How to choose the right villa on the Costa Smeralda

You do not choose a home on the Costa Smeralda from a specification sheet. You choose it by where you wake up, by how many minutes stand between you and the sand, by the voices you hear in the kitchen each morning. Our eighteen homes sit across six distinct areas, and the difference begins well before the gate. Here is how we explore it with you.

The area first, then the house

The village: Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo is the heart of the coast: a hamlet of a few hundred residents in the municipality of Arzachena, born in 1962 around a natural inlet. The pedestrianised village climbs from the old port towards the piazzetta amid granite, whitewash and timber. This is the place for those who step out on foot, just as you can from APC02, looking over the centre moments from the boutiques and Marina di Porto Cervo. We wrote about it in Porto Cervo, the village that created the Costa Smeralda.

The bay: Cala di Volpe and Romazzino

Cala di Volpe is a bay enclosed by myrtle and junipers shaped by the mistral, with four beaches and a village overlooking the small port. Romazzino opens two kilometres south of Porto Cervo, between Punta Capaccia and Punta Romazzino: a deep, sheltered bay, with the bright white sand of the Spiaggia del Principe just beyond. These are the corners where the sea can be heard from the veranda.

The hillside: Golfo Pevero and Liscia di Vacca

Pevero Golf opens between Porto Cervo and Cala di Volpe, two kilometres south of the piazzetta, with the course designed by Robert Trent Jones and villas facing the sea. Liscia di Vacca lies instead between Porto Cervo and the headland of Capo Ferro, among rocks and hills: this is where Luigi Vietti hid his most celebrated hotel in 1963. A secluded character, for those seeking the coast without the bustle.

The harbour: Porto Rotondo

Porto Rotondo is the village overlooking its namesake gulf, in the municipality of Olbia, twenty-four kilometres from Porto Cervo. Life revolves around a marina of over 650 berths welcoming yachts up to ninety metres, with an evening scene that has thrived for over forty years. You will find our guide in Porto Rotondo, the village that lives around its harbour.

The hinterland, behind Cala di Volpe

Santa Teresina is the Arzachena countryside set behind the coast, among granite hills, cork oaks and the Liscia river: Nuragic archaeological sites, ranches, the gentle pace of inland Gallura and the gulf beaches just a short drive away. Here sits VST01, with a panoramic terrace, tavern, pool with gazebo and a sauna surrounded by greenery.

How many bedrooms you genuinely need

From three to nine bedrooms

The collection spans a wide range: from three bedrooms at APC02 to nine at VLV02, with declared capacities from six to eighteen guests. In between are four bedrooms at VCV01, seven at VG01 and eight at VPR02, with four hundred square metres inside and over three thousand outside.

Staff accommodation and guest houses

Staff bedrooms do not count towards the guest capacity, yet they transform the house all the same: VR01 provides one with a dedicated bathroom alongside five en-suite bedrooms, VG01 two, and VPR03 a twin bedroom with bathroom and laundry room. Guest houses provide independence: VLV02 divides its nine bedrooms between the main house and guest quarters, while VPR02 shares them across the main building and two guest houses, one with its own private entrance.

How we calculate guest capacity

We follow the industry standard of two guests per main bedroom, excluding staff rooms. It is a sensible baseline: if your party has a particular composition, we discuss numbers home by home.

Proximity to the water

Direct access and secluded coves

Few homes have the sea quite so close. VCV01 has direct access to the water and grounds with tall pines that keep the shade cool. VR01 looks onto Romazzino’s main beach and a secluded cove, with a panoramic pool poised over the water. VPR03 leads down to a paved sun deck with a private jetty for small boats.

Sea views from above

Other homes embrace height. VLV02 stands high above Hotel Pitrizza, among Mediterranean scrub and granite, with the living room opening onto the panoramic pool. VPR02 looks out over the village while still stepping down to the private beach of Marina Piccola.

A short walk away

Then there is the lighter choice: a stroll. VCV05 sits eight hundred metres from the white sand of La Celvia. A little further along, Liscia Ruja remains the largest beach on the coast, wide enough to bring together beach clubs and long stretches of open sand.

Renting or buying

Homes available for holiday letting

Fifteen of the eighteen homes are available to rent, from a village apartment to a villa for eighteen guests. It is the formula for anyone wishing to experience an area before committing, and often the first step towards a purchase.

Properties for sale

VPR02 and VPR03, both in Porto Rotondo, are for sale. VG01, two villas linked by an underground tunnel with two pools, a football pitch, a spa with gym and seven en-suite bedrooms, is available for both holiday letting and sale.

Property Management for buyers

Buying a property means taking on a home that will spend much of the year without you. Our Property Management looks after the selection of vetted tenants, oversees maintenance, manages tax and tenancy agreements, and makes the most of the property on the market to preserve its value.

The questions we always ask

Who is travelling with you

A group of adults and a family with young children are not looking for the same home, nor the same beach. For younger guests we look for shallow waters, like the four coves of Capriccioli, and long afternoons to fill, such as Aquadream in Baja Sardinia. Each home has at least one paired family experience, and our dedicated guide is Costa Smeralda with children.

What you want within driving distance

The golf course, the beach club, the table you will return to three nights out of seven. To every home we connect eight to ten relevant experiences, measured by location and distance, and each has at least one beach club within seven kilometres: Phi Beach, for instance, is 4.8 kilometres from the two homes in Liscia di Vacca. Golfers will start from Pevero Golf Club, eighteen holes par 72 opened in 1972, which we explore in Golf in Costa Smeralda, from Pevero to coastal courses.

How much privacy you need

This is the question that carries the most weight. Some want the village right on their doorstep, while others want gates set back from the road, a garden enclosed by Mediterranean scrub and no neighbouring views. The same coast offers both within a few kilometres, and here the area matters far more than any list of features.

How we work

Around twenty years in the luxury property market

Prime Villas has worked in prime estate agency between Milan and Porto Cervo for around twenty years, looking after every step of sales and lettings. From this comes our network of relationships with owners, builders and local investors that underpins our collection.

Concierge care throughout your stay

Throughout your stay, concierge is there: private transfers, a table at a Michelin-starred restaurant, property maintenance, or welcoming international guests. The house is the foundation, not the whole stay. For arrival arrangements, you will find details in How to reach the Costa Smeralda, by plane, helicopter and sea.

Request a tailor-made selection

Send us three details: when you wish to come, how many guests, and how close you want the sea. We will reply with a focused selection and the reasons behind each home, so the final choice remains yours.