Rising more than thirty metres above the sea, Porto Pino is framed by the pine forests that give the beach its name. Further along the shore, its dunes form one of the island’s most distinctive landscapes – a desert-like shifting expanse of white sand against the deep blue Mediterranean.

Spread across gardens and low hills above the dunes, Chia Laguna Resort unfolds like a small village overlooking the coast. The property is composed of three distinct hotels –  the contemporary Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia, family-friendly Village, and hillside Baia di Chia – all connected by paths descending towards the beach. Days revolve around the landscape: horse riding along the shore, sea trekking and snorkelling, jeep tours into the hinterland, boat excursions along the coast, or simply long afternoons by the pool before sunset over the lagoons.

At Nebida, the twin tunnels of Porto Flavia open through the cliff face. Carved into the rock in 1924 as an ingenious mining port, the galleries once allowed minerals to be loaded directly onto ships anchored below. Today it can be reached by land (with guided tours through the historic mining tunnels) or admired from the water on boat trips departing every day from the port of Buggerru or the Porto Cauli beach.