Rosa dei Venti - Castelsardo, Italy 

Most the reviews of this hotel I saw before I booked it were glowing, but there are issues with this hotel that potential customers need to be aware of. The Hotel is about 3km from Castelsardo in the area known as Lu Bagnu. The Hotel is in quite a busy area and I found that the bedrooms could be affected by noise from surrounding properties. On the dates we stopped there we were disturbed by noise until the early hours despite the bedroom window being fitted with metal shutters. After midnight the reception closes and entrance into the hotel is via a flight of metal stairs at the back of the hotel. If you have a room at the back you can be disturbed by people going up and down these stairs in the early hours. Note that as reception shuts at midnight there could be a problem with check-in if you arrive after then. Expedia advises you call the hotel if a late arrival is envisaged but as staff only speak Italian this could be a problem if you don't (I tried and only got a “no, parlare Italiano” response!). Luckily I managed to arrive before midnight so didn’t get locked out. Reception staff only speak very rudimentary English and I struggled to make myself understood with more than the standard check-in and check-out questions. Their web site suggests staff speak English and the Expedia web site I booked via, states the hotel has “Multilingual staff”. I expect this may be a common problem in this area as there are very few English tourists around Casteldardo. The breakfast selection was somewhat limited (Cereal, Yogurt, bread rolls with Cheese and Jam and Croissants) although the ingredients were fresh and plentiful, the service was good and the breakfast area was clean, light and airy. Rooms are advertised with Balcony or Terrace although some rooms have neither (My first floor room just had a window out onto a patio area). It’s not all bad news with this hotel. The Hotel is kept very clean throughout and the maid service is exemplary. Staff do try to be friendly and attentive despite the language barriers. The bedroom we were allocated was quite large and had a double bed and two chairs that converted into pull out single beds. I think our room was in fact an apartment room rather than the standard hotel room as it was equipped with a sink and a fridge.

Had a great room, wrap around balcony facing two directions, very good view. Its not exactly sea front, its on the main road with another hotel ( closed it seems) opposite. Nevertheless the view is pleasant if not stunning and the road is quiet. Value in Sardinia for a very clean modern room with TV and fridge was very good. Walk 5 minutes to good beach, free parking opposite hotel. Couple of restaurants in La Bagnu but no English menus and sometimes no English speaking staff. Stick to Alghero if that worries you. beach here very nice, nothing much for a beach in Castelsardo but that is a pretty town for an evening or two. You need a car though or catch a local (infrequent) bus.