Where to stay in Sardinia: the best areas and resorts

This is the Sardinia of magazine shoots. The Costa Smeralda unrolls along the north-east coast in a jumble of pink granite boulders, sheltered coves and water so clear the boats look suspended in mid-air. Porto Cervo is its glossy little capital; Baja Sardinia and the fjord-like inlet of Poltu Quatu are quieter neighbours, all within the municipality of Arzachena.

The hotels match the scenery. Expect five-stars with private beaches, private marinas and views across to the La Maddalena archipelago, plus an adults-only retreat built in the style of the old Gallurese farmsteads. Inland, the countryside is scattered with nuraghi and Bronze Age 'giants' tombs', a reminder that people were here long before the yachts. Come with a healthy budget, or come out of high season.

San Teodoro is where the north-east lets its hair down a little. The beaches are the headline: long, white and shallow, with the limestone island of Tavolara rising out of the sea offshore and Cala Brandinchi, one of the most photographed coves on the island, just up the coast. Much of this shoreline sits inside the Tavolara marine reserve, which keeps it gloriously undeveloped.

The town itself is small and cheerful, busy with bars and restaurants on summer nights. Around it you'll find everything from a sleek five-star by the beach at Lu Impostu to a golf resort with its own nine holes and a family village whose soft-inclusive deal takes the sting out of Sardinian restaurant bills. Olbia airport is a short drive north.

Olbia is the island's busiest gateway, with the main airport for the north-east and a ferry port full of boats from the mainland. It is a working town rather than a resort, but its pedestrian centre is pleasant for an evening stroll and a plate of fregola, and the prices are kinder than anywhere on the Costa Smeralda.

Stay here if you're touring, arriving late or simply want the glamour without the bill. Some hotels sit a short stroll from the marina and the old basilica, one is barely 700 metres from the terminal, and others look out to sea from the hills or the waterfront north of town, near the sandy bay of Pittulongu.

Alghero is the north-west's charmer: an old town of honey-coloured stone wrapped in thick sea walls, with Gothic churches, narrow lanes and street signs in Catalan, a legacy of centuries of Aragonese rule. Come evening, everyone drifts along the ramparts to watch the sun sink behind the headland of Capo Caccia, then settles in for lobster, the town's signature dish.

The grandest hotels sit on the seafront road south of the old town, with sea-view spas and terraces right above the rocks, while modern places close to the beach put you within walking distance of the bars and restaurants. For pine woods and a private beach, head a few kilometres north towards the airport, which is only about 10 km from town.

Sardinia's capital is a proper Mediterranean city, stacked up a hill above its harbour. At the top is the Castello quarter, ringed by medieval walls with views over the port and the salt lagoons, where flamingos wade in pink flocks. Down below, the arcaded streets by the marina are made for an aperitivo, and the long sandy sweep of Poetto, the city beach, is a short bus ride away.

It makes a great base for a few days of eating well before heading to the beaches either side. Hotels range from a grand 1920s palazzo looking over the marina, with a rooftop terrace and spa, to modern four-stars near the shops on Via Dante.

Out on the south-eastern tip, Villasimius has some of the most beautiful beaches in the south, strung along a coast protected as the Capo Carbonara marine area. The sand is fine and pale, the water is a clear, glassy blue, and the village behind keeps things low-key, with a main street of gelato shops and pizzerias.

Most visitors stay in resorts spread through gardens and citrus groves, many with direct access to a private beach: a polished five-star in its own bay, a spa resort with three pools, and family-friendly villages of villas and bungalows. Cagliari airport is about 55 km away along a winding coastal road.

South-west of Cagliari, the coast around Pula enjoys a sheltered, almost subtropical microclimate, and it shows in the palms and bougainvillea. The beaches are excellent: Santa Margherita is right on the doorstep, and the dunes and lagoons of Chia, with the turquoise cove of Tuerredda beyond, are a short drive along the coast.

This is resort country, and some of the island's best-known family resorts are spread through pine-shaded gardens here, with pools, spas and kids' clubs. When you need a break from the sand, the ruins of ancient Nora sit on a headland just outside town, among the most important archaeological sites in Sardinia.

The west coast is Sardinia's best-kept secret, if only because most people never get here. Oristano is a calm provincial town, and just beyond it the Sinis Peninsula offers lagoons full of birdlife, the ruins of Phoenician Tharros on the tip of a headland and beaches made not of sand but of tiny grains of white and pink quartz.

Hotels are small, relaxed and good value: a country house on the edge of the Cabras lagoon, a lodge with a pool among the fields, and comfortable four-stars in and around town. Bring a car; this is a place for exploring.