Sardinia, Italy

Albero Capovolto

Price per night from$194.64

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR179.09), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Stacked-stone abode

Setting

Vineyard vantage-point

Boutique bed and breakfast stay Albero Capovolto, on Sardinia’s lightly landscaped north side, is the laid-back, Italian country house of our dreams. Built as a summer home, this stacked-stone abode holds onto its endearingly homey past: the rooms are named after members of the family, the bed throws were made by a genuine Italian mamma, and a tasteful sprinkling of the furniture and decor nods to ties with the fashion industry. Every morning at breakfast, effervescent owner Alessandro runs dinner options by guests before they set off for leisurely days on the grounds or jaunts to nearby white-sand beaches. 

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

One bottle of Sardinian wine and an aperitivo

Facilities

Photos Albero Capovolto facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Six, including one suite.

Check–Out

10.30am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 1pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £168.34 (€197), including tax at 10 per cent.

More details

Rates usually include Continental breakfast.

Also

Pick up a few authentic Sardinian kitchen skills with a private cooking lesson, or arrange an in-room massage to get rid of those pre-holiday knots.

Hotel closed

The hotel is closed annually from 20 October to 10 April.

At the hotel

Free WiFi and a laundry service. In rooms: pool towels, air-conditioning and Herb Sardinia bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Each of the six rooms is light and airy, but we’re partial to the spacious suite, which has direct access to the gardens and is the only room with both a walk-in shower and a bath tub. We do love a good soak.

Poolside

Swim leisurely lengths or simply float in the generously-sized (20-metres long) white-stone pool. At one end, the pagoda, with its large communal table, is just the place for a shaded post-dip drink.

Packing tips

Bring something suitably elegant for a night on the town, and don’t forget your shades.

Also

During high season, sunset yoga sessions can be arranged on the lawn, when there is interest from six or more would-be holiday yogis.

Pet‐friendly

For €15 a night, your pup can join you and be supplied with a dog bowl and bed. See more pet-friendly hotels in Sardinia.

Children

Children over 12 are welcome, but this peaceful retreat is best for adults only.

Food and Drink

Photos Albero Capovolto food and drink

Top Table

You’ll enjoy countryside views with your meal wherever you choose to sit.

Dress Code

Albero Capovolto is your home-away-from-home, so consider it such when dressing, but do remember you’re in effortlessly stylish Italy.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no restaurant as such, but the chef cooks in the home kitchen and meals can be delivered to anywhere on the property you’d like to eat, although most are served on the veranda. Breakfast is buffet-style, with home-made breads and cakes, locally-made yoghurt and ricotta, teas and coffee; eggs and other breakfast staples can be whipped up on request. Lunch is light and served on request only; ask nicely and the chef may provide you with a picnic lunch to go. Dinner is a fixed menu of market-fresh Sardinian specialties, so expect fish to feature. At breakfast every morning, owner Alessandro will run the evening menu by guests, and once or twice a week, they’ll fire up the barbecue or dish out home-made pizza. 

Hotel bar

There’s no bar, but you won’t go thirsty. Just ask, and Alessandro will serve you any time. 

Last orders

Breakfast is served on the veranda from 8.30am to 10.30am, and dinner starts at 8.30pm.

Room service

None officially, but the chef will ensure you have access to sustenance when hunger (or even just the nibbles) strike.

Location

Photos Albero Capovolto location
Address
Albero Capovolto
Via Sudunigheddu, 13
Golfo Aranci (Olbia)
07020
Italy

Albera Capovolto sits amid the vineyard-covered hills on the north side of Sardinia.

Planes

From within Italy, fly directly to Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport; it’s a 12-kilometre drive from the airport to the hotel. Some airlines offer direct flights from the UK, but you may have to make a stopover in Rome. Speak to our Smith24 team to book flights and arrange transfers (€40 a car, each way), or hail a cab at the airport, but be aware that they sometimes charge extra for luggage, so agree the fare before you get in.

Automobiles

The hotel is pretty remote, so you'll need a car to get to the nearby towns, which are roughly a ten-minute drive away. Our Smith24 team can organise a rental for you to pick up at the airport; from there follow signs to National Route 125 in the direction of Palau, then on to Provincial Route 16 towards Golfo Aranci.

Other

Boats and ferries (check out Moby Lines, Grimaldi Lines and Tirrenia) sail between Olbia and mainland Italy, including ports in Genoa, Livorno and north of Rome, and from France.

Worth getting out of bed for

Albero Capovolto’s countryside setting makes it perfect for lovers of a good ramble. The closest beach is white-sand La Marinella (two kilometres from the hotel), although it can be a bit busy; owner Alessandro highly recommends the calmer Cala Sabina, Cala Sassari and Bianca beaches. Hop into your rental car with a picnic and beach towels, or take a boat to little secluded beaches that are only accessible by sea. 

