Recent experience with Sardinia?

Sardinia is high on my list but remains an as-yet-unattained goal. If this is okay with the mods to suggest this, the Trip Advisor forum has a couple regulars with extensive Sardinia knowledge. I frequent both sites and know how often Sardinia comes up.
(Also, Lonely Planet has a comprehensive guide).
I planned to visit in May, so my tentative itinerary differed, but I would just investigate if anywhere will be too quiet in October as it seems to be quite seasonal there. I like quiet towns myself, but it can be a fine line when it comes to certain places.
A couple websites I have bookmarked:
https://strictlysardinia.com/
https://www.sardegnaturismo.it/en

Thanks for your suggestions. I do indeed have all the available recent guidebooks for Sardinia and also am checking those sites you mention. Still hoping for feedback from anyone who may have gone this route in the past few years.
Currently planning on the Hotel Corallero in Santa Teresa Gallura for 5 nts, 1 night TBD in Alghero to break up the drive, and 4 nts at the Boutique Hotel Capo Blu in Santa Margherita di Pula.

We were in Sardinia last month, and I contributed to a thread on this Forum a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a link to it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/help-with-sardinia-itinerary

We didn’t go as far north as Olbia or Alghero, but saw, did, and ate some interesting things. We stayed in Bosa and had time in and around Oristano.

I just got back from Sardinia after a two week trip but also traveled there many times over the last 20 years. For me Sardinia is all about nature, beaches and seascapes and landscapes more than history and art. If you want history and art you're better off in Puglia or Sicily.
I spent a week in Santa Teresa this time. The town itself is clean and pleasant but offers little. The best thing about Santa Teresa is the Capo Testa area with its incredible rock formations and the beaches and easy hikes down the western coast between Rena Maiore and Portobello di Gallura.
Interesting towns and cities in Sardinia are Cagliari: lots to see, do and an excellent choice of food. Avoid days when cruise ships dock if possible. Alghero small historical centre and water/harbour front, very touristy. Bosa - nice for a few hours. Pula has the Roman ruins of Nora nearby, nice, but not much in the town itself. Villasimius is like many towns in Sardinia, clean and pleasant places to use as a base to visit superb beaches but no historical centres etc.
This May there were a few tourists around (more than when we visited in May the past). About October, I noticed that most beach car parks are still free until 31st May whereas are pay until end October so I imagine you will still find people around at the beginning of October (the sea will still be warm for swimming even if the weather may be windy) without there being the crowds of July and August.
I would be inclined to stay in Cagliari for the last stage of your holiday for some city life but getting in and out of the city by car can be long winded.
I'm preparing our trip report about our stay in Sardinia with some photos.

Thanks, Tinac, for your feedback. We have been to Sicily twice (4 weeks) and to Puglia once (two weeks) and absolutely love both areas.
Your assessments seems very aligned with our hopes & expectations for our 1st time in Sardinia. We are prioritizing beaches and the sea, with some exploration of Alghero and Cagliari and Nora. Not looking for art on this trip, but always interested in history.
Question: how hilly is Cagliari and how difficult is parking? We’re booked into Santa Margherita di Pula but plan to spend one day in Cagliari to explore.
Thanks again for your help & insights.

Elizabeth, once you leave the Port area of Cagliari, the streets seem to go straight up, but that didn’t seem to deter pedestrians, or stand-up e-scooter riders. We had an apartment pretty far up, near the Piazza DH Lawrence, and some streets were downhill from there, but others, including going up to the Archaeological Museum (millennia of history) were still quite uphill. Farther east, the wide boulevard Via Sidney Sonnino was basically flat, but we were beyond the harbor at that point.

We parked at the Parcheggio Regina Elena di Cagliari parking garage (on the Viale Regina Elena street) in Cagliari, which had narrow spiral ramps, but was easy to find (with Google Maps), park in, and pay at the machine. It wasn’t far from the National Archaeological Museum.

Many thanks for the parking info, the bane of our existence when driving abroad. We are very familiar with those narrow spiral ramps (which is why we always try to rent a Fiat 500 or whatever the smallest car available is!).

I just wanted to throw my thoughts in there that the lonely planet book was AWESOME when we went....we picked it up at a carrefour (or something similar) in Olbia the day we got there after we picked up our rental car.....

I don't know if October will be swimming month, but I sure had an an adventure after reading about swimming to an island off of Stintino in the book ;)

Thank you, Katherine. I have the LP guidebook and am glad to know you found it reliable as well as handy. I still wish RS would create a guidebook to Sardinia too! I don’t always agree with his hotel & restaurant advice but find his logistical info incredibly useful.

I too posted a reply that is on the same link as Cyn.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/help-with-sardinia-itinerary

Our trip was a little different and longer, we love history and art as well and found it very fascinating to get to know the Sardinian history and culture. Some of the best museums were in the smaller towns, Sassari, Nuoro specifically. There are lots of ruins all of the island. Santu Antine was one of the best we saw and really gives a clarity to what the Nuragi's were.

