Resort Grande Baia

“Great value, enjoyable stay”

From reading the reviews of this hotel before we went we did not have high expectations of the hotel. We hired a car from the airport for the week which I would recommend. We paid around £120 for the weeks car hire through booking.com with insurance. I heard someone say they had paid 90 euros for … more

From reading the reviews of this hotel before we went we did not have high expectations of the hotel. We hired a car from the airport for the week which I would recommend. We paid around £120 for the weeks car hire through booking.com with insurance. I heard someone say they had paid 90 euros for a one way transfer from the airport to the hotel so it’s well worth hiring a car. On arrival or the hotel we were not impressed. The hotel was very worn and gardens were ratty in places. Like others have said the resort needs a tidy up and a refurb. We stayed in a comfort room on half board. However, once we settled into our room the resort grew on us throughout the week. We found the food of excellent quality and there was lots of variety of high quality meat, fish, salads, pastas every night. Wine available to buy in the restaurant was lovely and only 4 euros a glass. We preferred to eat in the conservatory as we liked the ambiance and atmosphere. We found the main part of the restaurant very bright and felt the furnishings were old fashioned and needed a refurb. Breakfast was lovely, freshly baked pastries, fruit in abundance, fresh bread, meats, cheese and omelettes..the list goes on. We did go out and about in the car and this made us even more thankful to be half board as not many restaurants to eat in and we were not impressed with the food we had outside the resort which was also very expensive. We enjoyed the walk to the beach and the resort beach was great with sun-beds to use. There was always a sun bed available both at the beach and at the pool. We also enjoyed the walk to Cala Brandinchi beach which was a 20 minute walk away from the resort beach. This was our favourite beach we visited whilst in Sardinia. Beautiful, clear blue shallow water. We found the staff at the resort pleasant and we were particularly impressed with the restaurant staff. Tables were cleaned promptly and there were plenty of staff around to keep everything well stocked and organised. In short this is a good value resort offering great food for a good price. We would recommend you get a car and walk over to Cala Brandinchi beach. I do feel the resort could improve the resort easily by giving it a tidying the gardens and replacing the 1970s furnishings.

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“Wouldn't use again”

We visited here for 4 nights I'd thoroughly recommend a car hire it's miles from anywhere, Food was mediocre and drinks expensive, you have to pay on a hotel card and get a bill at the end of your stay, not appealing to me I like to pay as I go, the shop sold nothing, and no entertainment. You qu… more

We visited here for 4 nights I'd thoroughly recommend a car hire it's miles from anywhere, Food was mediocre and drinks expensive, you have to pay on a hotel card and get a bill at the end of your stay, not appealing to me I like to pay as I go, the shop sold nothing, and no entertainment. You queue for dinner which is a no no for me felt like I was at a food bank although Sardinia is beautiful I'd recommend a stay in a city or large village. We had no towel or sheet change in 4 days.

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“Negatives and positives”

Positives .. quiet .. peaceful and I like how all the rooms are on one level .. Negatives Bathrooms need to have a freshen up and the food in the soffi restaurant was not very nice ..

“Don't stay here without your own transport!”

Recently returned from a late blast of sunshine 5-nights at Grande Baia resort. I rarely write long reviews but strap yourselves in! Firstly, with views of my two adult daughters here as well, we don’t feel this is a 4* place. It’s tired, run down and in need of tlc - peeling paint, gardens all o… more

