Nascar Hotel

You come here for a hotel with a proper sense of place rather than a polished box beside a main road. Nascar Hotel sits in a historic coastal village, where the setting brings together old stone, local history and the practical pleasure of having the shore nearby.

With 12 rooms across two floors, the hotel has a compact scale that suits travellers who want somewhere to eat, sleep and regroup between days outdoors. It also works for couples, solo travellers and families, with room categories covering single, double, twin, triple and quadruple stays.

English, Spanish, Italian and French are spoken by the hotel team. That matters when you are arranging a transfer, asking about a day out or simply trying to establish whether dinner is still possible without resorting to interpretive hand signals.

The hotel is in Baunei, on Sardinia's east coast, at Viale Pedras in Santa Maria Navarrese. It stands in the historic centre of the village, directly opposite the little eleventh-century church and the ancient olive trees that are part of the local landscape.

The sea is only a short walk away, and the hotel has direct access to a beach with sun loungers and parasols. Santa Maria Navarrese Beach, Tancau Beach and Pollu Beach are among the nearby coastal options, so you can choose between an easy shore day and a little more exploring.

This is a useful base if you are travelling by car. Free parking is available near the hotel, while private parking is also available opposite the building. The surrounding area is made for walking, with beaches, coves and the village itself close at hand.

The choice is unusually broad for a 12-room hotel, although the practical details vary by category. You can choose between compact single rooms, double rooms with either a double bed or twin beds, and larger options for three or four guests. That gives couples room to choose the kind of night they want, while families can look towards the larger categories rather than trying to make a double room perform circus tricks.

Views and outdoor space are part of the choice. Some categories look towards the sea or water, others towards the garden, and balcony rooms are available in standard and deluxe versions. The junior suite with balcony and view is the more comfortable direction for a couple who want extra room to spread out after a day outside.

Air conditioning appears in selected standard, deluxe and junior-suite categories, alongside heating in some of the more fully equipped rooms. Depending on the category, you may also have a minibar, safe, television, Wi-Fi, hairdryer, tea or coffee-making facilities, bathrobe, slippers and toiletries. Private bathrooms run through the room range, but the equipment is not identical from one category to the next, so your choice matters more than the label on the door.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with local cooking at its centre. The kitchen draws on tradition, quality ingredients and the catch from the gulf, aiming for lighter dishes with enough flavour to wake you up after a day in the water. It is the sort of menu that makes sense in Sardinia: local produce, seafood and no need to disguise everything under a complicated sauce.

Breakfast is included in the meal arrangement, and breakfast can also be served in your room. A picnic lunch is available for days when you are heading out rather than sitting down, while a dietary menu can be arranged on request.

There is one bar for the evening drink, and coffee and tea are available for guests. Room service is also listed, which is handy when your appetite has arrived before your enthusiasm for changing out of travel clothes.

The direct beach access is the obvious starting point when you want an easy afternoon without organising anything. Sun loungers and parasols are available, and the sea is close enough for a swim or a quiet stretch on the sand. Kayaking is also available for a more active look at the coast.

Back at the hotel, the garden and terrace offer space to sit down, while the library gives you a quieter option when the glare outside has done its work. A massage is available for muscles that have spent the day carrying tanks, bags or simply more responsibility than they requested.

If you are staying longer, the practical choices widen: cycling, hiking, fishing and tennis are available, and the hotel can assist with excursions. Families have a playroom, a children's play area and babysitting. You can also hire bicycles, so there is no need to treat every non-diving day as an argument in favour of remaining horizontal.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is at 11:00. The hotel provides airport transfers and can also arrange transfers from the ferry terminal and the railway station. Vehicle hire is available, which may suit you if beaches, coves and inland roads are part of the plan rather than an optional extra.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. A lift provides access to the upper floors, and the property has facilities for wheelchair users. The hotel also offers private or express check-in and check-out, a reception desk, luggage storage, concierge assistance, a wake-up service and a safe. Laundry, ironing, dry cleaning and shoe polishing are available as practical add-ons.

The hotel is non-smoking, and pets are not admitted. Parking near the building is free, while private parking opposite the hotel is available as a paid option. A separate cleaning charge is payable at the hotel, and the meal arrangement attached to your booking determines which meals are included.