Among the granite cliffs of Sardinia, the small Sardinian village reborn with the W Sardinia, author restaurants and an international soul, without losing the secret that has always made it unique.
There are places that seem to exist outside the time, guarded by an accomplice geography. Poltu Quatu is one of these. The name, in Sardinian dialect, simply means "hidden port", and there could be no clearer definition. Those coming from the sea, slipping between the pink granite walls of the cove, understand only at the last moment that that natural fjord hides a whole village: curved lines, dazzling white plasters under the sun, a small square suspended on the sea and the Marina dell'Orso that opens, calm and bright, towards the distant silhouettes of the La Maddalena archipelago.
Born in the late 1980s the north-eastern coast of Sardinia, a short distance from Porto Cervo and Baja Sardinia, Poltu Quatu brings to DNA the Mediterranean aesthetic that characterizes this stretch of coast: soft architecture inspired by the villages of Balearics and Provence, a wise integration between building and natural landscape, an atmosphere that knows about salt and sea pine. Today, after an important period of renewal, the village resumes with a new energy, more international, more contemporary, but faithful to its hidden essence.
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W Sardinia at the Hearth of the Resort
At the center of this metamorphosis is the W Sardinia Poltu Quatu, the resort that has assumed the role of social and cultural hub of the entire destination. Where the Grand Hotel once stood, New York studio Meyer Davis orchestrated a radical transformation: 154 rooms and suites, common spaces designed for conviviality, a calendar of events that crosses the entire season. The project has been able to dialogue with the Original vision of the architect Jean Claude Lesuisse, preserving the wide arches and geometric openings that create a continuous dialogue between interior and exterior, between the freshness of the rooms and the warmth of the stone heated by the sun.
The heart of the hotel is the W Lounge, where the afternoon light filters golden through the arches while the music accompanies the hour of the aperitif. A little further, the WET Deck, terrace with pool overlooking the marina, it becomes a natural stage for DJ sets and live performances that continue until the sky becomes velvet. The AWAY Spa, the FIT gym and the W Beach Club complete an offer that invites both activity and relaxation. Part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, W Sardinia interprets informal and refined hospitality at the same time, enriched by collaborations with artists, artisans and performers from all over Sardinia, because the most authentic luxury is always the one rooted in the territory.
A Day in Poltu Quatu
The day at Poltu Quatu begins with the slowness that you owe to a similar place. Al Caffè della Piazza, the tables fill while the boats are still firm in the marina and the air still brings the coolness of the night. It is the time of the cappuccini drunk looking at the sea, of the plans sketched between a brioche and the other. From here, options multiply.
Those who love the true sea, the wild, far from the crowd, sail from the Marina dell’Orso towards the islands ofArchipelago of La Maddalena: ♪, with the famous Cala Corsara beach; Caprera, where Giuseppe Garibaldi spent the last years of life among vineyards and Mediterranean scrub; Buddies, custodian of the incredible Pink Beach, protected natural heritage. A unique national park in Europe, where the sea reveals turquoise shades that seem to come out of a watercolor. Those who prefer to stay close to the village find in Liscia René a perfect cove for snorkeling, with granite backdrops inhabited by cernies, rafts and octopus.
For those who want to keep fit with the same look on the sea, Technogym signs a wide wellness area overlooking the port, with dedicated trainers and tailored programs. Tennis and padel courts managed by LUX Tennis offer private and clinical group lessons for all levels, because also wellness, in Poltu Quatu, tastes like a holiday.
The Table as a Ritual
It is especially the evening, however, that Poltu Quatu reveals his more international character. Along the promenade that from the square descends towards the dock and continues along the marina, alternate locals capable of satisfy demanding palates and eager to surprise.
The news of the season is the arrival of IYO: for the first time, the symbol of contemporary Japanese cuisine in Italy abandons Milan and arrives in Sardinia. The Executive Chef Takeshi Iwai and Resident Chef Andrea Besana reinterpret the IYO identity in a vacancy, more informal, more solar, from aperitif to after dinner.
Other season debut is Carnissage, the format of Martino Uzzauto that from Milan lands for the first time on Sardinian coast: overlooking the marina proposes a menu that crosses the meat, fish raw, the first Mediterranean inspiration, crustaceans and seafood with the same disintention that made it famous in the city.
The Tanit, which bears the name of the Phoenician goddess of the sea, protector of these coasts for millennia, returns with a completely redesigned identity. With tables directly on the marina, it offers a essential and contemporary cuisine built on the quality of the local raw material: the fish of the day, the cheeses of the nuorese, the wines of cellars of Sulcis. A slow dining isolate that invites to slow down, to look at the horizon between a taste and the other.
From the 50th floor of the Palm Jumeirah of Dubai arrives instead CouCou Sardinia, with its Mediterranean cuisine with a French touch, cocktail with unexpected ingredients and a view of the sea that at sunset becomes almost moving. For those who love the most authentic Roman cuisine, The Marquis brings to the coast the classics of the Capitoline tradition revisited with Sardinian ingredients, while the Amaro Bar becomes a stand-alone ritual. Specialties They convince purists with over fifty variants of Roman pizza ultra-fine, baked in the wood oven. ♪ Aruanã Churrascaria meets with Brazilian rodizio, live music and a festive atmosphere that conquers every evening.
Where to sleep between Hotels and Apartments
For those who want a different freedom, Il Borgo Marina Homesuites offers apartments for rent immersed in the life of the village, a form of slow, domestic hospitality, which allows you to feel part of Poltu Quatu instead of simple passing guests. Wake up with the noise of the sea, spend in the morning, find yourself in the evening on the terrace with a glass of Vermentino: luxury, sometimes, is exactly this.
Poltu Quatu remains, in its essence, a secret. A place that the sea keeps hidden until the last, is revealed only to those who know where to look. The new season has sharpened its identity without betraying the soul, more alive, more contemporary, but still guarded by those pink granite cliffs that at sunset dye orange, while the boats swing quietly in the marina and someone, somewhere along the walk, is already ordering the first drink of the evening.
