Is Serenas Badesi Resort

Sardinia is special, but we’ve always struggled to find an all-inclusive hotel with great sports on tap. So we were pleased to find this one via operator Sardatur and stay here for one week in the summer. We’d recommend this hotel and will look to stay in others in their small chain. The majority of guests were Italians on holiday from the mainland and having a great time.
The buffet restaurant served tasty Italian food and well labelled for dietary requirements including vegan. There was a weird internal structure to the dining room though, so we always chose the outer tables in the adjoining rooms. I’d feedback ‘softening’ the interior design of the dining areas. Wine on tap ok, beer good. Great juices etc. We were very satisfied by food and drinks.
We had a clean , spacious, comfortable family bedroom with good beds and great shower. Nice touch of fizz and cookies on arrival. Nice patio and furniture.
Swimming pools were lovely.
Sports were really great - we enjoyed padel, archery, spin, tai chi and yoga. All superb. Great outside gym!
Beach is long and sandy. Loved having the dedicated preassigned sunbeds! All inclusive water sports so we had fun on pedalos and sups too. Great little beach bar to watch the sunset. Beach is 5/10 mins walk from hotel itself but on hotel land and accessible via a smart walkway.
The hotel layout was good and lots of greenery and low build with ‘village square’ for evening entertainment adjoining the amphitheatre , bar and shops.
The entertainment team was huge and whilst working hard they were obviously having fun too. Lots of shows. Midnight pool party included.
Most of the entertainment was in Italian which we are happy with as we like to feel like we’re on holiday and try Italian. We love going to Italy during Ferragosto as it’s such a celebration. I wasn’t so keen on the ferragosta competition with the other hotels - I think it was lost in translation! Fireworks for Ferrogosto at midnight was brilliant. So many amazing singers in the animation team and the hotel band was superb!
Our kids are past the age of mini clubs but they looked popular with loads of activities
I’d recommend this hotel and brand for anyone wanting an Italian all-inclusive holiday but don’t expect boring chips, endless boozing or English to be widely spoken! Perfect for us 🙏

Don't go,food cold, entertainment crap,and your in the middle of no where.And in the evening when it gets cold there's no heaters no plastic shutters and no where else to sit other than the reception.

We spent two weeks at Is Serenas Badesi as a couple with a baby. We were a bit apprehensive having read the mixed reviews before our trip, however those reviews don't reflect our own experience. This is not your usual AI resort (e.g. Greece, Spain), this is AI done the Italian way aimed mostly at Italian guests. If you like a more authentic experience on holiday but want to go for an AI hotel, we would highly recommend. As with Italian resorts, they are very family-orientated, so if you are looking for candlelit dinners for 2, this is not the place for you. However, if you want a relaxed, friendly time with great facilities and loads to do in the resort (either as a family or with friends), you will enjoy the resort. As a first holiday with a baby, we had a great time and would consider going back.

Location
The resort is relatively new - it opened in 2021, the hotel facilities (reception, pool area, etc) reflect this and are all well maintained and very clean (including all toilets). The grounds are beautiful, flowering plants and trees surround the area.

Do know there is limited ways to go outside of the resort (by foot) given that it is quite isolated, we knew this ahead of time and so were able to prepare. You can rent a car at reception from Europcar (based in Valledoria), alternatively you can also take a free shuttle bus to Badesi, the small town nearby. The Badesi shuttle only runs several times a day (until 30 September 2025) so the only time you can catch it is first thing in the morning (leaving at around 9:55 from the hotel), you get about one hour in Badesi before you need to take the return shuttle. There are other buses in Badesi for Sassari or Santa Teresa but you will need to find a time that works to connect between the free shuttle bus and the other bus. You can find someone to advise and book buses at reception (same place as Europcar). We paid 297 EUR for 4 days car hire, this included the hotel delivery fee.

Room
The rooms are all either ground floor or first floor in small bungalows. Our room was a good size with a double bed and a small divan bed, plenty of storage space and a good size separated bathroom (toilet, bidet, large sink and walk in shower). The A/C in the room worked well. Outside the room, we had tables and chairs and a clothes hanger. You also have a safe in the room which is free to use. The soundproofing was excellent - our room was facing the main restaurant yet once inside we were in complete silence.

