Alghero . Terraced villa in a natural park area

“We spent a magical stay in Martin's home ! Martin was a warm and attentive host who made us feel welcome immediately. In spite of the heat (110F) the made to measure swimming pool with integrated hot tub and the air-con made for a perfect stay. This very comfortable house is very tastefully decorated and furnished and has a "late fifties" feel which we loved ! The view from the lovely garden is beautiful. We are really looking forward to welcoming Martin in Paris... Thanks Martin !”

“I spent a lovely week in Angelica's house with my two sisters. It is well placed for exploring the north of the island. There are many beaches close by and the town of Alghero is close, as well as the airport. Alghero has some lovely restaurants and you need to visit the weekly market to buy local foods. The house is comfortable and has a courtyard garden. Angelica was an amazing host and invited us for aperos and food one evening and we had a lovely time. Thank you for a wonderful swap Angelica, we loved Sardinia and will be back! ”

“Angelica and her partner made us very welcome and, in fact, invited us over the first night and provided a lovely meal. We enjoyed their company. We were unfortunate in that there was a problem with the original property we were to stay in and we had to move to another after one night. I would not recommend the Maristella property this early in the season (April), as there was no heating. The apartment we moved into, in Alghero, was in need of a major renovation, which I understand was to happen as soon as we moved out. The area is stunning, though, and we even saw, on Angelica's recommendation, a wonderful post-Easter ritual in a nearby town. Sardinia is a wonderful island to explore. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Host's Response: Robert and Cheryl arrived to Alghero after a long journey, I thought to give the best welcome.. It had been raining since two weeks before in Alghero , and it was cold . The house in Maristella had a big damage for the water, caused by a storm and we had to change the engine, due the fact it was cold we decided to host the family in the small apartment in the center..provided with heating..Now we are repairing the heating in Maristella and restoring the apartment in the center of Alghero. We hope and Cheryl will come again to Alghero in another season..”

“We had an amazing 9 day stay in Maristella, Angelica's home is the perfect base for exploring the north west of Sardinia. As hosts Angelica and Franco were perfect, they met us with a much needed carafe of wine after our long journey, they brought extra toys to help us entertain our children and we enjoyed a wonderful evening and dinner in their home. This was our first home swap and it couldn't have gone better. Thanks Angelica”

“Angelica and Franco were very welcoming and friendly hosts. On our late evening arrival, they'd prepared a delicious aperitivo for us, which was very welcome after our rive from Olbia. They were extremely helpful and couldn't have been more welcoming, and even though it was quite late, they stayed until we were settled in and familiar with the workings of the house. The accomodation was fine; three large and airy bedrooms, with balconies, and an open, light and airy living space downstairs. it was very clean, and perfect for our family. There's a very nice, family friendly pizzeria/restaurant, Il Galleone, just over the road. We used it a lot, as it's so convenient and everyone was so friendly. There's also a very convenient mini supermarket, with plenty of fresh local produce, just a five minute walk away. So if you just want to enjoy some peace and quiet after a day on the beach or the water, this house is perfect for that. Maristella is very peaceful and quiet, but close enough to Alghero for when you want to go into this beautiful town. There's a lovely restaurant/pizzeria in Porto Conte, which is just outside Maristella itself, that fronts the tiny harbor. Again, it's very family friendly, and the food is fabulous. And, not too expensive, given its lovely location on the water. If you're looking for a base, close to Alghero but is self-sufficient, too, then Angelica and Franco's house is perfect for that. They are great hosts - they even invited us for dinner at their own lovely home, which was an unexpected treat - and made sure our stay was comfortable. Sardinia is extremely beautiful and welcoming, and I would highly recommend Angelica and Franco's house as the perfect base to see the island from. We're already planning our return for next summer! ”

“We had a great trip to Sardinia. Angelica and Franco were fantastic hosts - they met us at the house, showed us round and left us cake as a present. Throughout our stay they were so helpful and friendly and even invited us to a brilliant evening of food and live music at their house with their friends - this kind of experience is one of the many great things about home swapping - getting the chance to meet local people and developing some kind of feel for what life there is like. It really made our holiday. And they also gave us some homemade liquor and limoncello. They were really so kind and helpful and suggested lots of good things to do in Sardinia. The house is very clean and comfortable with lots of space and everything you need. The area is lovely - it is a quiet area with a great beach a few minutes walk away and the local restaurant does pizzas at the weekend - we went twice. Alghero is only about 20 minutes away by car and you can travel up the coast to the amazing Neptune's Grotto -we did the stairs and were glad we did when we saw how choppy the sea was outside the grotto!! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great beach weather, so we spent much of our time in Alghero and really enjoyed it. It is a lovely city. At least in April, the roads are very quiet, for which, as a Brit, I was very thankful! Sardinia is a lovely island - we loved the people, who all seemed very friendly and kind and generally the feeling was laid back and happy. I'd love to return and see more of the island and I hope one day we can show Angelica and Franco some Scottish hospitality. ”

“We’re glad we ignored the previous review! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Angelica and Franco’s lovely home and we would highly recommend it. The accommodation was very comfortable and had everything we needed for our visit. The house was beautifully appointed and Angelica and Franco were very welcoming. The location of the house is fantastic, the village itself is a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside. The roads in Sardinia are good and there is very little traffic which was great for us driving on the “wrong side of the road”! We visited the beautiful beach of la Pellosa as well as touring along the northern coast, which was littered with beautiful beaches, to Castelsardo. Alghero itself is very close by and we enjoyed our evenings in town relaxing with our Aperitivi before dinner. The old town of Alghero is lovely and easy to find your way around. There are national parks all around the Maristella area and we went for a walk every day – had to do something to see off some of the Pizza and gelato calories! There is a fantastic public beach at Lazzaretto, which is about 2 mins from the house in the car, with free parking as well as being on a bus drop off route. We even walked down then up the 300 steps to Neptune's Grotto over on Cappo Caccia which was good fun. It’s also accessible by boat but one of us has no sea legs so that wasn’t an option for us. Overall a wonderful relaxing holiday! Thank you Angelica and Franco for your kind hospitality! ”

“Alghero is a trip worth : a sparkling town full of history, nice shops and stunning sunsets. The property in a peaceful pine wood, some km from nice beaches, but with old furniture and not as clean as I would like to expect from a hosting family.============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================ Host's response: The house is well-furnished with antique style furniture and valuable , as in the pictures . The house is less than five minutes walk from the beach, in front of the pinewood where pine pollen is common during the Summer. The lady was upset because she was forbidden to accommodate her dog in our house and because she asked to stay two days more (completely free), but the house was not available. She stayed one day more (free).”

“Angelica and Fransesco are really welcoming, they have given us very good advices that have enabled us to discover their wonderful island, I really recommend this place ”

“We had a wonderful holiday at Angelicas house. The house is located just next to a really nice national park, where we hiked several times during our stay, enjoying the beautiful views of the rocky coastline in the sunshine. The hosts were perfect and living next door invited us even for a beautiful italian appetitivo one evening. We enjoyed the stay in Maristella very much and would recommend it to everybody. ”

“This was my first experience and it was above of expectations. Angelica and Franco were amazing hostess. They went to the airport to greet was and once at home, they greeted us with wine and appetizers. The place was clean, comfortable, big, close to everywhere. It was an amazing experience. Thank you, Valeria ”