OG · GANG
presents

Sardinia

17—21 July 2026

Five days along the wild north coast — from the granite islands of La Maddalena to the sea walls of Alghero.

An Invitation

A slow week on the wild side of the Mediterranean.

Sardinia in July is at its best: long, still evenings; coves the colour of old emerald; villages of pink granite and hand-painted shutters. This proposal pairs the celebrated north-east — the islands of La Maddalena and the coves of Costa Smeralda — with the quieter, more storied west: Alghero’s Catalan old town, the cliffs of Capo Caccia, and a long Mediterranean lunch somewhere with a view. Eight friends, five days, one private boat, two beautiful houses.

Dates
17 — 21 July
Friday to Tuesday
Length
4 nights · 5 days
Gently paced
Travellers
8 adults
The OG Gang
Gateway
Olbia · OLB
Both arrival & departure
The Route

Two bases, one coastline.

We arrive into Olbia, settle on the Costa Smeralda for the first half of the trip, then cross the island to Alghero for the second. The drive between them is part of the journey.

La Maddalena ARCHIPELAGO Palau · Arzachena NIGHTS 1 — 2 Porto Cervo Olbia AIRPORT · OLB Castelsardo Alghero NIGHTS 3 — 4 Capo Caccia Cagliari N SARDEGNA
Stops along the way Our two bases Route
Day by Day

Five days, gently paced.

The itinerary is loose on purpose — one anchor activity per day, plenty of room for the rest.

Day One·Friday · 17 July

Arrivals into Olbia, settle in near Palau.

Through the day

Staggered arrivals into Olbia (OLB). Whoever lands first picks up the rental, runs the grocery shop, and opens the house.

Late afternoon

Pool, balcony, a chilled bottle of Vermentino. Optional short visit to one of the spots below for early arrivals.

Evening · ~21:00

A relaxed late dinner in San Pantaleo, Palau, or Cannigione so the last arrivals can join straight from the airport.

If you arrive early
Village

San Pantaleo

Coffee in the granite-walled piazza, artisan shops, a slow walk through the village.

Aperitivo

Palau waterfront

An easy first drink by the marina, ferries crossing to La Maddalena in the background.

Light culture

Arzachena nuraghi

Bronze-age stone tombs & the Nuraghe La Prisgiona — Sardinia’s ancient layer in 30 minutes.

Day Two·Saturday · 18 July

A private boat through the La Maddalena archipelago.

Morning · ~09:30

Short transfer to Palau or Cannigione marina. Board the boat, pick a route with the skipper based on wind and sea.

On the water · 6–8 h

Slow circuit through the archipelago — Spargi, the pink-tinged shores around Budelli, the coves of Santa Maria and Caprera. Long swim stops, lunch on board.

Evening

Back to base in the late afternoon for showers, then an unhurried local dinner nearby.

The day’s experience
The anchor

Private boat to La Maddalena

A full day at sea through the archipelago — long swims, lunch on board, total privacy.

If wind turns

Plan B · Costa Smeralda

One curated beach (Liscia Ruja or Capriccioli) and a Porto Cervo aperitivo instead of the boat.

Day Three·Sunday · 19 July

A taste of Costa Smeralda, then west to Alghero.

Morning

Slow start in San Pantaleo — coffee in the piazza, a wander through the artisan shops.

Midday

One Costa Smeralda moment: Porto Cervo marina lunch among the yachts, or a single beach stop at Liscia Ruja or Spiaggia del Principe.

Afternoon · transfer

Pack and drive west across the island. ~ 2h 15m to 3h Palau → Alghero.

Evening

Sunset walk on the bastioni, first dinner inside the old walls, gelato.

Pick one for the morning, one for the evening
A taste

Porto Cervo marina

Yachts, aperitivo, the classic Costa Smeralda scene — enough to say we did it.

Or

One iconic beach

Liscia Ruja, Capriccioli, or Spiaggia del Principe — the kind of water Sardinia is known for.

A long evening

Sunset on the bastioni

The walled old town at golden hour, then a slow dinner inside the walls.

