Issue1 TasteBound compressed - Flipbook - Page 53
THE ISLAND WITHIN
and dinners can be arranged, or stroll
to nearby La Taverna del Conte.
Doubles from £195 per night. Via Fra
Nicola 26, 09020 Gesturi; cortisantigas.it
Antica Locanda Lunetta
Whether you’re looking for an
intimate b&b or a meticulously
restored manor, Sardinia delivers
Albergo Menhirs Hotel
The home of the great Luca Vacca –
chef, host and general bon viveur, and
the reason I moved to Sardinia in the
first place. A collection of self-catering,
family-friendly apartments with access
to beaches and flamingo-watching, an
on-site restaurant and bar (with Luca
usually to be found running about
barbecuing, chatting and pouring your
drinks simultaneously) and plenty of
cultural activities on offer (including
cheese-making). Worth a visit for
a meal even if you’re not staying.
Doubles from £85 per night. 09070 S’Arena
Scoada, Oristano; albergomenhirs.com
mother and sister prepare seasonal
Sardinian dishes such as wild boar stew
and pecorino ravioli, while Samuel
makes fresh sheep’s milk ricotta for
breakfast, which is served under a rosedraped veranda. It all feels less like
a hotel, and more like staying with old
friends who really know how to cook.
Doubles from £195 per night. Via IV Mori,
08030 Gergei; domuantiga.it
Mario Cesare
The sibling b&b to Domu Antiga, Mario
Cesare is run by Giulia, Samuel’s sister,
who knows the island intimately and
can share its hidden gems. A former
artist’s home, it has been sensitively
restored, blending rustic charm with
quiet romance. Wake to birdsong, freshly
brewed coffee and homemade cakes.
Doubles from £147 per night. Via IV Mori,
08030 Gergei; mariocesare.it
Hidden behind a sky-blue door in the
hamlet of Gergei, Domu Antiga is a
family-run b&b – complete with stables
and olive groves – where time seems
to slow. Inherited by Samuel Lai from
his grandmother, the house has been
lovingly restored and furnished with
salvaged furniture, antique tapestries
and a deep sense of place. Samuel’s
PHOTO: TEAL THOMSEN
Farmers’ markets
If you’re staying in a town
for a period of time, it’s
well worth seeking out the
local market. Even if there
is no market, there are sure
to be a few regular stalls
(often by the roadside)
where people sell local fruit
and vegetables or simply
a couple of crates, perhaps
outside a doorway or van,
or even in the boot of a car.
Oristano hosts a market
every Tuesday and Friday
Limolo House 56 Green
A traditional mud-brick Campidanese
dwelling, Limolo House 56 Green
has been restored by renowned
eco-architects and feels something
like sleeping in a ship, due to recurrent
sailing motifs throughout the property.
Light, airy, and a good base from which
to get to know the fishing village of
Cabras, centre of bottarga production.
Doubles from £75 per night (3 nights
minimum). Via Cesare Battisti 56,
09072 Cabras, Oristano; limolo.it
Eleonora Bed & Breakfast
Domu Antiga
Live like
a local
Set in the Trexenta hills, this charming
17th-century coaching inn once hosted
DH Lawrence and his wife Frieda, then
guests of Calogero and Dondina Lunetta.
Now run by their great-grandchildren,
the five-room retreat radiates family
warmth: think sandstone walls, an
honesty bar and long, lazy breakfasts
that make you feel part of the fold.
Doubles from £170 per night. Via Roma
10, 09040 Mandas; anticalocandalunetta.it
Cortis Antigas
A much-loved relic of a 19th-century
manor, this four-room retreat has been
meticulously restored by archaeologist
Ignazio Mura using traditional materials
– cork insulation, wooden beams and
sheepskin throws. Breakfast is a feast
from the owners’ farm: cured meats,
sweet bakes, jams and breads. Lunches
that sells everything from
slippers to chickpeas. The
number of stalls varies
depending on season and
weather conditions, but
the old faithfuls stay true
and there are always at
least three or four good
fruit and vegetable stalls,
a cheese and salami man
or two and a fishmonger.
There is also a vintage
tablecloth stall where
I waste all my money.
Coldiretti is a farmers’
union that runs markets;
usually once or twice weekly
in the towns involved.
Check the website for one
near you. coldiretti.it
Settembre Oristanese
A month-long series of
cultural events held across
Oristano throughout
September. Expect choral
recitals, folk music and
traditional dance.
Festival Della Bottarga
An annual event held midSeptember in Cabras
(a ten-minute drive north)
to celebrate its mullet roe.
Sa Sartiglia
Oristano’s historic carnival
– a medieval tournament
in which masked horsemen
perform daring feats
(15-19 February 2026).
This overlooks my favourite square and
the statue of a key figure in Sardinian
history, Eleonora d’Arborea. Just across
from my favourite breakfast spot
(Pasticceria Eleonora – no website or
Instagram, just an old-fashioned bar
with a brass umbrella holder in the
corner, good coffee, smartly waistcoated staff and fresh pastries baked
on site), it is also a stone’s throw from
one of my favourite bars for aperitivo,
Librid (also a bookshop, with a lovely
garden and overhanging lemon trees.
Just don’t expect regular opening hours).
Doubles from £70 per night. Piazza Eleonora
12, 09170 Oristano; eleonorabb.com
Hotel Le Dune Piscinas
The new kid on the block, Le Dune
Piscinas suggests the secret may be out.
Amid Sardinia’s Costa Verde dunes,
scattered with broom and juniper, this
former mining warehouse has been
transformed into a soulful luxury
retreat – now serving refined island
cuisine by revered chef Angelo Biscotti.
Doubles from £295 per night. Via Bau 1,
09031 Ingurtosu; ledunepiscinas.com
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