Hotel Ollastu

Hotel Ollastu is just a few Kilometers south of Olbia in Norther Sardinia in the middle of the Costa Corallina area that is quite nice but not the best of Sardinia. The room we had was large and comfortable with a nice bathroom, but in my opinion, there are a few things to improve. The shower dish is fixed, no possibility to shower only part of the body, the closet is small, there is not enough space for 2 people that intend to stay one week or more, the position of the stairs at the entrance of the room are in a very dangerous position and have an uncomfortable round shape. I almost broke a leg while entering the bedroom. Room’s soundproofing is terrible, we could hear almost all intimate sounds from our neighbors. The air-conditioner that is facing the bed and during the hot nights of August, to have a cold air stream directly hitting your head it is not very pleasant. I tried to direct the air flow to other directions to no avail. I read other customers complaining for the presence of ants and mosquitos, but we had no problems with that (no mosquitos and no ants), but being used to sleep in the dark, the absence of any kind of shutters on the windows (and the almost transparent curtains) did not offer any help. What we really appreciated was the food. We booked a room with half-board, and I must say that the food is good, I haven’t the slightest complaint about that. The breakfast is also very good and there is plenty of food to choose from. I didn’t give 5 stars for the following 4 reasons. (1) The hotel management states that the hotel is beach-front and that’s not true. There is a free shuttle service, but it is the only free service related to the beach. The hotel is at least 3-400 meters from the beach, and the beach service is extremely expensive (I would say outrageously expensive compared to the Italian average… double). 70€ for one umbrella and two sunbeds per day. Beach service is not included in the room price, must be paid (cash… that is what they asked us) upfront at the beach (no receipt issued….). It sounds a little illegal to me… and unacceptable for a 4 stars hotel. (2) beverages are extremely expensive, especially spirits. A Spritz-Aperol costs 12€, double the price for the same drink in Olbia center (that is already expensive compared to the average 5€ in the rest of Italy). A bottle of Prosecco at the bar is sold at 25-30€, twice more expensive than at a restaurant in Northern Italy. (3) We were offered a free welcome drink at a nearby resort because we paid in advance the full price… we didn’t ask, and nobody came to offer us the drink. Maybe it’s our fault because we didn’t ask. (4) the beach Is narrow, bordering a touristic port and full of annoying algae in the strip of water close to the beach. To find the typical blue water of Sardinia you must swim off 30-40 meters. The shoreline is much below the standard of Sardinian’s sea quality. Drinks and food at the beach restaurant are as expensive as at the hotel. My voting

A friend was hosting their wedding at this hotel. The wedding was really lovely, and I think the food and arrangements were very nice -- so if you are considering this place for a wedding venue, it may be worthwhile, but DO NOT have your guests stay here! The problems started at check in. We arrived with our group of friends at 4:30PM. Check-in is advertised as 2PM. When we arrived, they claimed they did not have rooms for the entire group. They start to push this "stay at an offsite property and we'll throw in dinner and a tour". No one wanted to do that because we were all staying at the hotel to be with our friends. Also many of us did not have cars, and Sardinia is NOT easy to get around without your own car ("black taxis" only $$$$). Keep in mind that this was a block of rooms for the wedding booked many months ago. Someone in the group got our groom involved who is a native Sardinian and could argue in Italian and they magically "find" all of the rooms we had booked. Oh, but they weren't clean yet so we had to wait at the bar (outside, in 95 degree weather). And no, drinks were not complementary while we were waiting. I am pregnant and didn't want to sit inside in the AC due to Covid, so I asked if they could give me a cold bottle of water (for free) while we wait -- they told me I could "buy one at the bar". It was 6PM before we could go to our room. Except that somehow, my husband and I, who had booked a "Standard Room" were told our room required a "car ride" to get to. We said we didn't want to stay "off the property" and wanted to stay with our friends in the room we booked. They confirmed it was on the property and they would send a driver at any time to pick us up. We were tired from the heat and relented. We should have said "No" and insisted on something at the main resort, like we booked. I've read other reviews since and they have done this to other people. Do NOT take "upgrades" to Villas or "the Beach House" or anything that is not actually walkable from the front desk UNLESS you have your own car (we didn't). We arrive at Villa 41, which we are told is "on the property", but it's not, it's in Piccolo Scoglio, which is a condo housing complex a 6 minute drive away. There were three good things about the complex: 1. It was pin quiet in early September, 2. It had a limited view of the ocean, 3. It was closer to Porto San Paulo (10 min walk). The villa is dingy and not well-appointed -- very bare bones. 2 BR, including one with 3 bunk beds, and 2 bath. It did have a kitchen, but fridge wasn't plugged in. We were paying $250 / night to stay in a "resort". We found an AirBNB in the same complex with the SAME floorplan that goes for $70 / night (and looked much better appointed). Having to call for a car to the hotel is a pain in the butt -- so we ended up not enjoying the pool or hanging out with our friends. There was no bottled water in the room -- for free or purchase. Later on in the stay we came back sandy from the beach, re

Hotel Ollastu is an amazing venue where to celebrate a wedding. Friendly and super professional staff. Excellent service during all our wedding day, from the welcoming to the final stage of the party. Elena has been our point of contact during the past 12 months of organisation and she has always been super keen to accommodate our requests. We couldn't wish for anything better, the food was very good and everything was accurately studied to make our day very special, and give us a unique experience. I would definitely recommend this place as one of the best wedding venues in the Northeast coast of Sardinia.