Pool and Beach
You have three pools plus a splash park on site - two of those pools are open to all (pools for lane swimming and leisure pool with shallow and deeper sections), there is a also a prestige pool open to prestige customers only. The sport pool and prestige pool close in the early afternoon whilst the leisure pool stays open. Bars are located next to each area so you can get drinks easily. Activities take place in the leisure pool such as zumba or aqua fitness. Going in early to mid September, we were very happy to find plenty of sunbeds every time we wanted to go to the pool. Pools areas are closed before 9am so there is no reserving of sunbeds. On some days at 10am, 90% of sunbeds were free. People are quite diligent too and remove their belongings once they leave for lunch, etc...

Contrary to something I saw on tripadvisor, you don't need a swimming cap.

The beach is a short walk away, a boardwalk was created going from the hotel to the beach so it is entirely step free which was great with a pram. During check-in, you are given the number of your reserved sunbeds and umbrella at the beach, we really appreciated this as it meant less moving around with the pram. We found afternoons were quieter but even the mornings with a few extra people were very nice too. You have a bar there too, although i

t closes in the early afternoon too (until 3:30pm). The sea was red flagged on a few days because of waves, although you were still able to go in as long you were in the very shallow areas. There is quite a bit of seaweed but you can easily avoid it (tends to be close to the beach and moves everyday so you can find areas without it). There are clean toilets at the beach too.

On days where it wasn't red flagged, you could do watersports (all free of charge except for private lessons), we did the canoe and paddle but there was also sailing, pedalo, wing sup, etc... Staff were very nice there and happy to help you set up.

Food and Drink
We arrived after the two themed restaurants closed for the season so we can't comment on those. We ate all our meals at the main restaurant situated next to reception. Breakfast times in 2025 were as followed: Breakfast (7:30-10:00)/Lunch (12:30-14:00)/ Dinner (19:30-21:00). There was limited outside tables and with relatively short meal times, it meant two sets of people couldn't necessarily enjoy dining at fresco using the same table over two sittings (e.g. for dinner, people would start to vacate tables around 20:15-20:30 making a second sitting a bit short).

The main restaurant can get noisy during the mealtimes, and at times feels more like a canteen than the fine dining experience some may want from an AI resort. You get used to this, and the Italian guests don't seem to mind.

Outside of restaurant times, snacks can be found near the central and beach bars - sweet stuff in the afternoon, and savoury stuff before lunchtime and dinner time. You can also order small snacks from the bar directly.
We found the food to be delicious and varied, although do know they run on a weekly basis so if you are here for two weeks, you will get a repeat on the second week. For us, it was not an issue as we got to try something we might not have got the first week. The food is mostly italian but if like us you are open to trying different things you will always find something to eat. There is a starters area with deli meats, cheese, a salad bar as well as small plates (cured salmon, squid salad, veal with a tuna sauce, rosbeef, etc..). There is a pizza area and a pasta area (they change every day but examples may include speck and gorgonzola pizza, margarita pizza, almond pesto pasta, boar bolognese pasta, squid ink pasta and more). You also have more plain options such as bolognese and pesto. You also have a grill section and a fried section (grilled fish/steak/octopus/prawns/sausages - one to two options per meal and fries/fried aubergine,fried fish, fried chicken, etc.. - one to two options each meal). You also had a choice of roast meats, a roast fish option or stew and veg options. Desserts were good too, mainly cream based (tiramisu, chocolate cake, etc..), there was also fruits, panna cottas and one flavour of ice cream changing each day.

Breakfast was the same each day but good, it included cereals, cakes and sweet pastries (cornetti), pancakes. You also had ham, cheese, toasties, as well as the main components of an english breakfast (bacon, sausages, eggs, beans, mushrooms) although this was italian style. Machines served coffees and juices. Unfortunately all juices were very artificial, it would be good to have some fresh juice options.

All drinks are self-service during meals - you can get Peroni on tap, white/red/rose wine, different soda options or water. At the pool, beach bar, central bar, prestige pool bar (I think) and reception, you have self-service machines serving water, and different soft drinks. As water is only provided in your room on the first day, this is the main way for you to get water, we recommend bringing a water bottle so you can refill easily.

Activities and Entertainment

There is a large animation team providing activities during most of the day at the beach, the pool and near the amphitheatre. There is a real mix of activities, sports (aqua fitness, tai chi, volleyball, nordic walking, etc...), card games, tournaments, dance activities, etc... They are not too pushy, which is great so you can join in if you want to, but you don't have to. They also run the nighttime activities - one of them usual sings near the bar area + group shows every evening on a different theme. Unfortunately with the baby we didn't make it to the shows but people seemed to appreciate it. All activities are in italian but we didn't mind at all. They translate where they can (announcements/questions/show lyrics).

