Why

Italy is exceptionally family friendly and Sardinia is a great holiday destination. The Italians simply love and welcome kids almost anywhere. Sardinia boasts some of the most spectacular and unspoilt beaches in the Southern Mediterranean with a coastline that is still remarkably unspoilt. The appeal favours families seeking adventure with plenty of water sports including some fantastic diving in the crystal clear waters, fishing, golf, horse riding and some challenging walking and biking trails.

Boat trips are the best ways of exploring the many islands, coves and grottos off the coast of Sardinia for those wishing for some gentle exploration and of course you can always while the sun drenched days away in one of the many restaurants café bars. Hire a car and do lots of exploring the beautiful coast and interior. This can be a quite high cost destination as many of the millionaires of Europe holiday here so you may need to budget accordingly.

When and how

The climate is typically Mediterranean so avoid a high summer if you can travel outside of school holidays as you are likely to get better value accommodation. May, June and September are best as the beaches can get crowded in high summer.

You fly into either Cagliari or Alghero airports from Ireland or the UK on scheduled, budget flights or charter flights. You can check special offers or deals here. Sunway also may have some charter flights if you are travelling from Ireland.

Sunway and Citalia feature Sardinia and you can look at some of the packages with them operators here. Hiring a car is relatively inexpensive and we would recommend that you do hire a car is so that you can explore this wonderful area even if it is just for a few days. You can book car hire here.

Family friendly accommodation

Sardinia has lots of family friendly accommodation options including apartments, family villas and hotels. You can check for special offers and deals here with booking.com.

For good holiday village options with good children’s facilities have a look at Eurocamp and Keycamp.

Italy specialists Citalia are one of the leaders in the package market for Italy and you can check their hotel and self catering accommodation only and full packages here. They have a 5% discount for online bookings.

Authentic Italy specialise in a wide range of villas and apartments if you want to book a self catering option and and Meon Villas have some great villas in stunning locations with special offers and deals . Self catering is generally a high standard and in stunning locations.

Le Meridien Chia Laguna is situated in a lush valley, surrounded by mountains. This is a four-star resort with excellent family facilities set amongst the enchanting landscape of South Sardinia. Accommodation for families is in hotel rooms and cottage rooms. Facilities include three swimming pools, excellent sports facilities, including four tennis courts, a five-a-side football pitch and mini-golf.

Children of all ages are very well catered for, with the resort running a nursery, a kids club and a teenagers` club. The activities offered by these groups vary according to age group and might include arts and crafts, beach games, swimming and football. Teenagers can also enjoy evening entertainment with supervised pizza parties and disco nights. You can book this with Citalia.

The Hotel Romazzino is set amidst expansive flowering gardens which slope gently down to a private white sand beach. Families stay in rooms and suites that have balconies overlooking the Mediterranean gardens.

Children will enjoy the supervised activities at the Toy Club Romazzino which runs from May to September for free for kids between 3 and 12. The fun includes beach games, treasure hunts, mini soccer and mini basketball as well as crafts and creative activities. After dinner entertainment at the Toy Club includes baby dancing, magicians and movies. While the kids are occupied, adults can enjoy the swimming pool, gym and water sports, play tennis or golf at nearby clubs.

The Forte Village Resort is set within 25 breathtaking hectares of pine forest and subtropical gardens. It is next to a dazzling white beach on the southern tip of Sardinia. This luxurious resort with its impressive range of leisure activities and distinctive restaurants, offers the very best of Sardinia to families. There are seven hotels in the resort and a dazzling and fabulous choice of rooms, suites and bungalows scattered between lushly landscaped gardens, sports grounds and swimming pools. A word of warning though It is a high cost and a top end property and you really needs to have a good spending budget while staying here. Also check the standard of accommodation as it can very considerably.

There is a wealth of restaurants offering a vast range of cuisine; from Italian to Brazilian as well as the culinary acclaimed Laetrile and even a dedicated children’s restaurant open for lunch and dinner. Nightly entertainment at the Piazza Maria Luigia is perfect for a family evening. Facilities include 10 floodlit tennis courts, a putting green, a go-cart track, an outdoor ice-skating rink and a host of water sports will occupy the whole family. For adults the jewel in the resort’s crown is the Thermae del Forte Village Spa, one of the finest health centres in Europe.

Children will have plenty of fun in the three kid’s pools, two of which are landscaped and located in the Mini Club. Activities for children and teenagers range from the traditional arts and crafts to games on the beach, train rides, karaoke, go-kart, treasure hunts, basketball and golf lessons. There is a kids club 2-11yrs (free of charge) teens club 12-17yrs and a nursery 0-2yrs (from €15 per hour) from mid May to September. This hotel was recently listed by Conde Nost as one of the top beach hotels for families in Europe. You can book online here or with Citalia.

What to do with the kids

The beaches are just spectacular and it is well worth hiring a car to explore some off the beaten track and the beautiful interior and countryside.

Have a sporty adventure with plenty of water sports including some fantastic diving in the crystal clear waters, fishing, golf, horse riding and some challenging walking and biking trails available.

Visit the Grotta di Nettuno near the town of Alghero. This sea-level cave warren uses dramatic lighting to enhance a multitude of stunning stalactites and stalagmites
If you want to hang out with the beautiful people, then you'll struggle to find a holiday haven more chic than the Costa Smeralda. The natural ancient harbour of Porto Cervo is the hub of the Costa Smeralda and the centre of its social life. Little girls will love the top end retail therapy even if you are only browsing.You will find designer boutiques, chic bars and renowned restaurants attracts many world famous yachting events and tournaments.

Hang out at the Piazzetta San Marco, in the heart of town, a square which has been the centre for hundreds of years. It's also a terrific place to spot celebrities.

Trenino Verde is a train which runs twice daily between Arbatax and Mandas from June to September and is a roller-coaster ride through mountains and meadows.

Take a trip to the rocky north of the island, to Capo D'Orso, the Cape of the Bear.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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