To get to La Maddalena Islands, all you need to do is take the ferry from the Palau ferry port. Check the ferry schedule (there are two companies that run) and know if you book a roundtrip ticket you must be sure you’re getting in the same boat as the company you purchased from!
My friend and I drove to the port from OLB, landing at 10 am. We picked up our car from Avis and left the airport around 10:30-10:45 and we were able to catch the ferry at around 11:50 (we took it with La Maddalena ferry lines). The price for two people and a car was 50 euros roundtrip. We were here June 19 and didn’t pre purchase tickets which I’m glad we didn’t in case we missed the ferry time.
To buy the ticket in person—just before you reach the port area and after driving through much of the town, you’ll see a ferry ticket office on the right side of the road with a couple of parking spots. We didn’t park in the spots as they were taken. My friend just pulled off to the side and I hopped out to buy the tix. You can buy open tickets roundtrip so you’re not committed to a time on the way back.
We were then directed where to drive the car into the ferry. It’s pretty easy with people directing and they speak some English.
Once parked on the ferry, you can head up to enjoy the ride which takes around 20 minutes.
Once we reached La Maddalena, our hotel was a quick 5-10 min drive. My friend and I stayed at Grand Hotel Ma & Ma, which is a 5 star hotel and probably the nicest one on the island. It was very modern and was super comfortable and had a friendly staff and excellent breakfast spread. However, in general Italian hotels are a bit stingy on lending beach/pool towels. We were allowed one new beach towel a day and if we wanted to change it out, it cost 3 extras euros each time. I totally get the environmental friendly nature of using the same towel but if you move from beach to pool etc., it’s not a great feeling to use the same towel! Anyway so just an FYI in general.
We were tired from the travel so didn’t do much else but hang by the pool area and go to dinner in town. The town is a 25 minute walk and we never walked it since we were told there’s easy and free parking in the town center so we drove every night to dinner. I’m glad we did as after eating so much and drinking we just wanted to get back after a long day! Also in mid June parking was not a big issue (always found a spot if we showed up before 8 pm).
The second day of our Sardinia trip was the best day of our trip—a boat tour around La Maddalena islands! There are a ton of operators but I did some research ahead of time and came across a blog (shout out to Strictly Sardinia!) which recommended the wooden boat tour from this local operator: www.escursi.com.
A few things to note from booking from this operator: The operator is the booking intermediary. The actual wooden boat tour is owned and operated by a local family on the island who also own and manage a couple of small hotels. They use this site to advertise and their first customer priority are guests of their hotels. Anyway we reached out to them weeks ahead and made a booking and I’m so glad we did. Just note that the operator will need to put you in touch with the family company to organize pick up time etc. And be sure to ask them to send you the Google maps coordinates so there’s no miscommunication! So be sure to pick the right boat option from the site (there is only one wooden boat tour listed).
The family has been running these tours for over 20 years but they don’t really advertise since they seem to have a good following thru word of mouth or from their small hotel business. I loved this tour as it was small and intimate (no more than 9 guests) and the food was DELICIOUS. We basically feasted on things from prosciutto to fish salad to mussels to pastas to tiramisu and limoncello. food and drinks are included in the price. Note also this is a chill, relaxing boat tour (no loud music) and NOT a party boat.
The group we were with were all Europeans (my friend and I were the only Americans) and all adults. The skipper of our boat happened to be the son of the owner who grew up on the business but was so mature for his young age of 20! And his co captain was someone in his 40s. I think the boat guides depend on who’s available as they manage three different boats (they also offer a tour on a sailboat which we did later on in the trip since we loved the island so much!).
One of the other guests on the boat were family friends with the owners so I also wonder is that why the lunch spread was so amazing? She said they’ve been doing this boat ride every year for the last 15 years and she said it’s the best on the island (and I believe her!). She lives in Germany but comes to Sardinia every June as her husband is from here. In any event she raved about the tour and she said every time she goes it’s always to different spots since there are so many spots to visit. However she also said that due to the increase of tourism, many of the special/pristine places (like the pink sand beach) are now closed to the public but they still love coming every year and each experience is always different.
Anyway the full day tour was fantastic and leisurely. We hit up at least two beaches (you can either swim to them or they’ll take you in on a dinghy to shore) and a natural swimming pool near an island. There was a third beach spot but was too tired to enjoy it by the end of the day. The varying depths of clear blue water was fantastic and the beaches were so pretty. I would love to return someday! It’s so much more convenient than driving around looking for parking and looking for a nice beach. These boat tours guarantee you will see gorgeous crystal clear beaches!
