🏖️ 🍺 ⛵
It's booked 🎉
Guga's Stag — Budoni, Sardinia
Villa Thia is ours. 8 lads, 4 nights, our own pool. Here's the trip.
🏡 The Villa — Villa Thia
A private 6-bedroom villa with its own pool and BBQ in Budoni / San Lorenzo, on the north-east coast. 8 beds for 8 of us — nobody shares. ~40 min from Olbia airport, ~10 min from the beach.
Bedrooms
6 BR · 8 beds
Bathrooms
4
Outside
Private pool + BBQ
Comfort
A/C throughout
Beach
~10 min Budoni
Airport
~40 min Olbia
📷 Photograph the villa on arrival. It's managed by Sardinia Unlimited but booked through Airbnb, so AirCover applies — take a few photos of the condition the moment we walk in (pool, rooms, kitchen). The listing's one review is 3★ purely over a checkout charge-dispute with the manager; the house itself was praised as “lovely, new, clean.” The photos are our backstop on any deposit/damage chat at the end.
📍 Where We Are — Budoni, NE Sardinia
Villa Thia sits in Budoni / San Lorenzo on the north-east coast — between buzzy San Teodoro (south) and the quiet Posada / Baronìa coast (north), with Olbia airport ~40 min up the road. We've got 2 hire cars, so everything below is an easy drive.
| From the villa | Drive | What |
|---|---|---|
| Budoni / Cala di Budoni | ~10 min | Our nearest town & beach — supermarkets, bars, golden sand |
| Porto San Paolo | ~20–25 min | Boat-day departure for Tavolara marine park |
| San Teodoro | ~20–25 min | The party town — beach clubs, nightlife, La Cinta beach |
| Cala Brandinchi / Lu Impostu | ~20–25 min | “Little Tahiti” — the world-class beaches |
| Olbia (OLB airport & old town) | ~40 min | Flights, Don Carlos / Il Macellaio steak, big shops |
| Porto Cervo / Costa Smeralda | ~1 h | Day trip — super-yachts, designer port, clifftop clubs |
🏖️ The Beaches
This stretch of coast is the whole reason to be here. On the doorstep are Budoni's own easy golden beaches; a 20-min hop south are the famous San Teodoro lagoons that land in Italy's top-10 lists.
| Beach | Drive | Quality | The shout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cala di BudoniBudoni | ~10 min | Very good | Our local — long, shallow, golden; bars & parking. Easy default. |
| Baia Sant'AnnaBudoni | ~10 min | Very good | Thick golden sand, green-blue water, rarely crowded. |
| Porto Ottiolu / Li CucuttiBudoni | ~10–15 min | Very good | Marina + pine-backed turquoise bays just north of town. |
| Cala Brandinchi — “Little Tahiti”San Teodoro · #5 beach in Italy | ~20–25 min | World-class | White sand, shallow turquoise lagoon, Tavolara on the horizon. Pre-book required (see below). |
| Lu ImpostuSan Teodoro | ~20–25 min | World-class | Sister to Brandinchi — wide, shallow, family-calm. Pre-book required. |
| La CintaSan Teodoro | ~25 min | World-class | 3 km of sand for beach tennis/volley + kite/SUP hire. No booking needed. |
⚠️ Cala Brandinchi & Lu Impostu need booking in summer. From 1 Jun–30 Sep, both cap numbers and require an online reservation at santeodorospiagge.it. Slots open at 6pm two days before — so book the moment we know which day. Cost is tiny: a €1–2 per-person environmental contribution (€1 if our tourist tax is paid via the villa), plus ~€2.50/hr parking in Jul/Aug. La Cinta and all the Budoni beaches are free, no booking.
🎉 The Plan
The set-piece days, with real operators and ballpark August prices. Book the boat & steak night as soon as dates firm up — August fills fast.
⛵ Boat day
Tavolara marine park from Porto San Paolo (~25 min from the villa) is the easy win: snorkel stops, the Chrisso wreck, Molara island. Sole Sale Sardinia private full-day (6.5 h) is ~€1,300/boat ≈ €163pp @8 (half-day 4 h ~€800). Bigger day out: La Maddalena archipelago from Palau (~1 h) — Pink Beach, Cala Coticcio “Tahiti” — private maxi-RIB ~€1,500–2,500 (≈ €190–310pp). Both take up to 12. La Maddalena Private Boat ☎ +39 351 750 5141.