Staff
Contrary to some reviews we read before our stay, most staff do speak English to a good level, especially staff on reception. Check-in was fast and we were given access to our room before the the check-in time (although I guess this could depend on availability during the summer season). All staff were nice and helpful. We found the housekeeping staff to be thorough in their cleaning too.

Child-friendliness
The resort is very child-friendly. Both staff and guests are very welcoming of babies, unlike in some countries. On arrival, we found a cot, changing mat, bottle warmer, baby bath and baby soap in our room, which was great. There were plenty of high chairs at restaurants. There is a baby kitchen off the main restaurant with fridges containing milk, yogurt, etc... You can also store your own baby food there. There is also water to make baby bottles. The baby kitchen is open from 6am to midnight but mainly functions during meal time with specific warm and cold weaning food also added. Between midnight and 6am, reception staff will give you access to the baby kitchen. You can find mixers in the kitchen too. Next to the baby kitchen, there is a specific part of the restaurant dedicated to making your children eat with plastic tables and high chairs.

If you have a child over 3 years old, they can go to the Serenino Club which is open between 9am and 11pm during summer months and morning and afternoons in May and September/October. This is free!

All staff were very accommodating of the baby which was great.

Advice
- Bring beach towels as they are not provided for free.
- Bring a refillable water bottle(s)
- If you don't book with Jet2, for example you use booking.com, you may have to pay for the mandatory card that gives access to all facilities and activities (pool, entertainment, water sports) on arrival.

Potential improvements
- Elongated meal times
- Improve the shuttle bus times (either by liaising with the commune of Badesi, or providing one)
- Arrange excursions or shuttles to local places, e.g. there is an excellent vineyard (Cantina Li Dunas) only 3km away! The town of Valledoria is also only 10 mins away and we found it to be pleasant with several nice shops, cafes and restaurants.
- Fresh juice (even if it's just orange juice)
- A two-week meal rotation

Alles Prima

I really wished I wasn’t here writing this review but here we are.
My family of 4 stayed at Is Serenas for 10 days in September. We booked through a travel agency. Long story short: on the website you can read everything about the 3 restaurants, the possibility to eat at the beach bar etc. We picked this resort (and paid a decent amount of money) also for the options that they were offering. When we got there we were told that 2 restaurants were closed, that the pool bar was closed and that the beach bar was only serving drinks and snacks (most of the time it was the leftover from breakfast). This meant that the only buffet restaurant was always extremely busy and the queue at the bars during the day could get to 7-8 minutes just to grab a coffee or a drink. We complained for the lack of transparency as this was not advertised on the website, both with our agency and directly. We have been contacted by the manager and then the director 2-3 days before the last day of the holiday offering 2 compensatory meals and access to the “prestige” pool, which we didn’t accept . They ended up giving us £100 off on what we purchased at the bar (the ice creams are not included !) .Overall the resort is ok but it is not worth 4 stars for sure (and not worth the price !!!!)

PLEASE, PLEASE Cancel your booking immediately!!
Especially if you've book with Loveholidays, we are currently in resort trying to get home.
Rooms are like cells and all restaurants are closed.
It's like an Italian old people's home!
Ever English guests hate it!!
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

The location is great, staff members are kind, the rooms are ok but the food is recycled and old. Two weeks and not even one thing tasted fresh. All the fish served under two weeks REEKED of old fish, and tasted as such. Vegetables are tasteless or sour, the porridge overcooked and with old fruits in it which rules out anyone with allergies. The pizzas are made of old bread and they are moved outside as snacks and brough in again - from the heat and flies - and served at dinner. They served FRIED BREAD! At a "4 star hotel" - fried!

I've been to Malasya, Egypt, Urugai and other places where I've stayed at 2-star hotels and such and none of them had food worse than this. I spoke to roughly 27 other guests and they all agreed with me that it was the worst food they've ever had.

Just DON'T GO HERE!

Perfect holidays and everything spot on, delicious food, Dream Team top of the top performances (mini musicals , bands tributes, comedy shows) that you could easily pay 20£ + for each show to see on West End , Kids Club dream arrangements, all the staff very helpful and nice , rooms , restaurants perfect clean order, if you like to go somewhere where there is not many Brits this is perfect, a lot of Italians that love their local island. One of the best holidays.

We travelled to this hotel with Jet 2 the last week of August 2025 as a family of 3 consisting of my husband and I and our 10 year old Son.
I am writing this review hoping it will be helpful especially to British families. This is a long review so brace yourselves.

