When: 13-18 April 2017

Who: Me, Jerome and Iwona

When I saw on the floor the amount of luggage that was supposed to travel with us for a 6 day holiday, I was slightly concerned. Four bags with a total weight of over 60kg! Are you kidding me? Could we not, like NORMAL people, pack everything in hand luggage?! I suppose we could have, but here’s the thing – we didn’t choose our destination so we could have a lazy holiday on the beach.

“Lazy” was removed from our dictionaries a long time ago and replaced with kitesurfing, snowboarding, hiking and all other forms of activity that raises the blood pressure. This time we set our eyes on kitesurfing during Easter.

 As much as the choice was obvious, finding the perfect place for opening the kitesurfing season (I know, I know, REAL kitesurfers do this sport all year round) proved to be quite challenging. Apart from the wind, our requirements included good food, beautiful weather and crystal blue water. Were we asking too much? I don’t think so.

 Limited by our budget and our remaining annual leave, we had to narrow our search down to Europe. After applying all the filters, the number of kitesurfing destinations quickly diminished. One place stood out, ticking all the boxes… The second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea – Sardinia. Easter in Italy! Can the life get any better than this?

Grazie for a pleasant flight RyanAir!

While waiting at the Alghero airport parking and being pleasantly caressed by the Sardinian sun and surrounding warmth, one thing still seemed quite dubious to me – how would we fit all of our luggage into the little rented car that I booked a few months in advance, completely ignoring the fact that we were going on a KITESURFING holiday? However, I was worrying for no reason… I bow down to the Nissan Micra we hired, as I still can’t believe that we managed to fit everything into that car. Plus, I’ve never seen Jerome more thrilled about driving a vehicle… Not. I actually think I won’t be allowed to book a car EVER AGAIN. Whoops!

Villasimius

Our kitesurfing destination was located on the other side of the island, 35 km east of Cagliari, in a village called Villasimius. Did we have to go so far? Kind of… The kitesurfing season in Sardinia begins in April, exactly when we arrived. Given that the wind is not always certain during peak time, in the beginning of the season windless days can be even more of a nightmare. We could have stayed in the northern part of the island, but we brought too much equipment to take that risk. Going down south was supposed to maximise our chance of catching the wind and standing on the board. There are two reason for this. Firstly, Villasimius offers a wide range of winds. Secondly, the beaches are perfectly positioned to benefit from these winds. To top this all off, Villasimius is home to some of the most magnificent Sardinian beaches. So even if our kitesurfing plan didn’t work out, we had a backup plan.

Spiaggia di Campulongu…

…Became our everyday kitesurfing spot due to the wind direction. I’m not entirely sure what exactly was blowing. We had a few days with onshore wind, indicating Ponente or Libeccio, but there were also days with cross-shore wind. The latter was quite unpredictable and definitely not recommended for beginners. I tried to teach my friend how to kitesurf, but the kite was dropping in the air frequently, making the lesson difficult (if not dangerous). There are spots in Villasimius that we were advised to avoid for beginners, but I understood why once I saw this happening. The very narrow beach has little space to launch and land the kite. Combined with the onshore wind that pushes you to the neighbouring bushes, this can be quite off putting for the newbies.

Luckily I’m not a beginner anymore, and on the few cherished occasions when the wind was stable and strong enough to pull me and not too strong to overpower me on an 8m kite, I had great fun! It was the first time I could actually see the sea floor while kitesurfing and I absolutely loved it! It’s a shame that the Norfolk coast doesn’t have the crystal clear water option. Although, even with the astonishing water visibility, I wasn’t able to find my GoPro camera that ended up its short life somewhere in these waters.

 

Spiaggia Porto Giunco…

…Is another famous kitesurfing spot in Vilassimius. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or not, as we didn’t have a chance to try it. The wind direction wasn’t favourable for this spot during our stay. All I can say is that the beach is very wide and for this reason may be slightly better for beginners. It’s a beautiful spot!

More about spots in Villasimius here: https://www.kitegeneration.com/kitesurfing-villasimius/

Geremeas…

…Was recommended to us by some locals we randomly met. We hadn’t come across this spot earlier and we weren’t sure what to expect. Naturally, we wanted to find out more about it.

It was a windy day in Villasimius when we decided to explore Geremeas instead of staying in Campulongu – a big mistake. Upon our arrival in Geremeas, there was absolutely no wind. What a shame, as the beautiful long and wide beach made this spot truly stunning!

More about this spot here: https://www.kitegeneration.com/kitesurfing-geremeas/

Sardinian beaches

Sardinia is one of those places where the quote “it’s not about destination, it’s about the journey” takes on a greater significance. During our short trip I didn’t really focus on where we were going, as I was so distracted by what we saw on the way. The most memorable of all were the fabulous beaches. Lots of them! Countless. And loooong! For example, on the way to Cagliari we drove alongside the 8 km long Poetto Beach. That would be a pretty decent walk! Some of the beaches were hidden and difficult to spot. Secret, quiet and secluded – these were my favourite. While we weren’t able to see all of them, the ones we did see should give you an idea of what you could expect from the rest.