Recently returned from a late blast of sunshine 5-nights at Grande Baia resort. I rarely write long reviews but strap yourselves in! Firstly, with views of my two adult daughters here as well, we don’t feel this is a 4* place. It’s tired, run down and in need of tlc - peeling paint, gardens all overgrown, weeds everywhere and generally looks shabby. Signs are rusting and can't be read easily. On arrival, about 12.15, we were told our room wouldn’t be ready until 3pm. We left our cases and set off to have a drink and food on resort. Staff weren’t overly friendly in the pizzeria - no warmth or welcoming atmosphere considering we were tired, new arrivals. At 2.45 we went back to reception to see if the room was ready but were told it wasn’t, then at 3.20 a very elderly man told us to load our cases onto a golf buggy. He appeared too frail to lift the luggage himself so it was left to us - lifting it quite high and loading it while he stood there. I have a bad back, but had to cope. He drove us to our room - about 4 minutes away. It was up a steep track and then across a grass patch. Here was our room. No path, just long grass. We had to navigate our way over this, up steps and into the apartment, dragging our cases again. First impressions of the room itself were ok - Spacious and peaceful. However, we noticed small things - cobwebs on ceilings, ants crawling outside on the patio, the air con unit leaked water all over the floor in the 2nd bedroom - massive puddles that had to be soaked up with a towel. There’s no iron provided - so make sure you pack one or take non-crease clothes! We booked room only. We didn’t want the hassle of self-catering, however, night one there was the most horrific thunderstorm and it lashed down. We had nothing to eat or drink in the room and so at 9pm I had no choice but to brave the storm and go out - back to the pizzeria on main campus, as that was the only place offering takeout. It was pitch black and I had no idea where I was going - just lucky to see a couple carrying pizza boxes who I asked to point me in the right direction. Unless you hire a vehicle this place feels a bit like Alcatraz. It’s set up high, with literally nothing around you but rocks and scrub - the road leading to the resort is long and desolate - you can’t even see the hotel from a main road until it comes into view as you approach, so you can't go out for a walk anywhere or get a bus. They claim to offer hotel shuttle buses into San Teodoro but beware - the last bus is at 6pm AND there is no return. Taxis appear to be at a massive premium too. Literally you have to order one that morning if you want to go out that evening AND make sure you book a return too. We had a real scare when we got the hotel taxi to take us into town at 8.30pm. He charged us €45 cash (hmmm - interesting when all other hotel charges had to be charged to our room or credit card). At 11.30pm we were ready to come back and tried at least 5 cab numbers posted by the taxi rank that offered "24-hour service" but to no avail. One wanted €160 to take us back and another asked for €100! Yes, these are not typos. It’s a 10-minute drive. We were left stranded, asking people for help & advice. One local lady selling cocktails tried several taxi numbers for us but either no reply or they wanted stupid money. It’s a very sad day when a local market trader (not born in Italy), who was known to this lady, stopped to chat, took pity on us, walked home to get his car and drove us back. He wanted nothing but we insisted on giving him €30 for his kindness. Lesson here - Don’t risk going to town for a change of scene unless you’re sure of a taxi back, and be prepared to pay a lot if you do! On our 4th night, we booked a taxi both ways. At 7.30pm he charged us €25 and to return at 11.30 he asked for €35 - despite arriving 15 minutes late and offering zero apology! Baffling. Shuttle buses to other beaches are also available from the hotel for a price, but spaces are very limited. The bus holds 8-9 passengers at most so you need to book ahead! Everything has to be booked/paid for - frustrating if, like us, you just want to go with the flow and decide what you fancy doing each day, which could depend on the weather - or you’re stuck on campus and unless you like karaoke (bad karaoke) or cheesy singers for entertainment, you feel trapped. The Information office closes at 6pm sharp, so make sure you get there by 5.45, as if you dare to have questions at 5.50 she’s packing up and won’t help you! There’s a tiny shop on the resort. It literally sells a few drinks, water, crisps & biscuits - extortionate prices too and limited choice, but as we had no means of getting supplies anywhere else, we had to buy water at €3 and soft drinks at similar prices. We lived on crisps and biscuits each day. Breakfast prices weren't worth it from a quality pov. There is a small snack van by the hotel's private beach which had very limited choice and wasn't cheap either. One positive was in the gormet restaurant one night. We were the only people in it, but the waiter, Massimo, and his assistant, couldn’t have been kinder. The food was delicious and well presented. Atmosphere was zero though - not a single other person eating there. We visited two beaches outside the resort. One via hotel shuttle bus (for a fee) and one by taxi for €25 each way. The beaches were beautiful but very busy. The water is crystal blue and shallow. It certainly lived up to its reputation. Take snacks with you though as there is nothing around where you can get any food or more drinks. I feel the locals miss a trick here. Somewhere that sells basic food - baguettes, fruit salads, etc, is much needed. We’re not all locals who bring half the kitchen with us in a car! We laid on our towels too. Not many beds were available plus we didn’t want to be packed into a very noisy area. The sand is powdery white so ok to sit on. Walk as far from the beach entrance as you feel you can, or be prepared for a lot of noise from people with their tents, chairs, cooler bags, floats, etc, who don’t care that you may be relaxing 2 feet away!! You have to go with it and not get uptight! Sadly, our journey back wasn't a good one which wasn't the hotel's fault. Due to the organised coach driver turning up 20 minutes late, we got caught in a RTA jam and ended up missing our flight - he could have rerouted but instead, got wedged into a bumper-to-bumper single lane jam and we ended up having to get out, walk a mile up the road with our cases and find a taxi to take us to Olbia airport - by which time it was goo late. At EasyJet's expense, however, we were put into a little hotel in Olbia, where we enjoyed a nice 24 hours of the city - its harbour, restaurants and shops. Luckily it was a weekend, so no extra time taken off work. Would I go here again - not to this hotel. Sardinia - yes. Grande Baia - do better. Easyjet - do better!

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