We were picked up at 9:15 on the La Maddalena side (you can specify to get picked up here or Palau) and we finished the day by 5:30-6. We loved it so much we tried to get on another wooden boat tour but it was sold out the next several days so we did their other boat (sailboat one with actual sails) a week later. More on this later too. I don’t know if the water is always calm in June but we were lucky with the weather and the water was calm for the most part. There was a 20 min. ride in open water that was a bit choppy due to winds and I’m sensitive to motion sickness but it was fine.
Not much shade on the boat so my advice is to bring two towels (one to lie down on and the other to cover up in!). I prefer shade so I covered up under my towel. Shade is only near where they drive the boat (the eating area for lunch). I also took Dramamine the night before in case to help with motion sickness. We gave a bit of tip in cash (like 10%) at the end but it was not expected.
After the boat ride we cleaned up at the hotel and then headed out to catch the sunset near our hotel. There is a great viewpoint next to the restaurant Zi Anto. Zi Anto is a seaside restaurant with a place outside for drinks (but it’s a bit rocky there so don’t wear fancy shoes).
We had dinner at Zi Anto and the only thing good there was the catch of the day fish. Everything else was overpriced and mediocre. But a nice spot to eat if you’re in the area for sunset. I loved that they deboned and split the portions for us.
The next day we went out to explore more of the island. I pre-researched which beaches to go to because as I mentioned earlier convenience and ease is important to me as well as beauty! So on our third day we spent it at Spiagga Spalmatore. Parking here is kinda easy but only if you show up very early. We got here before 10 am and found a spot off the side of the road (lots of cars are parked off the side of the road and you need to be off the white lane lines). It’s a small bay and very calm waters and not windy. Great for families. There’s a section of the beach where you can rent two chairs and an umbrellas for 55 euros cash. There’s a lack of cell signal here. Also there are NO bathroom or food facilities so it’s a commitment to come here! But it was very relaxing overall.
Around 3 pm we decided to leave and drive around to see the rest of the main island. There were some beautiful scenic points but otherwise the drive is very short in total and we stopped to see some other beaches which were ok but honestly the beaches from the boat tour were the best.
At night we went to a delicious seafood restaurant called Puffer Fish in town. Omg it was soooo good I am getting hungry thinking about the meals we had! We came two nights in a row because we were so impressed. We had mussels which were sooo fresh and juicy (and enough to share for four people let alone two!), giradeau oysters which I love (look up the story behind them) and then we got the catch of the day baked in salt. This was the highlight of our dinners and we got it as many times as we could in Sardinia in general. All places prepare it a little different but we loved it. And they also debone and plate portions.
Our last day on La Maddalena islands we wanted to go over the bridge to the other island. I read that parking here at Spiaggia del Relitto is challenging as well as the road to get here. It’s not that bad if you know what to expect and have driven in dirt rocky road before. I think it is a nightmare during peak season though as the road is narrow and can’t handle more than one car in one direction at some points. But this leg of the drive is at the very end near the beach and maybe takes several minutes only if you go slow.
Anyway because we wanted no stress with parking, we left very early to get here early. We arrived around 9:30 am or so and even though there is a dedicated parking lot, it was pretty much all full by the time we arrived. However, there is extended parking in pockets off the road before the lot and we were lucky to get an easy spot right outside the designated parking lot which probably holds around 30-40 cars. Parking was free but you really need to angle your car so you’re not blocking traffic.
This beach had more of a vibe than the day before. There’s a beach bar nearby and we rented chairs and an umbrella from the attendant for 50 euros cash. We enjoyed this beach a lot—bigger than Spalmatore. It’s definitely a more local beach. Hardly heard any other Americans and I was the only Asian person there!
We stayed here until about 2 pm as we had a spa appointment back at our hotel at 3 pm. Since we got here early we didn’t mind leaving early and actually glad we did as the road is very narrow and I can’t imagine how it is when a horde of people are looking to get out as people are still also arriving! There was a moment while getting out from the lot we had to reverse and pull over to the side to let another car through. A little bit stressful but not too terrible (but during a very busy time I think we would be way more stressed).
I loved that our hotel included a two hour spa session (private) in their sauna, steam room and indoor warm pool area. It was super relaxing to recharge and hide from the sun.
Afterwards we had dinner at Puffer Fish again and made plans to take another boat tour with the same company. Since we were leaving the next day to Santa Teresa, we booked it to be picked up from Palau. After touring the islands, we saw that the boat tour was truly the best way to see the nicest beaches and you don’t need to stress about parking or hiking to beaches!
The wooden boat wasn’t available so we booked for the sailboat one. More to come on that later!