Thanks, Ann (I see you’re in Seattle- we’re relative newcomers to the east in Issaquah). I appreciate your feedback and link back to an earlier, helpful post about Sardinia.

My sister and BIL (mid 60s, active and experienced travellers) spent 10 days in Sardinia in early June 2023. They traveled entirely by public transport. Her itinerary was:

• Arrive by plane from Barcelona
• Cagliari - 3 nights - stayed at Corte 23 Suite
• Bosa - 2 nights - stayed at Hotel Palazzo de Pischedda
• Alghero - 3 nights - stayed at Panorama Guesthouse
• Olbia - 2 nights - stayed at Smeralda Flats
• Depart by ferry to Rome

They had a wonderful time and she says she wants to go back.

If you have a car you will obviously have more flexibility about where you go.

I spent a week in Santa Teresa and I loved the crystal clear water but we never went out for food or drinks because the town didn't have too much to offer in that regard. It did feel very authentic and local, however.

I too am planning a trip to Sardinia. We will be there the last week in August. We will be staying on the coast south of Oristan. It is a family trip and 3/4 of the people want beach, beach, seafood, and beach. The 1/4 of the family is a bit more interested in the history.

@Ann glad to hear that Santu Antine is worth the visit.

Of the several people who have already been, did anyone visit the Monte d'Accoddi pyramid? Or San Giovanni di Sinis?

In April there was a post in the trip reports, "Pre Trip Report", and in it the OP talked about following the places you want to visit on social media. (I'm sure that I'm new to the idea) Since I booked the ferry, I have been following several Instagramers from Sardinia. Very nice to get a picture of an incredible blue beach, or lovely sunset.

Looking for a travel companion to Sardinia and Corsica in a rented car for about 10 days. Everything is negotiable WhatsApp +972522558489.

as I said elsewhere,

" 972 is Israel isn't it? I hope you are in a safe place"

"with the number of scammers who visit here it is unusual for posters to include their phone number. Most people use the built in personal message facility of the Forum before disclosing their numbers."

So happy to find this thread! I have been numerous times (from USA) to Sicily and to Puglia and would love to plan three weeks in Sardinia in September next year. I feel LOST trying to decide where to stay... I would love to swim in warm seas and eat local food, including in an inland agriturismo that serves the famous roast pig. We would like high-end accommodations and a minimum of moving from place to place, so maybe 4 destinations in three weeks. Or five?

Beyond that, I am stumped! I am not sure why this island seems to complicated to plan, for me at least.

So here is one question, for starters: Carloforte? should that be among our destinations?
Also want to visit Alghero and was thinking about spending most of our time in the north but maybe I am all wrong here!!

I need very warm water to swim..will I likely be ok in late September?

Should II avoid anything in or near Costa Smeralda?

Again, food is big for us, also swimming and scenery.......I feel almost silly asking this here. I do have the Rough Guide guidebook....but again, finding its much harder to get a grip on where to go than I had when planning all of our southern Italian trips....Sicily (just returned from a month in the east!!), Puglia, etc....

Thanks to all who can offer any and all comments!!

We didn’t go to the Costa Smeralda. Don’t know how warm the waters would be, now or any other time of year, but my understanding is that if you want high-end prices, that’s where you’ll find them. Our Palazzo Pischedda hotel in Bosa was very, very nice, although not quite The Ritz, and not hyper-expensive. The coastal beach area 3 miles west of town looked set up for beachgoers, but that wasn’t us.

So was the long strip of beach farther south, at San Giovanni di Sinis, but we were there for the Nuragic/Phonecian archeological ruins of Tharros, next door. Can’t say what high-end accommodations would be nearby, if any.

My guess is that the Rough Guide doesn’t list many 5-star places for Sardinia, or does it?

We are currently in Santa Teresa Gallura and have another week in Sardinia, so I’ll report back more fully after that, but can tell you that the water here, while beautifully clear, is too cold for swimming imo as of 10/1. The beach (Rene Bianca)is still charging 40e per day for 2 beds & an umbrella and the beach bar is still open.
We’re in what I’d call a classic, nice Italian beach hotel w a wonderful staff but not particularly high end (Hotel Corallaro). There’s supposed to be a lovely agriturismo nearby called Agriturismo La Valletta with a well reviewed restaurant serving the roast pork you mention,ekscrunchy, but we’re spending a week at an agriturismo in Tuscany later on this trip so I chose a beach hotel here instead.
More once we finish this first trip to Sardinia…

Yes, please!!! More!!

I've booked a return to Puglia for May (Bari, Otranto, Nardo, Fasano di Savelletri) and am hoping to formulate a plan for about 3 weeks in Sardinia departing USA early-mid September. Will rent a car.

Thanks so much for any and all info on your trip!!