🥩 Steak night
A proper bistecca / Argentine steak night is a must — top picks Don Carlos (Olbia, Wagyu, 4.8★) and Il Macellaio (San Teodoro). Plus a Sardinian porceddu feast and a Michelin option — full food & drink shortlist below →
🍸 Beach clubs & nightlife
San Teodoro is the young, lively summer town. Ambra Night (a club since '69, by Cala d'Ambra, open nightly), Luna Glam Club (trendy, big guest DJs), Bal Harbour (pool + garden by La Cinta, churrasco + DJ pool parties) and chilled Ambra Day (Café del Mar mood). For one big night: Costa Smeralda's clifftop Phi Beach (Baja Sardinia, ~1 h).
🎾 Beach tennis & watersports
La Cinta is the sports beach — 3 km for beach tennis & volley, plus kitesurf / SUP / windsurf lessons & hire at KiteGym and Hard Core Surf Shop. Bring/rent a beach-tennis set and it works on any of the Budoni beaches too.
🧝 Diving & snorkel
The Tavolara – Punta Coda Cavallo marine protected area is one of the Med's best: viz 15–40 m, May–Oct. Guided dives, courses & snorkel trips with Porto San Paolo Dive Center and Tavolara Diving (since 1985). Snorkel the Chrisso wreck.
🏎 Quads & off-road
For an adrenaline morning: 4x4 / quad / buggy runs through the Rio Pitrisconi canyon above San Teodoro, plus quad & ATV rental in San Teodoro and Budoni (Escursì and local operators). Helmets, guide & insurance included.
Day trips (~1 h, if we fancy a change)
⛵ La Maddalena archipelago (the big boat day)
👑 Porto Cervo / Costa Smeralda — super-yacht port, designer strip
🏰 Posada — medieval Castello della Fava, one of Italy's prettiest villages (~20 min)
🍷 Berchidda / Gallura wine country
🍽️ Food & Drink
One villa BBQ night, one marquee steak night, a proper Sardinian porceddu feast, and a seafood lunch or two. Set-menu agriturismi are made for 8 — one price, drinks included, no faff. Book everything ahead — August is peak.
🥩 The marquee meat night
| Where | Drive | €/head | The shout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Carlos Steakhouse & BBQOlbia · ☎ +39 340 113 8662 | ~40 min | 50–70 | Best steak in range — Argentine cuts + real Wagyu + American BBQ, 4.8★ (700+), private group room. The splurge. |
| Bisteccheria Il MacellaioSan Teodoro (Via Lu Licciu) | ~20–25 min | 30–40 | Tableside butchery theatre (fiorentina, scottona) near the nightlife — roll into a club after. Cheaper + closer. |
| Bal Harbour churrascoLa Cinta, San Teodoro | ~25 min | 40–60 | All-you-can-eat grilled meat + DJ / pool party — dinner and the night out in one. |
🐷 The Sardinian feast (porceddu + wine)
| Where | Drive | €/head | The shout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li MoriSan Teodoro · ☎ +39 348 860 7678 | ~20–25 min | 45 | Best feast — antipasti, 3 firsts, porceddu, 3 desserts; wine/water/coffee/digestivo included. Closed Mon; books up fast. |
| Agriturismo Su NuragheBudoni (Muriscuvo) | ~10–15 min | ~34–40 | Closest & cheapest — full feast, porceddu, malloreddus, wine in. Shortest taxi home. |
| Agriturismo Cabu AbbasOlbia | ~40 min | 55 | The richest feast — ~17 dishes, 4.6★, everything included. Pricier + further. |
The rest
⭐ Groom blow-out (Michelin)
Gusto by Sadler — 1 Michelin star, Baglioni Resort (~25 min). Claudio Sadler's creative Mediterranean tasting (veg menu too). The one “special” meal. Closed Tue; book well ahead, dress code. ☎ +39 0784 190 8000.
