Hotel Lucrezia

The Hotel Lucrezia might as well be called the “Secret Garden”. Bang in the middle of Riola Sardo, a small non descript village on the west coast of Sardinia, it is a low profile sort of place from the outside and you might even miss it. Yet, as soon as you enter the door you are back in the old days where hospitality and nature meant more than sophistication and chic.
The latter too have their place, but here you immediately smell the fragrance of jasmine emanating from the beautiful courtyard with its fig and olive trees (amongst others), the water well, oven for baking bread and grain wheel, plus the rustic charm of staying in a quintessential Sardinian country house. It is all pervading and sets the scene for the stay here as does the genuine warmth of the staff who will look after you (David and Clara, hello!). To add further to its botanical credentials, all seven rooms are named after a herb and decorated with unique hand made pieces, some of which date back to the 19th century. Still, the 21st century is also represented by air conditioning and Internet access.
The trick of places like the Hotel Lucrezia is that they do things the simple way, but do it well. This goes for breakfast too, which consists of homemade cheeses, breads, cereals and meats. In fact, everything here is conducive for a stay where you want to get the real feel of the place you are visiting.
Downsides? No swimming pool or restaurant. Riola Sardo is a small village with basically a pizzeria, so eating out means taking the car. But don’t let this put you off. Not withstanding the rather dowdy “pizzeria” in town, excellent restaurants abound in the area. Outstanding beaches are only a 15 minute drive away.