B&B Kapi Country

Rooms

Both bedrooms are smallish, but serve their purpose well. Expect comfy mattresses, silky linens, good bedside lights and double-glazed French windows which shut out any nocturnal barking. There's A/C, plus the high pitched roof is well insulated and sliding mosquito nets allow for through drafts if you prefer (and you don't mind the dawn light creeping in too). Pier Paolo salvaged the original doors and reused them as frames for a quartet of sun-bleached roof tiles or ancient iron keys - an artful touch, we thought.

Ensuite bathrooms have deluge showers, lovely gels, towelling robes and, for a dash of designer humour, an oversized lightbulb hanging from a thick red cord.

Both rooms - there's nothing to choose between them - open onto the terrace and garden, with their own bamboo armchairs and breakfast table. The shared guest kitchen is between them, so you won't hear any neighbour noise.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Bathrobes
• Beach towels
• Central heating
• Hairdryer
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• Toiletries
• WiFi

Eating

Pier Paolo's breakfast is a highlight of any stay here. He lays out a wonderful spread on linen tablecloths in the garden, much of it homemade, including his own blended juice of the day (ours was carrot, pineapple, apple and ginger - a great pick-me-up), his mother's cookies, Carlo's juicy lemon drizzle cake, and marmalade from their bitter orange tree. There's local ham and pecorino, treacly coffee served in espresso pots and whatever else takes their gourmet fancy. Don't plan to rush off.

For dinner, they can recommend restaurants in Alghero to suit most budgets and flavours, from novel pizzas (think gorgonzola and pear) at La Botteghina, to authentic Sardinian seafood at Trattoria Da Mirko.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Honesty bar

Activities

• Alghero is one of Sardinia's loveliest towns, with Siracusa-esque sea walls enclosing cobbled lanes and handsome pastel houses; there are churches, boutiques, gelaterie and superb Catalan-influenced seafood
  
• Boat excursions take you across the pine-fringed bay of Porto Conte to the sea caves and sheer rock stacks of Capo Caccia; the best is the Andrea Jensen - a wooden ketch with real sailing, great lunches and dolphin sightings
  
• Fine sandy beaches stretch west and south, or drive up to the Stintino peninsula for stunning white sands: La Pelosa is the pin-up (turquoise shallows and bronzed crowds), Rena Maiore near Biancareddu offers cliff-backed solitude (ask Pier Paolo for directions)
  
• Hike up 316-metre Mt. Timidone, an hour's marked trail from Le Prigionette park gate (small entrance fee), looking out for mouflons, albino donkeys and griffon vultures; or the macchia-covered hills above the ghost silver-mining village of Argentiera (get the Rother guidebook)
  
• Taste crisp Vermentino wines at Sella e Mosca (5pm daily, free tour, small tasting fee), or ask Pier Paolo to fix you up with a more personalised experience at a smaller cantina

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Windsurfing
• Wine tasting

Kids

Children are only accepted if you take both rooms, and as both are double-bedded that's not ideal. But for a couple with an older child, or 2 well-behaved children who are happy to share a double bed, it's not a bad option. You get free run of the small kitchen, a supply of beach towels and parasols, plus an adorable dog and cats to pet. But there's no pool.

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

B&B Kapi Country is set 4km outside the coastal town of Alghero in northwest Sardinia. It's 2 hours west of Olbia and 3 hours north of Cagliari.

By Air:
Ideally, fly into Alghero (the airport is just 14km away, but flights are limited); otherwise into Olbia or Cagliari.

From the Airport
You could take a taxi from Alghero, but you'll probably need transport while you're here, so it's best to hire a car from the airport (see our car rental recommendations). You can park safely inside the gated drive, though be aware that the driveway is steep.

By Ferry:
Sardinia is served by car ferries coming from Italy (Genoa, Livorno, Rome - Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo etc), and also from France (Marseille and Corsica). The latter arrive in Porto Torres which is just 50km / 50 mins' drive from the B&B.