Transfers
We flew into Olbia Airport be prepared for a long queue at passport control. The resort is quite a distance from the Airport and took approximately 2 hours so please be prepared for a long journey. We were expecting this so came as no surprise to us.
Hotel Check In
On arrival at the hotel there was a desk outside to complete a privacy disclosure this process was of no issue to us i have seen in some other reviews this was a big issue but we had no problems. They also offered to have our luggage to be taken to our room which was amazing. After this we walked to hotel Reception again no issues checking in. We were given our room key and some information about the hotel and map as to where our room was.
Hotel Room
We did get a little lost looking for our room as the complex is so big bit as we didn’t have our cases it wasn’t a huge issue. If i am being honest i was a little disappointed when we got to our room i was hoping for a first floor room i had also sent a special request through however we were on the ground floor so from reading previous reviews i was worried about bugs getting in. This turned out to be no issue at all. We certainly didn’t have an ant issue but did get the odd mosquito. I would say the rooms are basic they are very clean and spacious though with a nice big bathroom. There was a fridge and hairdryer in the room. Rooms were cleaned every day and we had plenty of towels. We had a terrace with table and chairs and a very large clothes airer to hang our wet clothes and towels. There was lots of wardrobe space and storage for our things. Just a quick word of advice there are two plug sockets next to the beds which at first do not seem like the plugs fit however after a couple of days my husband discovered that if you turned them to the side then they fit into the sockets. To get the Air conditioning to work you need to put your key card into the slot by the door. I did get a bit cold at night so can verify it worked well. Rooms also had a TV. The only issue we had was on occasion there was a strange smell in the bathroom like a plumbing issue perhaps. It wasn’t continuous but sometimes would smell it first thing in the morning so was not pleasant. The room also had coffee machine and kettle with coffee pods and tea bags etc you don’t get milk though. My husband would get some milk at breakfast to put in the fridge in our room. All in all rooms were fine nothing luxurious and do not look as they are shown on the websites. But were clean and comfortable.
Food and drink
This is an All Inclusive hotel so i never have huge expectations when it comes to food. If i am honest i wasn’t overly impressed with the food here. Breakfast was fine lots of choices and options that you get with Breakfast Buffets. For lunch and dinner there was lots of pasta options but mainly with tomato based sauces there should probably be more creamy cheese based sauces too. There was Pizza every day although wasn’t great. There was usually a grill with fish or meat. Always a good range of desserts too. Me and my son are fussy eaters so choices were very limited for us. I feel there needs to be a children’s section with more choices for them as my son really didn’t get much choices here. It’s probably because it’s Italy but there was never any options for something like chips at dinner time only ever at lunch. lunch and dinner was very similar. I found the food most of the time not very warm and a lot of the time cold. I think this is the one thing that does needs improving at this hotel. I think what’s lacking in this hotel is perhaps a Snack bar I’ve been to previous all inclusive hotels where there’s been a section in the afternoon. They open it usually late afternoon with basic stuff mainly for kids like burgers, hotdogs and chips with some salads and stuff like that but there was nothing here like that in the afternoon in the bar area, there was some snacks Put out but unsure what this was it looked like a tiny little pastry with some weird sauce on the top. I had no clue what it was. They also had some pizza but there was no other options. Also, we discovered on day four of our holiday that you could get snacks at the bar, which was like crisps and nuts, but we weren’t informed of this by the hotel staff so I do feel upon checking in that this is something that the customer should be told. There was a good choice of drinks. You could just help yourself around the hotel they have drink dispensers everywhere with basics like Coke, Fanta water and you could fill your water bottles up so would advise bringing one. They give you little paper cups everywhere though. They have dispensers around the pool area and in the dining area as well. Also in the dining area, you can have beer and wine which you can help yourself to. For the main bar they had spirits and cocktails. I can’t say the cocktails were amazing. We liked the spritz which is like an Aperol spritz which was quite nice. So to summarise regarding food And drink I would say there is room for improvement the food isn’t amazing but I don’t usually have high expectations but I do feel they need more choice for children as all my child ate the whole time was pizza and plain pasta. Also just to add there are à la carte restaurants at this hotel we didn’t ever actually go so I cannot comment on that. I do believe that it was better than the main dining hall from what I heard from other guests.
Facilities
I feel the facilities at the hotel were very good. There’s lots to do. You have the main pool Area which was always really nice another good thing to say about this is there was never a struggle for sun loungers Which was quite refreshing to see. The main pool is really nice. It’s very big. There’s a slide for the children. It’s a bit cold at first but then you get used to it. It’s not freezing cold pool. There was a splash park for the kids. My son enjoyed that and there was Play Grounds for the children there was the smaller playground for younger children and a bigger playground for the older children which looked lots of fun. There is also a small pool which is for lane swimming. We never actually used this pool so I can’t really comment on that but it always looked very quiet. It does shut For a few hours in the afternoons, as does a lot of the other facilities the splash park closed in the afternoons as did the slide in the main pool. We found between the hours of 12 and 4 it was very quiet around the pool areas. There was not a lot of people around. I think this is due to the fact that a lot of the facilities are closed and the shops in the hotel also closed during these hours. So it was always very peaceful in the afternoons by the pool. As mentioned, the hotel has some shops it had a pharmacy and A shop that was selling like gifts and it also had things like flip-flops and Basic toys for children like footballs, etc. It is quite expensive, so just be warned. There’s another store where you can book excursions as you cannot book excursions by the tour operators These are expensive. We did one tour which was the Costa Smeralda It was very nice day out would recommend this one but cannot comment on the other tours as we did not get the chance to go on them as we were only there for a week. Unfortunately, cannot comment on the kids club as my child didn’t go and we never used any of the other facilities like the football or the tennis courts or anything like that. There is a lot to do in this hotel. There’s always something going on or you can just have a more chilled experience.
Entertainment
The entertainment staff in this hotel are amazing. You can tell they really work hard. They are always around during the day until late at night. There is always something going on They do activities around the pool there’s water aerobics every day. In the evenings there is a show almost every night and then after the show they do more entertainment whether it be singing, karaoke, parties so it’s a very lively atmosphere in the evenings which feels really nice considering the hotel is quite isolated, We were very pleased with the entertainment at the hotel and to be honest the only issue is most of it is in Italian But as it’s in Italy, you can’t really expect much more. .We still found it very entertaining and some of it really funny and comical So was never really an issue for us we still enjoyed it. And whenever you see a member of the team around the hotel, you always get a hello from them to they always very friendly and cheerful. You’re never under pressure to join. You do as little or as much as you want.
Location
This was probably our main issue but it is no fault if the hotel we kind of knew before we came that this hotel is completely isolated. You are not in walking distance of anywhere. There is a bus that stops at the hotel which takes you to Badesi but from what we saw of it there really isn’t much there. And i believe it’s quite expensive in a cab if you can get one. This is not your typical holiday resort everything is based in the hotel so it’s quite difficult if you wanted to go for a meal out or to a bar etc. if you drive then would probably be ok but for non drivers not so much.
Beach
The hotel has its own private beach. Which is accessed via a boardwalk. We really enjoyed the beach we liked going in the afternoon after 3pm. You get a reserved umbrella and two sun loungers the hotel gives you a token at check in for this but we never needed to use it. We found the beach very quiet in the afternoon. The sand was lovely and the water temperature was fine. The water is very choppy though so worth being prepared for that. It was lovely and relaxing .There is a bar at the beach which is included in the all inclusive.

