Unique in its genre the beach of Costa Rei stretches for about 10 km. The white and fine sand confers the sea colours from turquoise, to emerald, to dark blue. The morphological conformation of the coast makes a shoal sure while the hill at the back of the beach reduces the wind and makes your stay agreeable. From Costa Rei some of the most beautiful beaches of the whole southeast coast of Sardinia are easily reachable: Santa Giusta, Solanas, Villasimius, Capo Ferrato, S. Elmo, Colostrai, S. Giovanni, Piscina Rei and the Serpentara’s sea park.

Costa Rei - The beaches:

The bay of Costa Rei is the part of southeast coast of Sardinia that from Punta de Is Cappuccinus stretches towards north until the red rocks of Capo Ferrato. It has the particularity of being counted among one of the longest and most changing beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. Some resorts are very characteristic and pleasantly suitable for bathing such as: Cala Sinzias, S.Elmo’s rock, Punta Santa Giusta (commonly renamed Peppino’s Rock) , Monte Nai, Piscina Rei, Porto Pirastu. The beach is made of very fine blinding-white quartz sand sweetly degrading to the sea. Leaving Punta Is Cappuccinus, after a wide stretch of coast named Cala Sinzias, we meet Monte Turno: what remains is an old volcano with its own rocks of the characteristic brown colour. Some of them offer very much exciting jumping into the water! Moving north we will find the San’Elmo’s resort so called as the homonymous rock name coming from old legends of the seamen who saw the Sant’Elmo’s fires before or after the sea-storms. S. Elmo is small granite rock not far from the coast that has the particularity of having on the inside under sea level a small cave with a room that can be explored while diving. The beaches nearby - unique for their beauty - have the particularity of having thinly crumbled red coral powder brought the waves left at the waterline. Here the water turns pink like in the very famous small isles in north Sardinia. It is now a rare event. Going farther we find a small reef of rocks that wedges itself in the sea between two beaches: it is called barrier and is an ideal place to have your first diving! In fact it is possible to start diving at a very low depth here having the chance to observe small multicoloured fishes, typical of the Sardinian coast sea fauna. There on, the depth of the sea grows progressively always having a beautiful base of Poseidonia and rocks. Deep-sea diving is also possible. Near another beautiful and wide beach called locally Villa Rei, we will find some rocks that close – in our opinion – the most beautiful edge of the whole Costa Rei beach. There is a big monolithic rock sometimes marked on the maps as the Peppino’s Rock. It is a very bright block of granite 30 mt long. It is placed almost on the sea-shore and has the whale-shaped (actually this is the most appropriate name used for it!). It has a small bay where the depth of the water is low, ideal for children. At the back of this bay we find a rare small forest of red juniper. There are centuries-old trees, protected and typical of the Sardinian coasts. Their wood is fragrant and very hard; it was used for the ceiling beams of the old Sardinian houses, also used for the structure of the Spanish towers you can find along the coast. Being centuries-old trees, their growth is very slow. From here a long beach stretches leaning on Monti Nai, a small hill but high enough to admire all in one go the whole Costa Rei. The center of the beach is known as Piscina Rei and characterized by small dunes of sand. Here, but also on the other beaches of Costa Rei, you can look at the wonderful summer sea-lilies in blossom, certainly sign of absence of any kind of pollution. The beach ends with rocks that separates her from a small natural bay, Porto Pirastu. Being sheltered on three quadrants of the wind rose, this anchorage - once easy landing of ships - is nowadays used by occasional fishermen and private boats in search of recovery! Now Costa Rey bay ends with the Capo Ferrato promontory: a red granite rocks sheer above the sea and the now no more garrisoned homonymous lighthouse that stands out in the sky. This is what normally can be observed while walking on the beach, but if you take a boat with an expert guide, you will have a definitely unforgettable excursion. Among the most interesting places we find Le Piscine and the Baia dei Delfini, Capo Ferrato with its dangerous banks the fishermen once feared. The Amphoras bay that still holds a treasure made of numerous Roman pieces of pottery dated back 2000 years ago. Do not miss the Serpentara’s isle and the Cavoli’s isle. Guided tours by boat will lead you there to appreciate the landscape and the uncontaminated nature of these places. Costa Rei is beautiful at summer time but also (if not more) in autumn and springtime with its unforgettable colours. During the year many are the days when the mild and temperate climate will allow you to sunbathe on the beach or just lay under the sun with your swimsuit: have a guided tour with a mountain bike on the ways that spread between the Mediterranean maquis and the sand dunes, crossing unforgettable archaeological sites that will remind you of the dawn of time! Dive with an expert guide the depth along the coast watching at unique flora and fauna.

Costa Rei - Castiadas and its surroundings:

In the wide territory of Muravera and Castiadas, Costa Rei is for sure the most famous resort thanks to its beaches and colourful little bays with soft white sand, behind which widens the fresh and fragrant Mediterranean maquis. In the last decades the tourist settlements arose among the farm-houses and the folds: if on one hand this event visibly modified the wild landscape, on the other it brought comfort and privacy for tourist non-existing before. The small villages of Olia Speciosa, Camisa, Annunziata and Buddui make Castiadas, village municipality from 1985. In the surroundings the Punic ruins of Monte Nai are worth a visit (VI-V century b.C.). Muravera is a big village that dates back to the pre-Nuragic time. In the surroundings the Megalithic remains of Piscina Rei and the many Nuraghes, especially the Figu Niedda, Scalas and Sa Domu e s'Orcu onse, are interesting. In the area we recommend the San Nicola’s parish church with Gothic-Aragonese elements. Costa Rei satisfies not only the long sandy beaches lovers, but also those who prefer cliffs and rocks. The coast that goes from Capo Ferrato to Cala Sinzias is broken by splendid beaches and delightful little bays, multi-coloured pearls between the golden sandy expanse and the shady Mediterranean maquis that sometimes reaches the sea.