Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach

The property has a stunning private beach which is where my husband and I spent most of our time while there. With that being said, that was about the only thing we enjoyed besides the pleasant staff. The pools are nice, but there are a lot of children on property and most of the pools were overran by them. I envisioned this hotel being the perfect base for our explorations of Sardinia, with multiple areas of interest just a short drive away, but the “Taxis” that the front desk books for you cost a small fortune. 40 euros one way for a 10 minute drive. 100 euros one way for anything longer. For this reason, we slashed most of our itinerary because rides alone would have cost us thousands. It is situated next to (6 minute walk uphill) a very cute town with some decent restaurants, but not enough to keep us satisfied for a 6 day trip. When I come to Italy, I come for FRESH, DELICIOUS food. When we got there our first day, we were very hungry from travel. It was around 11:30am. With a property that boasts multiple restaurants and bars, not to mention for the price they charge per night, you would think this wouldn’t be a problem. The pool bar informed us the only thing available was 2 different types of FROZEN PIZZA. I’m sorry but I don’t come to Italy to eat frozen pizza. Then I learned about the horrendous food situation: 7:30-10:00 breakfast (aka jarred fruit not even fresh, cold cuts, and cold eggs that we couldn’t even choke down). 12:30-2:00 lunch $40 euros per person. And then dinner doesn’t begin until 19:30 and it’s $45 euros per person. So if you’re enjoying the amenities at the “luxury” hotel (which was very outdated) you’re paying for and they aren’t serving during those times, your option is frozen pizza. Coming back from a hot day and need water? Oh walk back out in the heat and down two flights of stairs to get a bottle of water. Ridiculous in my opinion. Also, the room does not get cold with the “air conditioner”, and our “double bed” was two different mattresses pushed together which they tried to disguise by dressing it as a double bed. The mattresses were COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, and both equally as uncomfortable, so we noticed it right away. Seems like they’re cutting corners wherever they can and raking in money for their private beach. Everything is an inconvenience or extra charge. They made nothing easy or comfortable.

Perfection!

- Very nice beach, good breakfast, helpful stuff. - Convenient for walking to Baia Sardinia. - The casual restaurant across the hotel is very nice for lunches and dinners. (Foodie) - The furniture in the room was so old that I couldn’t tell whether it was just aged or actually clean. - Poor wireless connection.

We loved the beach we loved the pools, I thought the breakfast was amazing and a great variety of options. I love the balconies and I love the walk-in closet. Also, the grounds of the property was up, kept nicely. I felt as though the hotel needed a paint job. The rooms were a little dated and small, but that’s expected for Italy. Maybe more pools chairs out for guests on busy days.

Beautiful grounds. Wonderful private beach and four swimming pools I would have liked full service bar as the pools or at least the main pool.

Great location. Walking distance to the center of town and to near by Phi Beach club.

The location, access to the beach. The grounds were beautiful. The front desk staff were very helpful. The breakfast! Very average! The only fresh fruits were cantaloupe and kiwis, every single day for the 6 nights we stayed there. No fresh squeezed juices. The breakfast hours were from 7 to 10. But when we arrived at 9:30. We felt so rushed. I recognize that they were going to have lunch service in the same room starting at noon, but they were constantly around us collecting stuff from the other tables and then five minutes before 10 o’clock they would come and ask do you need anything else from the buffet table because we’re going to put everything away! Overall, it was not a pleasant experience having breakfast there. They were not very welcoming and didn’t even greeted us once! Also, it would be nice to have a coffee/ tea maker in the room. We had a beautiful balcony overlooking the sea. It would’ve been great to be able to have a cup of tea while sitting there enjoying the beautiful view.

Perfect Old not like the decor

Everything is amazing in this hotel , the staff, the rooms , the beach , the food ....

The breakfast buffet had a lot of variety (although the eggs were not very good); I was surprised by how spacious my bedroom was, including a walk in closet. I also thought the beach area was pleasant and well situated. The hotel was very crowded, particularly in the dining room where it felt like everyone was on top of each other. I only had dinner there once and the food was not very good. Far better options for dining just a few minutes away in the town area. The bed was very uncomfortable - the mattress was stiff and the blankets were basically sheets.

walking distance to baja but far from porto cervo no beach beds no outdoor dining for breakfast or dinner lunch served only until 2pm breakfast 200 people or more inside a dated closed restaurant dated rooms and bathrooms with mildew smell

The view and location was great for going all over the coast. Has very nice and helpful staff. And beach access was very nice. Most uncomfortable bed I ever slept on. Food was subpar. Do not eat breakfast here. I think it might be haunted. There were ants in our room. Beaches were nice but you do get tired of it quick if you don’t have a car. Facility is also outdated.

An amazing location next to the sea and the scenery was stunning. Close to the small town of Baja with lovely restaurants. The breakfast was ok, but very busy when it opens at 07.30 and the layout where the food and drink was got very congested.

Nice location direct at the see. Staff very courteous

Good

Lovely place with amazing swimming pools and private beach. The restaurant was good too. The room was big and comfortable It might need some refresh as it’s getting old

Location was great, really good breakfast, Lovely little private beach. Pool a bit to cold to enjoy a swim No coffee making facilities in room

The hotel is situated on the point with a private beach and beautiful views. The property has multiple pools (not heated so a little chilly for our late September stay) with separate seating areas which makes it feel smaller than it is. The restaurant and cleaning staff were incredibly friendly and attentive. The views are spectacular and you can walk to the nearby town in 5 minutes (although it is quite a hill) the hotel has nice patio areas, the beach and patio bar have great views. Several great hikes from the property but also within a hours drive you can really explore many beautiful beaches (you definitely want a car in this region!) Generally it is a bit dated and old fashioned, both the rooms and the common areas. We had half board and I would say the food quality is not 4 stars. It was generally decent, breakfast is the same everyday but has a reasonable variety, the pasta courses were the highlight, the meat courses generally were nothing special. The cocktails and wine were reasonably priced but the cocktails were also not the best. Stick to wine and beer! The beach is quite grainy sand, the local beach next door is gorgeous with fine sand.

Breakfast was great. Staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. Beach was beautiful. Water was warm and clear.

It was very clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Beautiful setting. The reception staff were so friendly and helpful The bed and pillows were so hard. We did ask for softer pillows and they bought them to us straight away but still to hard.