Other info
This hotel needs to have a supermarket type shop so you can purchase your own snacks if you wish this would've come in very handy for us with a fussy eating child as we had no access to a supermarket. I did actually come prepared with some snacks for my son as i knew we might struggle. You can purchase some snacks and premium ice creams at the bar for an additional charge. They also do candy floss and popcorn during the nightly entertainment show there is an additional charge for these.
The hotel uses a smart card system so you can purchase other things not included in all inclusive which is also your keycard. This was never explained to us at check in and would’ve been helpful to know. As you cannot purchase anything with cash or credit/debit card. I would also make sure you have more than one keycard we were only given one but would’ve been helpful to have one for each adult.
The Wifi was ok don’t think it was strong enough for streaming but everything else was ok and available everywhere in the hotel.
You can use the beach towels provided by the hotel you do have to pay for this and is explained at check in but we took our own so never used them.
As explained in other reviews you have to pay room tax at check in we paid about 40 euros for the week.
Other’s mentioned an issue with mosquitos we did not have a problem with them i brought the wrist bands and didn’t get bitten once and i usually always get bitten my husband didn’t use them and didn’t get bitten. I did see a few in our room but it wasn’t a huge problem thankfully.
To summarise
Sardinia is beautiful and we had a lovely holiday. My Son had a great time. We would return to Sardinia but to somewhere less isolated as we do like to go out of the hotel and have options to eat out etc. The hotel is lovely you get beautiful views of the mountains it’s really stunning. We did have a great time but the food options need improving. If you are intending on driving i would definitely recommend but if you don’t like to be isolated then i would say it’s not the right place for you. As the hotel was lively and we stayed for a week it wasn’t a massive issue for us and we had a very enjoyable stay but not sure i could do any more than 10 days here.
I really hope this review has been helpful.

