At the glorious beachside five-star Hotel Marinedda Thalasso & Spa in Sardinia, I didn't notice the solar panels providing the green energy to cool my room. Nor did I clock that the mouth-watering amberjack I enjoyed at dinner had been sourced from the sea not a mile away. I did, however, see a chef picking fresh rosemary and myrtle from the shrubbery, and realised that the golf carts ferrying us to the beach were electric.
La Marinedda, and the other 11 hotels in the family-run Delphina Hotel Group, have been quietly dedicated to green hospitality for 30 years – long before the word "sustainability" was on anybody's lips. Now the group's trophy cupboard groans under the weight of the repeated gongs it has won at the World Travel Awards for its environmentally-aware gorgeousness.
In a sector where lip service is so often paid to eco issues but reality tends to mean little more than swapping out plastic straws for paper, Delphina's commitment gifts travellers like me a swanky holiday in a Sardinian idyll relatively guilt-free – the flight to get there notwithstanding.
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Calming coral and cream: President Sea View room with glass floor-to-ceiling balcony doors
(Image credit: Hotel Marinedda)
Located on Sardinia's north-west coast, far from the bling-tastic attractions of the Costa Smeralda, La Marinedda offers a more authentic Sardinian experience. Nestled on a slope of Mediterranean maquis, pine and palm trees, bougainvillea and myrtle, the hotel's low buildings are perfectly situated for sweeping views of the Gulf of Asinara.
Our pared-back room was decorated in a calming mix of coral and cream that showcased the shock of blue seawater visible from our floor-to-ceiling glass door and balcony. The sizeable modern bathroom contained a selection of eco-friendly, paraben-free beauty products.
For the final two nights of our holiday we decamped to another Delphina establishment, the four-star Hotel Relax Torreruja Thalasso & Spa, just half a mile away. Named after the 16th-century Spanish "red tower" of granite that sits on rocks near the town, the couples-focused Torreruja capitalises on its location on a promontory. Its vast pool terrace, enveloped by fragrant low shrubbery, affords staggering glimpses of sapphire sea.
Eating and drinking
Sea and dine: the restaurants at La Marinedda showcase Sardinian cuisine
(Image credit: Hotel Marinedda)
Confirming the axiom that it's impossible to eat badly in Italy, even the unassuming beach restaurant Il Veliero served us a helping of spaghetti alla vongole so good it would make Stanley Tucci weep with joy. In the late afternoon, we'd venture for gelato to the nearby resort of Isola Rossa, a quaint fishing village with a marina and a main thoroughfare packed with family-run restaurants and cafés.
One afternoon, we visited the beautiful town of Aggius, where our lunch at Il Mosto, a gem of a restaurant in a cool, vaulted stone cellar, made the half-hour drive absolutely worth it.
The food at La Marinedda is also worth a mention, with four different restaurants showcasing Sardinian cuisine, and a poolside breakfast-buffet terrace. Pizzeria Basarico turned out delightfully doughy pizzas with tangy mozzarella and spicy salsiccia sausage. At the buffet restaurant Petra Ruja, cooking stations served up freshly-caught fish, melting beef tagliata and pasta. The candlelit Punta Canneddi restaurant offered four courses, with table service and a spectacular view of the gulf, and Il Tramonto served a fine-dining tasting menu for a supplement. The al fresco dining experience was enlivened each evening by live music of soft retro pop.
At the west-facing Hotel Torreruja, it was all about blazing sunsets. At the candlelit rooftop restaurant Sotto Le Stelle ('under the stars'), we feasted on ravioli and meltingly fresh grouper as the setting sun created a fiery spectacle of pink and orange, and excellent live music wafted up from the pool area.
Things to do
La Marinedda beach: a strip of pristine sand by azure waters
(Image credit: Hotel Marinedda)
Our day-to-day decisions tended to be no more taxing than choosing whether to swim in the hotel's pools or to make our way down the hill to La Marinedda beach, a strip of pristine sand framed by a rocky red cove that provided an eye-popping contrast to the azure waters. We bobbed in the sea and whiled away the days dozing on neatly arranged sun loungers.
The hotel's Elicriso Thalasso Centre & Spa – at 2,500 square metres, one of the Med's largest – specialises in Thalasso (seawater) therapy and offers a wide range of wellness treatments that require hi-tech tables and tanks and infra-red lights. I was happy enough to take to the waters of the spa's trio of outdoor seawater pools that graduated in temperature from hot to cool.
The verdict
Luxurious and gorgeous: the tranquil pool at Hotel Relax Torreruja
(Image credit: Hotel Relax Torreruja)
After a week, I knew I'd chosen a holiday that was as green as it was glorious, without sacrificing the luxuries I'd expect from an upmarket hotel chain. And just up the coast in Santa Teresa di Gallura lies the Delphina group's Valle dell'Erica Thalasso & Spa, winner of the title of Europe's Leading Green Resort. Next year's guilt-free holiday?
Vicki was a guest at Hotel Marinedda Thalasso & Spa, and Hotel Relax Torreruja Thalasso & Spa; delphinahotels.co.uk
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