Day Four·Monday · 20 July

Capo Caccia, Neptune’s Grotto, and a long lunch.

Morning · 09:00–13:00

Capo Caccia: by car for the headland viewpoints and the staircase down to the Grotta di Nettuno, or by boat from Alghero harbour for the easier, more cinematic version.

Afternoon · open

A long lunch at a country estate, a calmer beach (Le Bombarde, Lazzaretto), or an Alghero slow afternoon — old town, coral shops, a nap.

Evening

Our best dinner in the historic centre to close the trip. Long table, no rush.

Morning · an open afternoon · the closer
Nature

Neptune’s Grotto & Capo Caccia

Sea cave and cliff headland — by boat from Alghero or by car for the staircase down.

Slow afternoon

Vermentino lunch at a country estate

One long meal, one good wine, hours that disappear. The most Sardinian thing we can do.

The closer

Old town dinner

Inside the walls, a long table, the best meal of the trip. The right way to end.

Day Five·Tuesday · 21 July

Alghero breakfast, a coastal drive, fly home.

Morning

Breakfast in the old town, a final walk along the bastioni, pack the cars.

Late morning · drive

East along the coast. Total drive Alghero → Olbia ~ 2h to 2h 30m.

Optional · lunch

If flight times allow, stop in Castelsardo for a terrace lunch over the Gulf of Asinara.

Late afternoon

Return cars at OLB. Late afternoon flights out.

If we have time
Detour

Lunch in Castelsardo

A medieval village on a headland — terrace lunch over the Gulf of Asinara before the airport.

Where We Stay

Two bases, two moods.

A split stay gives the trip its rhythm: first the sea and the islands, then the cliffs and the old town. Prices below are the full property cost — and what each of the eight of us would pay per night.

Nights 1 — 2 · Fri 17 → Sun 19 July

Casa Pina · Costa Smeralda

A relaxed family villa just outside Palau — three bedrooms, kitchen, two verandas with BBQ, garden. 3.5 km to the centre of Palau, 5 km to Porto Pollo, 8 km to Arzachena. The base for the boat day.

  • Sleeps 8
  • 3 bedrooms
  • Kitchen
  • Garden & BBQ
  • 30 min from OLB
Total · 2 nights
€870 $946 £747
Per person · per night
€54 $59 £47
View Airbnb listing →
Free cancellation before 16 July — low-risk to book now.
Nights 3 — 4 · Sun 19 → Tue 21 July

Country villa · Alghero area

A larger villa with a proper pool, a covered patio looking onto the olive grove, and the kind of evenings you remember. The base for Capo Caccia, Neptune’s Grotto, and the walled old town.

  • Sleeps 8
  • Pool
  • Covered patio
  • Garden
  • ~ 35 min to Capo Caccia
Total · 2 nights
€1,852 $2,013 £1,590
Per person · per night
€116 $126 £99
View Vrbo listing →
Free cancellation before Sat 4 July — low-risk to book now.

Currency rates approximate · final group amount confirmed at booking.

Getting There

All roads lead to Olbia.

Olbia–Costa Smeralda (OLB) is the only airport you’ll need. From the major hubs the gang flies from, it’s a short, scenic hop. We’ll arrive at mixed times on Friday and depart together on Tuesday afternoon.

London
~ 2h 50m direct · LHR · LGW · STN · LTN
Outbound · Fri 17 July → Olbia
06:55→10:35BALHR–OLB£212
12:35→16:10easyJetLGW–OLB£128
16:55→20:25easyJetLGW–OLB£104
18:00→21:35RyanairSTN–OLB£75
Return · Tue 21 July → London
11:40→13:05easyJetOLB–LGW£58
19:05→20:30easyJetOLB–LTN£36
19:40→21:00BAOLB–LHR£110
20:55→22:20easyJetOLB–LGW£43
Berlin
~ 2h 15m direct · BER
Outbound · Fri 17 July → Olbia
07:35→09:55easyJetBER–OLB€144
12:30→14:50easyJetBER–OLB€168
Return · Tue 21 July → Berlin
09:35→11:55EurowingsOLB–BER€49
19:55→22:10easyJetOLB–BER€77
Venice For Hogan & Giovanni · outbound
~ 1h 25m direct · VCE
Outbound · Fri 17 July → Olbia
06:45→08:10VoloteaVCE–OLB€113
09:10→15:45VuelingVCE–OLB via BCN€148
20:45→22:10VoloteaVCE–OLB€50
Los Angeles For Hogan & Giovanni · return
~ 25h 45m · 1 connection · CDG · Air France / Air France HOP
Return · Tue 21 July → LAX
18:55→11:40+1Air FranceOLB–LAX via CDG—