🐟 Seafood near base
Blueside / Il Colle, Porto Ottiolu (~10–15 min) — harbour views, grilled octopus, fresh pasta. Stops it being meat four nights running.
⛵ Boat-day lunch
Re di Tavolara (da Tonino), Porto San Paolo — seafood on a beach veranda by the boat marina. Great setting; don't over-order.
🍕 Casual / takeaway
Pizzeria La Suprema & Il Pirata, Porto Ottiolu (~10 min) — both do takeaway. Note: Glovo/JustEat only reach Olbia, so it's collection, not delivery.
🍸 Aperitivo
La Cambusa, Porto Ottiolu — wine + cheese/charcuterie to start the evening before a late Italian dinner.
🎉 The club after
Ambra Night (faces the beach, ~€15–30 entry) or Luna Glam — San Teodoro, ~20–25 min. Pre-book a late taxi back to Budoni.
⚠️ Before you book: August is peak — reserve now. Pre-order the porceddu (Li Mori, Su Nuraghe). Confirm a table for 8 on the exact date and watch closures (Li Mori Mon, Gusto by Sadler Tue, Don Carlos Sat dinner-only). For Il Macellaio, confirm the San Teodoro / Via Lu Licciu branch. Prices are peak-season ballparks — confirm on the call.
✈️ Logistics
✈️ Flights — London → Olbia (OLB)
Fly into Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB) — ~40 min from the villa. ~2 h 15 direct from London (easyJet from Gatwick, plus BA, Ryanair, Jet2). Peak-August return roughly £180–320. Try to land together so we can split into the 2 cars.
🚗 Cars — 2× 7-seaters
Eight of us = two 7-seater minivans from OLB. August is peak: roughly €83–150/day each — reckon €700–1,100 total for the cars over 4 days. Book 2+ weeks ahead, stock sells out. Compare Europcar/Hertz/Sixt/Avis on Kayak or Rentalcars.
🛒 The villa shop
Big shop on arrival: Conad and other supermarkets in Budoni town, plus a supermarket, pharmacy & petrol at Porto Ottiolu (~10 min). Stock the BBQ, beers and breakfasts — we've got the pool, do most days in.
📱 Good to know
Paying the tourist tax via the villa halves the beach contribution to €1pp. Carry a bit of cash for beach parking & small bars. Download the San Teodoro beaches booking site before we go.
The 4-day shape (Sat 22 → Wed 26 Aug)
- Sat 22 — Arrive. Fly LGW → Olbia, grab the 2 cars, big shop in Budoni, settle into the villa. First BBQ & beers by the pool.
- Sun 23 — Beach + nightlife. Cala Brandinchi or La Cinta (book Brandinchi Fri 6pm), beach tennis + long lunch, then San Teodoro out — Ambra / Luna Glam.
- Mon 24 — Boat day + steak. Private RIB round Tavolara from Porto San Paolo, snorkel stops. Big steak night at Il Macellaio in the evening.
- Tue 25 — Choose your own. Slow pool morning, then quads / dive / Porto Cervo day trip. Last villa dinner.
- Wed 26 — Home. Pack, drop the cars, fly back from Olbia.
✅ The Crew & The Split
Eight of us, eight beds — nobody shares.
🤴 Guga (groom)
Hugo
Rafinha
Grilo
Maciek
Arty
Dedé
Fran
The money
Villa total £3,794 for 4 nights → ~£474pp @8. Boat day adds roughly €160–230pp, cars ~€100–140pp, plus flights, food & nights out. Settle the villa share with Hugo:
Pack / sort
- Passport (in date), EHIC/GHIC, travel insurance
- Beach-tennis set + speaker for the pool
- Reef-safe sun cream, caps, a light layer for boat-day evenings
- Some euros cash (beach parking, small bars, tips)
- Book: boat day, steak night, beach slots, 2 cars — once dates are locked
Villa booked 4 Jun 2026 via Airbnb. Prices for boat/cars/flights are live August ballparks (operators & comparison sites) — treat as estimates, not locked quotes, until we book. Beach pre-booking & fees per santeodorospiagge.it.