Romazzino, a Belmond hotel, Costa Smerelda, Sardinia, Italy: the Aga Khan’s Sardinian beachfront paradise, vision of an alternative to Cannes and St Tropez, re-emerges in Belmond luxury, opening May 2025: best rates

‘There is a multitude of fine sandy beaches and no one to walk on them. Green and grey mountains tumble into the sea, a carpet of purple and yellow, red and blue flowers perfume the air.’ So said The Aga Khan IV, first owner of the original Romazzino, which reopens this May as a Belmond hotel. His words captured the charismatic soul of the Costa Smeralda, which lives on in Romazzino’s laidback luxury. It promises a new era of la dolce vita in this rugged landscape of juniper and myrtle which runs down to a crystal-clear sea,  and vibrant pink bougainvillea cascading under a deep blue Sardinian sky.

Costa Smerelda is no longer the well-kept secret it was until the Fifties when the Aga Khan’s vision of an alternative to Cannes and St Tropez attracted Princess Margaret, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly to holiday here. But the Aga Khan stipulated then that all structures should not be higher than the level of the surrounding vegetation, and this has saved Costa Smerelda from high-rise horrors. Its low, rough-hewn, whitewashed Moorish-Greek style remains, typified in the labyrinthine passages and tiled Piazzetta square of Porto Cervo, the main hamlet, and in Romazzino itself, where building has been tasteful, respecting local heritage and style.

Romazzino is Sardinia’s most iconic resort. In 1970, Alberto Sordi directed a segment of anthology film The Couples at Romazzino. And in 1977 the resort achieved permanent cultural status as a glittering destination when scenes from The Spy Who Loved Me were shot there, with Roger Moore’s James Bond engaged in underwater combat before emerging at the beach—and the resort. Now reopening as a Belmond luxury hotel, the Romazzino of today follows the same glorious emerald coastline that James Bond—and the Aga Khan—discovered decades ago. For this glamorous old beauty to reopen its doors this year is to hear the echoes of previous guests: it is easy to imagine Elizabeth Taylor swanning through the lobby in a bell-sleeve dress, or Greta Garbo—yes, even Garbo came to Romazzino—wandering blissfully alone towards the sea. While the world has moved on from the thrill and hedonism of the Sixties, this corner of north-eastern Sardinia will for ever be the Aga Khan’s paradise reimagined.

The design has its own historic elegance. Inspired by the original fishermen’s dwellings it was the work of famed architect Michele Busiri Vici—whose family of Italian architects were active since the 17th century. The soft, fluid lines of Romazzino are typical of the architect’s iconic Mediterranean style, as too is the lovely Stella Maris Church in Porto Cervo, which he designed with his son Giancarlo, and which houses a work by El Greco. The architecture of Romazzino is an easy-on-the-eye series of low, white buildings, curved and cornerless, in keeping with both lapping waves and mountain foothills, with luminous interior spaces and tall open archways affording bougainvillea-framed views of the cobalt sea and the shimmering distant mountains.

All is in preparation for the elegant opening. The suites and rooms are peaceful havens overlooking the sea or the gardens, each with a balcony or terrace. The restaurants will delight, showcasing the rich culinary heritage of the island. And to enjoy the delights of Romazzino in classic manner, it has to be The Ginepro Bar, named after the juniper wood found in so many of the traditional houses on the island. Here, amid the clink of ice, the strains of the music and sounds of the sea, we shall rediscover the serenity and beauty  of an earlier age.

Romazzino is indeed a beautiful place, where they say they will give villeggiatura a new meaning: ‘We sail along Porto Cervo’s picturesque emerald sea and time-sculpted cliffs. We lead the way to languorous afternoons, nestled in the shadows of nearby olive and pine trees.’ All so we can stay in beauty and style in Sardinia.

CountryClubuk offers seven nights in a superior room at Romazzino, a Belmond Hotel, from £2,637pp (two sharing), including breakfast, complimentary room upgrade if available on arrival, and resort credit. For details and to check availability for your dates, please click here.

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