From Olbia airport it’s a 30–40 minute drive to our first base on the Costa Smeralda.

Estimated Budget

What it adds up to.

Per-person estimates for four nights. Ground costs cover the things we'll book or split as a group. Flights are quoted from the options above.

Per Person · Ground Costs

~ £400 – £450

Four nights, group-shared. Excludes flights, food, and personal extras.
Accommodation 2 + 2 nights, split 8 ways £290
La Maddalena boat day private / semi-private, Sat £45 – £80
Rental cars 2 vehicles, ~$500 total ÷ 8 £50
Gas, parking, tolls, ferries £25 – £40
Subtotal · ground ~ £400 – £450

Not included: restaurants, cafés, drinks, and small extras like Neptune's Grotto entry, agriturismo lunches, or beach-club chairs. These are paid as we go — budget roughly an additional £40 – £55 per person per day on top.

On accommodation: the two homes above are mid-range picks chosen for location and group fit. We can probably find cheaper options if the group prefers — happy to dig further before booking.

Per Person · Flights, Round Trip

By origin

Range covers cheapest available combo through the time-friendly option highlighted above.
  • London £110 – £165
  • Berlin €193 – €221
  • Venice €113 outbound · return TBD
  • Los Angeles Hogan & Gio Outbound via VCE · return OLB → LAX TBD
Estimated all-in per person
Ground + your London round-trip
~ £525 – £625

All amounts approximate. Currencies converted at indicative rates. Boat-day pricing depends on private vs semi-private and final group size on the day. Final shared-cost split confirmed once bookings land.

A Taste of Sardinia

Long lunches.
Slow dinners.

Sardinian cooking is what happens when an island spends three thousand years between the sea and the mountains and decides to feed you both. Expect grandmother-grade pasta, fish pulled in that morning, suckling pig from a wood fire, and bread you'll think about for years.

  • Fregola con arselle toasted Sardinian couscous with clams & tomato — the dish
  • Spaghetti alla bottarga cured grey-mullet roe shaved over olive oil and lemon
  • Culurgiones hand-pleated pasta parcels of potato, mint & pecorino
  • Porceddu whole suckling pig, slow-roasted on myrtle wood — an agriturismo ritual
  • Pane carasau paper-thin shepherd's bread, warm, brushed with oil and salt
  • Seadas + miele amaro fried cheese pastry drizzled with bitter mountain honey
To drink Vermentino di Gallura · crisp white from the hills above us  ·  Cannonau · the island's bold red, lightly chilled  ·  Mirto · myrtle digestif served from the freezer
Before You Pack

A few quiet details.

Nothing to memorise. Just the small things worth knowing before they matter.

Airport

Olbia–Costa Smeralda (OLB), both directions. Plan landings before late afternoon Friday and departures from late afternoon Tuesday.

On the road

One large van or two mid-size cars for eight, picked up at OLB. Coastal roads are slow, beautiful, and worth driving in daylight.

Currency

Euro. Cards work everywhere, but a little cash is wise for beach kiosks, village trattorias, and the boat day tip jar.

Weather

July average 28–32°C, sea around 24°C. Long, dry, breezy evenings — bring something for the wind on the water.

Sea days

Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat that stays on, and a light cover-up. The boat day is long — comfort wins over packing light.

Lingua

Italian, with English widely spoken in the tourist towns. Grazie, prego, un altro vermentino — you'll be fine.