Visit the nearby villages of Porto Rotondo, Golfo Aranci and San Pantaleo for a wander around shops and cafés; on Thursdays, San Pantaleo hosts an arts, crafts and food market that’s known as the best on the island. If you fancy a boating excursion, ask Alessandro about a visit to the archipelago of La Madalena, a former NATO base on a string of beautiful islands. You’re also well placed for wine tasting; Sardinia is serious about their grapes, and there’s no dearth of wineries in the area. We especially like Vigne Surrau

Local restaurants

Venture to the centre of hillside village San Pantaleo for dinner at Giagoni in Piazza; try the lorighittas pasta with seafood stew and pesto, a classic aubergine parmigiana or the fresh-as-can-be catch of the day. Make sure to save a bit of room for the ricotta-and-chocolate cake too. The north side of Sardinia is liberally dotted with agriturismo restaurants, which are homey eateries on the edge of farmland. Try nearby La Sasima, which specialises in traditional grilled meats and home-made pastas. They also offer tastings of wines, cheeses, honey and salami, if you’re not after a full meal. 

Local cafés

Fino Beach Club on Cala Sassari will keep you fed and hydrated during your day on the sand. It serves up food throughout the day, alongside refreshingly chilled drinks; all alfresco, of course.

Reviews

Photos Albero Capovolto reviews
Rebecca Sterling

Anonymous review

By Rebecca Sterling, Travel blogger

We’d heard our fair share of tales about the glitzy Costa Smeralda. It’s not famous in the same way that the Amalfi Coast or Capri are famous, but we were aware of the Berlusconi types with their superyachts and the high-heeled women teetering around designer boutiques. Not exactly the kind of relaxing, authentic Sardinian scene we seek. Yet as Mr Smith and I soon discover, Sardinia can be rustic and charming in a more simple way, and feel very far from a millionaire’s seaside playground. In fact, what we found was a hidden gem that we’re almost reluctant to share…

We fly into Olbia and, after a few hiccups with car hire, are on our way in a rather fitting cream Fiat 500. Miraculously, Google Maps seamlessly navigates the island’s winding roads and we arrive at Albero Capovolto a mere 20 minutes later, without so much as one cross word between the navigator (me) and driver (Mr Smith). You’ll need a car to get around, not least for the climb into the rolling countryside where this charming B&B is based.

We feel ourselves unwind the second we arrive. A series of stone buildings set among olive trees and bougainvillea-wreathed pergolas, this alluring retreat is just the kind of remote getaway we’d been craving. The enthusiastic owner, Alessandro, greets us personally and can’t wait to show us around his peaceful oasis, which he treated to an eclectic renovation after spending childhood summers here. The style is rustic chic with quirky antique additions dotted around. Alessandro’s background in fashion shines through in the form of lamps made from fabric spools, artfully mismatched chairs and vintage floral tablecloths.

With the sun shining and a serious tanning mission to take care of, we saunter straight over to the pool area to join the other couples in their lounging. Luckily there are enough sun loungers to avoid a towel war and as this is very much aimed at couples and honeymooners, the white beds are all in neat pairs with Hollywood-style headshades. The view from the infinity pool – surrounded by open countryside with the odd terracotta roof dotted in for good measure – will take some beating. Add to that the heady scent of jasmine wafting over and it all feels very idyllic indeed.

The service here isn’t showy but you’re very well taken care of. Forever managing my expectations, Mr Smith had reminded me before our stay that Albero Capovolto is a B&B rather than a hotel, but with the pool and the option of dinner several nights a week, it feels like so much more.

With just five rooms, it feels intimate (you become aware of your neighbouring couples’ showering routines through the wall) but not too intimate. Our room is neutral-toned and sports wicker and wood accents. The look on my husband’s face when he realizes that the slightly odd digital photo in the room is not a TV but in fact an air con unit is priceless. That said, it soon became apparent that this place isn’t about TV – or phone signal at all.

We sleep under stripped tree-trunk beams and set no alarms, awaking to the sunlight pouring through the shutters. Despite the huge pizzas we ate last night (when in Rome!), we feel ravenous. This feast is fit for Sardinian Kings, complete with an array of insanely delicious homemade cakes, bright yellow eggs and local meats and cheeses – with a dreamy view to match.

Just across from our room is an outdoor lounge area with a hanging chair swaying in the breeze. The slightly sketchy WiFi encourages us to indulge in books instead, occasionally looking up to views of the mountains, wild flowers and olive groves.

We spend our afternoons exploring the emerald coastline (there’s an overwhelming number of beaches in the area). The clear, sparkling water, rugged boulders and lapping waves make us question whether we’re in the Seychelles or Sardinia. Really, it’s that spectacular! Our favourite stretches of sand are Cala Sassari and Spiaggia del Principe, a truly romantic little cove and a firm favourite of the prince who put this stretch of coastline on the map. Don’t bother visiting Porto Cervo; instead, try Porto Rotondo for a fantasy boat shopping mission or pretty San Pantaleo, which has a lot more charm.

Throughout our stay we eat stupendously well, and even go in search of Alessandro’s favourite gelato spot in Golfo Aranci. We have one rule we stick to when in search of gelato: the place in question must have Mr Smith’s favourite lemon and licorice combination. We like to think we’re gelato connoisseurs, and this spot doesn’t disappoint. We watch the locals turn up for their daily fix – oh to live in Italy.

After a glorious long weekend, the daily grind awaits us back home tomorrow. But today, a few more beaches are waiting to be discovered. We’re feeling smug about booking that late flight home – even if it is on easyJet.

Book now

Price per night from $194.64