When I first thought about visiting Sardinia, I never imagined beaches or water like this. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it would be beautiful. After all Italy’s second biggest island after Sicily is well known as a very popular vacation spot during the summer and even home to some of the famous ‘bunga bunga’ parties held by Berlusconi.

When we made our August plans to visit Alghero and Capo Caccia, we also wanted to visit the famous La Pelosa beach on the north-western tip of the island and hopefully a stop at Isola dell’Asinara – a famous island hosting a former prison and oddly enough, wild albino donkeys.

After a hour and a half windy drive, we made our way to Stintino and then to La Pelosa beach a little later than originally planned. We were warned to arrive as early as possible in order to find space on its beautiful white beaches and clear-as-the-caribbean water. Somehow we were able to easily find {expensive – think 2 euros an hour} parking and walked along the sidewalk to discover this beach-lovers gem.

Yep, this beach was almost too amazing for words. I was in awe of just how clear the water was and at such a depth! This was the first time I had ever seen water like this – jaw.meet.floor. As soon as we found a spot on the beach, we pretty much booked it into the water, which is colder than it looks but so very beautiful. It really felt like the Italian Caribbean. Honestly I thought it wasn’t as crowded as I expected it to be from conversations with friends who have visited, even if we went on a Saturday. Score!

Next stop was hopping on a catamaran boat for a tour of the Isola dell’Asinara {which in Italian means quite literally inhabited by donkeys}. I had a kick out of the wikipedia entry stating the population of the island was 1 man. And a bunch of wild albino donkeys. Right!

The island was a former prison and now a wildlife and nature reserve, prisoners and staff being the only habitats of the island for over 100 years. The maximum security prison also housed famous characters such as infamous Mafia boss, Totò Rina. We toured the grounds and even spotted one of the donkeys from afar, I suppose they didn’t appreciate visitors to their island.

The boat tour also stopped on an edge of the island so we could snorkel and swim in a private spot. Despite the deep waters, you could see quite clearly to the bottom with so many fish and fauna visible. We swam to an isolated beach to enjoy what untouched nature these lucky donkeys get to see on a daily basis. Lucky asses. 😉

If you get the chance to rent a car during your stay in Alghero – I highly recommend taking a day trip to this part of the island. For me, it was an unforgettable experience swimming in such a gorgeous location. 

How To Get There

Getting to Stintino or La Pelosa beach where we were located in best served by car. It is about a 51 min (54.3 km) drive via the SP42.

Getting to the Island of Asinara has to be done by boat, we were especially happy to have taken a catamaran which held a small group of passengers and we were able to visit the island and swim in nearby preserved beaches. Prices can range from 30 – 60 euros per person for a few hours, here is one link to a company that regularly does this trip, and here is another.