Hotel Cala Reale in Stintino

Our stay at Hotel Cala Reale was disappointing. Coming from a customer service background, I can confidently say this hotel misses many opportunities to be great with minimal effort.

Arrival: After a delayed flight and long drive, we arrived around 10 p.m., exhausted. The receptionists were polite but offered no water or assistance, despite knowing everything nearby was closed. We were saved only by a nearby restaurant that kindly gave us bottles of water.

Room – “Sea View”: Months in advance, I booked a “sea view” room. In reality, we faced a building; the sea is barely visible from the balcony. When I mentioned this at checkout, the receptionist repeatedly insisted it was my fault and claimed she had “never heard” of partial sea view. The hotel clearly does not ensure guests get the room they pay for or even know what the terms mean.

Breakfast: The breakfast was uninspired — supermarket-quality bread, one type of pre-sliced cheese, and little variety. After a week, I brought my own food. The hotel misses an opportunity to highlight Sardinia’s culinary heritage.

Facilities and Services: Pool towels cost €3.50 per change — something I’ve never seen in other European hotels. The shuttle to La Pelosa is convenient, free parking is available, and the cleaning staff and Massimiliano were helpful and friendly. Wi-Fi, however, barely works.

Checkout: Checkout was the worst part. No one asked about our stay, and when I raised the sea view issue, the receptionist blamed me repeatedly. She asked how long we had stayed, showing no knowledge of our booking. When we requested a discount, she reluctantly gave €50, acting as if it were a great favor — sighing, banging things, and leaving without thank you or goodbye. There was no acknowledgment of the inconvenience caused, and no offer of breakfast for our early departure.

Conclusion: The hotel feels stuck in the 1980s. With a few simple changes — proper customer care, accurate room descriptions, decent breakfast, and basic amenities — it could be a good option. As it is, it’s misleading and unprofessional, especially for a three-star hotel.

Our stay at Hotel Cala Reale was, unfortunately, a disappointment. Coming from a career in customer service, I believe this hotel is a clear example of how small gestures and attention to detail could transform an average experience into a memorable one. Instead, Cala Reale missed many opportunities to be great with minimal effort. 1. Arrival Our flight to Alghero was delayed, and after a long travel day we arrived at the hotel around 10 p.m., tired and thirsty. The two ladies at reception were polite, but no more than that. At that hour, everything in the area was closed, and the hotel had no fresh water available in the rooms or at reception. Despite seeing our exhaustion, no one offered water or asked if we needed anything. We were saved only by the kindness of a restaurant 15 minutes away, who gave us bottles of water even though they were about to close. That small act of hospitality came from outside the hotel, not inside. 2. The Room – "Sea View" Months before, I booked and paid extra for a “vista mare” room. The reality? My view was a building across the pool. Only if you leaned over the balcony railing, and looked sharply to the side, could you catch a glimpse of the sea. The real sea-facing rooms exist, but are hidden at the back of the property. From the start, it felt misleading. 3. Breakfast Breakfast was the biggest letdown. I had expected at least some local Sardinian flavours. Instead, every morning was the same: bland supermarket-quality bread (which needed to be toasted just to be edible), a single type of pre-sliced cheese, and overall poor variety. After a week, I started buying my own food elsewhere. It was disappointing to see such a beautiful region, known for its culinary traditions, represented by such uninspired food. Many other guests seemed to feel the same. 4. Facilities and Services We spent most of our days leaving early for commitments or visiting beaches, returning late. Only then did I realize the hotel had rooms with proper sea views facing the water. This made my original booking feel even more like a wasted choice. The hotel also charges €3.50 every time you change a beach towel. Having stayed in numerous beach hotels in Greece, Croatia and Spain, I’ve never once been charged for a pool towel. Beyond being stingy, it’s a missed marketing opportunity — branded towels and bags are free advertising on the beach. Instead, Cala Reale gives you old towels and charges for them as if they were luxury items. 5. Checkout Checkout left the worst impression of all. Since we were leaving in the middle of the night, we settled the bill during the day. Not once did the receptionist ask how our stay had been or if everything was okay. When I raised the issue of the “sea view” room — booked months in advance — she didn’t apologize. Instead, she blamed me, repeating three times that it was my fault, not theirs. According to her, she had “never heard” the term partial sea view. Well, I suggest she take a refresher in custo

Just a restaurant review, not the hotel.

We had a pre-fixed menu dinner and while the atmosphere is quite nice, the food doesn’t match at all, and is on par with a low-grade auto grill. Poor salads, pasta and old fish, all mostly tasteless and in a confusing semi-self-serve environment.

When we were leaving and wanting to pay, our waiter told us they’d bill it to our hotel (we were staying around the corner). While walking out, the girl at the front told us that we needed to pay here. That would’ve been no problem, but she went on to berate us for listening to the waiter and telling us that we should’ve known better. As you can imagine, that didn’t go over well for Italians.

Rude, overpriced, and very poor food. Save your money and go elsewhere!