Hotel Review: La Villa del Re

After the quick flight to Sardinia, I realized I had booked the rental car for the wrong time. The car rental agency had no extra cars and we would need to wait seven hours. Luckily, it was cancellable and I found a car at the agency next door. After that was sorted, we drove to La Villa del Re. Like Susafa (full review here), this hotel is part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) and is included in the Hyatt partnership.

Anthony’s Take: La Villa del Re is a beautiful property with a friendly and polished staff, a lovely beach and huge infinity pool, a delicious breakfast, and comfortable rooms. We did not receive an upgrade, but the room we had was spacious, the air conditioning worked well, and it was kept meticulously clean.

Booking

I booked a Superior Garden Front room with World of Hyatt points on Hyatt.com. It cost 40,000 points per night (we stayed three nights). This room type was selling for around €805 plus taxes per night, so this was a good value for the redemption. If you’re redeeming World of Hyatt points like I did, this hotel ranges between 35,000 and 45,000 points per night for a standard room (depending on if the date commands an off-peak, standard, or peak redemption).

Transportation to the Hotel

As noted above, we rented a car in Cagliari and drove from the airport to the hotel. It took around 55 minutes for the 57-kilometer ride. Leaving, we drove to 7Pines Resort Sardinia, part of Destination by Hyatt. That ride took over 3.5 hours.

After pulling through the hotel’s gate (ring the bell for entry), you’re greeted by the main building.

We pulled the car to the front entrance and it was quickly taken for us. The hotel does not charge for parking.

Check-in

We arrived around 1:00 PM and our room was not ready. The agent checking me in explained that it would be ready soon and offered some water. We sat outside the lobby for around an hour as housekeeping finished cleaning the room. While waiting, another agent asked us if we’d like to see a Superior Sea Front room as a possible upgrade. We took a look, but the room is much smaller than the Superior Garden Front room. While it does include a balcony, the interior space is tiny. We stuck with what we booked. The agent asked if we needed a late checkout. I requested noon and it was granted. World of Hyatt members receive early check-in and late checkout (subject to availability), a room upgrade (again, subject to availability), and continental breakfast when booking Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) properties directly through Hyatt. The agent explained all of this and then escorted us to our room. We were tired, so we had her keep the tour of the room features to a minimum.

While the interior lobby is spacious, there is an even larger seating area just outside the doors.

I connected to the decently-fast Wi-Fi and worked for about an hour until our room was ready.

Superior Garden Front Room (107)

There are 48 rooms (including 11 suites) at this hotel. The room has its own patio with a bistro set and two other chairs for relaxing.

The room is fairly spacious with a king-sized bed, a TV, nightstands, a desk, and a small sofa.

The bed was comfortable.

I liked that they tucked a Gerber Daisy (sitting in a tube of water to keep it fresh) in each robe.

A small sofa lined half the side wall of the room.

Next to it was a desk.

It held a phone and Nespresso machine.

The closet was near the door. It held a small safe, slippers, and a refrigerator.

Unfortunately, the refrigerator was broken. Staff tied to fix it, but it would not work. They promptly brought another.

The refrigerator held a welcome bottle of wine and a note.

The bathroom was off of the bedroom and was pretty large. There is one large sink and a stool in the center of the room.

The toilet was to the right.

The bidet was on the opposite wall.

A shelf with tons of Gilchrest & Soames toiletries sat in the middle.

A glass shower was to the left of the doorway. It was tiny and the water pressure was just okay.

A vanity with chair was next to the shower.

Breakfast

La Villa del Re has two restaurants. One is near the pool and the other is just off the lobby. Breakfast is served at the one near the lobby, which offers great sea views.

There is a menu provided and guests can order whatever they want. This is essentially like having a buffet, but it’s brought to you. In addition to pastries, breads, meat, cheese, fruit, and some other cold choices, guests can also order a complimentary entree each day. Coffee and juice are also included. Here are some of the things we ate over our three days.

Cappuccinos came nicely designed each morning.

We tasted many pastries and the fruit was consistently delicious.

More pastries

Pastries, fruit, and cheese

Even more pastries and fruit

Tomato and mozzarella

Bread

Butter, Nutella, and jam

Scrambled eggs with chicken sausage

Sardinian omelette

Crepes with Nutella

French toast

Lunch

We were hungry when we arrived. After we dropped our things in the room, we went to the pool bar (to the right of the pool) for lunch. Service was slow, but the sandwich was huge and tasty.

I had a ginger ale and my husband had an Aperol spritz. Cocktails are pretty pricey here (which is to be expected at a resort). There is a supermarket around one kilometer down the road. We stocked up on some soft drinks, wine, and other snacks.

We each had a Club Sandwich. They were massive and neither one of us finished it.

Amenities & Common Areas

La Villa del Re has an infinity pool, beautiful stretch of beach, two restaurants, and lovely, manicured grounds. There is no spa or fitness center here. Spa treatments are offered, but there are no facilities.

The hotel has a large infinity pool overlooking the beach.

The beach is lined with chairs and attendants to assist.

Cabanas (called “Gazebos” here) can be rented on the lawn next to the pool. We booked one for the day. I was quoted a price of €100, but was only charged €50. I’m not sure if this was because we only spent part of the day there or what determined this discount. We only saw one other woman in them during our three-day stay.

There are nice sea views when seated here.

Overall Impression: La Villa del Re is a lovely hotel with a great beach and pool. The service is excellent and the breakfast has everything you could want. The hotel is a great choice for exploring southern Sardinia and I’d return if in the area.