President Hotel Olbia

... call him Kevie, isn’t the most coordinated person so it took him awhile to get the hand of things. He was terrible at water skiing, but loved the water raft. He had a few good wipeouts when we made a sharp turn and the raft went flying over the wake. It was pretty cool, and he had a blast. He also loved the Jet Skis. It took him awhile to figure out how to pull up beside the yacht’s fold-down swim platform without smacking into it. I ...

... that it has a lot in common with the planned community that Disney built, or the planned suburbs of Orange County in California with their gated communities.

There’s nothing wrong with places like these. It’s just not my style. I prefer the unexpected, the genuine, and the gritty. I love the variety of life that a master plan takes away. I prefer the rollercoaster of life over the merry-go-round.

... serve platters of anitpasti (cured meats, vegetables, and cheeses), followed by a homemade pasta course, followed by a meat and vegetable course (we had roasted turkey one night and lamb another night). After all of that they would serve homemade ice cream and finish the evening off by bringing out their own homemade limoncello and mirto liqueurs. Limoncello is made from fresh lemons, grain alcohol, and sugar and taste like a very sweet but potent lemonade and Mirto is a liqueur ...

... interest, the little basilica of San Símplicio, on the street of the same name. The simple granite structure is set in a piazza apart from Olbia's bustle, making it a good spot for a sit down. Claimed to be the most important medieval monument in the whole of Gallura - a region hardly famed for its artistic heritage - the church formed part of the great Pisan reconstruction programme of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, though, it must be said ...

... hours then onto their Australia bound flight. I think it was going to take some 30 hours to get home. Not as long as us but our pace is certainly more relaxing. The next morning Shaz and I duck off to the supermarket to restock the cupboards then refuel and head out on our way to Alghero on the other side of Sardinia. We have ...

After our whirlwind tour of Europe with the Sutho's we were ready for our next adventure. The Sutherlands, with some trepidation set sail with us out of Rome bound for Olbia, Sardinia. The forcast was a little controversial but Captain Pete, aware that time was limited for the Sutho's to see Sardinia and Corsica, decided now was the best window before the nasty weather hit in a day or so. We headed West into a setting sun and had a lovely meal. This ...

We arrived in Olbia and found our way down the narrow shipping chanel dodging the massive pssenger ferries. This is a major port where ferries take people and cargo across to Rome. There is a free stone jetty where yachties can tie up. This is right near town and very convenient. We spent 2 night here and explored the town. Quite a nice little town with main ...

... uitgezette Genua vliegen we over het water en maken al snel een gemiddelde boven de 6 knopen. We hebben een mooie brede baai op het oog met de sprekende naam Santa Teresa di Gallura, Binnen 5 uur bereiken we de ingang van deze baai, waarbij de GPS ons haarzuiver de toegang openbaart. We hebben pech, deze baai is volledig geprivatiseerd (we hebben een pilot van 2001). Daar waar vroeger vrije ankerplaatsen waren, is een immense Marina verschenen. We worden netjes ...

well, after 7 days of touring the south, west and north of the island, it is finally time to head to the airport. With constant 25 degree plus temps and all-day sunshine, we have inadvertently acquired tans that match our preferred clothing choices - although for some reason despite wearing shorts every day our legs are mysteriously unaffected. Costa Smerelda is stunningly beautiful and one of the few places wear the postcard blue of the beach shots has ...

... explored it (cut me some slack! I've been slumming it for a while and it's the first luxury I've had in a long time!). Most of the amenities were closed, but there is a cinema, card room, shops, kid's room, and an arcade. The first class seats were pretty sweet - huge, and they reclined to an almost completely horizontal position. Luxurious! The cabin was huge - bigger than ones I've stayed in on cruise ships. This ship was much nicer than the one I took to ...