Hotel Club Saraceno

A resort-like property, the Hotel Club Saraceno is primarily popular with Italian families and large groups, thanks to the array of activities on offer. Rather than being organized around a central location, it's spread out like a village, with some buildings quite close to the beach, and well-kept gardens with local plants dotting the paved and wooden pathways between units. From the lobby to the rooms, the hotel is decorated in the traditional Sardinian style of terra-cotta floors, wicker furniture, cream walls, light-blue accents, and wood-beam ceilings. Aside from entertainment led by the animation team in the summer, and some background music, the atmosphere is generally quiet and relaxed.

The hotel is located off a quiet side street about a 10- to 15-minute walk into Arbatax. The village is small and spread out (residential areas tend to dominate most of the walk), but it has a few spots to eat, including a pizzeria, Italian restaurant, and gelateria. The hotel is also in a great spot for nature-lovers: wildlife is abundant in the Ogliastra region, as well as hiking, mountain biking, surfing, rock climbing, and horseback riding along the beaches. The Tower of San Gemiliano, which dates from the Middle Ages and offers gorgeous views from the top, is an eight-minute walk away, and the beautiful Red Rocks are about 20 minutes away by car. Two more beaches are also close by: Tortoli and Arbatax are both reachable in 10 minutes by car, or the hotel has a taxi boat that leaves from its beach.

Rooms keep the traditional theme going, with terra-cotta floors, beamed ceilings, white wooden furniture, and pastel-blue quilts. Nautical paintings accent the walls. All Basic and Standard Rooms are on the ground floor, and each has a shaded furnished patio (the latter look out over the garden). Superior Rooms are one level up and have views over San Gemiliano Bay from the furnished balconies (you can even hear the waves at night from some of these units). Family Rooms, conveniently, are connecting bedrooms -- one for the kids -- and can accommodate four to five people. All rooms have air-conditioning, a 32-inch flat-screen TV, mini-fridge, and safe. Handily, there's also a drying rack in each room, and housekeeping comes around daily. Bathrooms, which are all-white except for the terra-cotta floors, all come with small stall showers, hairdryers, and toiletries. Checkout, somewhat oddly, is rather early (10 a.m. during our visit) compared to other hotels with late-morning checkouts. 

The beach, which is really well-maintained, is almost immediately on the property: A three-minute walk will get guests to the sandy private beach, on the larger shores of San Gemiliano Bay. There' are free group lessons (tennis, canoeing, sailing, and windsurfing -- all available for older kids, too), plus a beach bar, volleyball, and boat rentals. Guests will need to rent towels, which can get expensive, but one perk is that each room is allocated two sun loungers and an umbrella at the beach, so there aren't any worries about getting a spot. The hotel has its own diving center and provides transfers by boat to the dive site. Scuba diving classes are available, including a junior version for kids. There are a few board options available, from just breakfast to all-inclusive meals and drinks. Food is generally pretty good across the board, though there's not a ton of variety. Breakfasts, which have more of a selection, can be eaten on a gorgeous terrace that overlooks the beach. Lunch and dinner are also buffet-style and consist of local and international specialities. Mineral water, wine (reportedly very light), and some soft drinks included. There are also two a la carte options: Piazzeta Bar, for casual lunches and drinks, as well as the fine-dining restaurant, Restaurant Le Vele, which is only open in July and August and serves chef's menus. The latter is adult-only, but the animation staff will watch the kids.Fitness-wise, there's a fairly well-equipped gym, two tennis courts (charges for racquets), plus a rotating schedule of classes that take place in the hotel's little piazza and aqua aerobics in the pool each day. Kids can hang out in the mini-club (4 to 12 years old), which is open in the mornings. A kids' swimming pool and evening entertainment catering toward them are also provided. Evening entertainment is programmed for adults as well (cabaret, night sports, card tournaments), though it's not as good. There's Wi-Fi is available throughout the property, though it's not free beyond the first four hours. Parking on-site is free.