really interesting. I think the fact that its just a two hour flight from Britain means its got to be one of the best Med destinations.