Sardinia is a great place to slow down. We often pack our holidays full of things to do every day, but sometimes it’s just nice to relax. So a four-night break in June was perfect to unwind a bit.

We stayed on the east coast of Sardinia at Arbatax for three nights, filling our time with a boat trip to beaches and a grotto and a trip to some local Nuraghi (bronze-age homes).

I couldn’t find much about Arbatax online but to me it was the perfect little village for a holiday; set on a lovely bay with mountains and cliffs all around; a few bars and restaurants and of course a great gelato place! Arbatax is also the starting point for the Trenino Verde which travels up into the hills inland three times a week- you can book at the kiosk in town.

We stayed at the Arbatax Park Resort which had access to the lovely Cala Moresca, a perfect Mediterranean cove surrounded by red rocks, ideal for swimming. The water around Sardinia is really clear! I’m not really a big fan of resorts but this one was like a Sardinian village, all old stone cottages and it was beautifully landscaped.

Our last day was spent in the capital, Cagliari. I loved it. Although it’s fairly small, once you get up the hill to the old town, Castello (tip: there are two elevators if you can find them) it’s a lovely place to wander around, full of small medieval lanes, old churches and pretty, colourful buildings in shades of burnt yellow, orange and pink. If you walk out to the Bastione de San Remy you’ll find a great view over the city and the bay. Hundreds of flamingos fly over the city from one of the salt lakes at sunset and this is an ideal spot to watch it.

Walk down into the lower part of the town (towards the station) and you’ll discover the town’s Roman amphitheatre. It’s not as impressive as some but still worth a look. I wasn’t so impressed with the Botanical Gardens but I think I’ve been completely spoiled by Rio’s last year!

There are plenty of places to eat and small bars to have a drink in in the district just down from the old town by the water. You could also catch the bus out to Poetto, the long city beach which has plenty of nightlife.