Spent A week at this beautiful resort in June .. The resort was beautiful the staff were excellent especially the lovely lady in the restaurant she couldn’t do enough for you .. the food was amazing … definitely going back next year the reps were amazing and the life guards . It is remote set in mountains and beautiful lush green scenery .. The entertainment was in Italian at times and you struggled to understand however , it is Italy and the Italian people were lovely … going back next year

We stayed at this hotel (2 adults and 1 child) in the last week of August 2025. We stayed in a Classic Room with an all-inclusive package provided by Jet2 Holidays, based in the UK.

Let’s start by saying the following: if you are looking for an all-inclusive experience like the one you have in Greece, Turkey or Spain, for example, then stop reading this review. This hotel is not for you. You won’t get that experience here. However, if you would like to know more, please continue reading.

Let’s start with the basics regarding this resort:

Location - it is remote, isolated and in the middle of nowhere. That wasn’t a surprise for us because Jet2 never lied about it (neither did the hotel). So, if you want to spend a week or more in total isolation, this is perfect. If you want to get around, you will have to rent a car. The public transportation system isn’t perfect and only runs every few hours.

Rooms - the room was fine for two adults and a child. It was cleaned every day, and it suited our needs. It has an espresso machine and a kettle for tea and coffee. There is no milk. There is also a little fridge and a free safe for your belongings.

Pools - there is a little pool for the little ones and a larger pool for older children and adults. It’s a nice pool and there are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. No one places towels the night before to reserve the sunbeds or any of that nonsense. There’s always a lifeguard at the pool and there are some activities as well, like hydroginastics and zumba.

Beach - the beach is nice. Not as beautiful as the other beaches you can find in Sardinia (like the ones in the east coast), but it is nice. The water is warm and you are entitled to two sunbeds and an umbrella. Very safe to leave your belongings while you are at sea, and there are always lifeguards around. Entering the sea when it is calm, it’s very safe; however, it’s not very shallow, and it gets deep very quickly. When the sea is rough, just be aware, especially with little children.

Other activities - there are spaces for tennis and football, as well as archery. Can’t talk much about them because we didn’t use them. The hotel has a daily roster of activities, so you will know what’s happening.

Restaurants - we only used the main restaurant, the buffet-style one. We tried to book the other two restaurants, but it was impossible. Too many people and the restaurants are small. One is a typical Sardinian cuisine restaurant, and the other is the bar by the beach that converts into a restaurant at lunch and dinner time.
The one we did use for lunch and dinner was good. The food was good, although it is heavily based on Italian food. You do have a grill section with grilled fish and meat if you are not into Italian food.
Drinks are mainly water, sodas and beer. The beer is draft, Peroni, and it is quite good. They also have wine (white, rosé and red) but it comes from a tap. If you are a wine lover, we don’t recommend it. Honestly, if you do appreciate good wines, don’t drink them. They have a good selection of bottled wines, but you have to pay for them. But these are good.

Bars - they have bars by the pool and one by the beach. That’s it. You can ask for anything that’s on the included list. Anything that’s not on the included list, you have to pay for it.

Staff - the people are very nice and friendly. At the reception, they speak perfect English, French, and some will speak German and Spanish. You won’t have problems at the bars as well. At the main restaurant, they will do their best to communicate in English, but it’s mostly Italian they speak. The cleaning staff are very friendly, but they also don’t speak English.

Now, some notes regarding some of the ‘complaints’ that can be read about the hotel on Google and TripAdvisor.

Pool/Beach Towels - you have to pay 7 euros for one towel per person, plus a deposit for each towel. If you want fresh towels, that will be 7 euros per day. It was the first time we ever saw this in an all-inclusive resort. Because we read about it, we brought our own towels from home. For the price you pay, they could at least make an effort to provide the towels (with a deposit).

Water bottles - there are none. They have an environmental commitment to reduce plastic where they can, so there are no plastic bottles. They provide water for free in the beverage stations in the bars and restaurants, but that’s it. If you want water in your room, either bring your own bottle from home or buy one of their Blue Serena water bottles. On arrival, you do get two water cans in the fridge. Again, I understand and support the commitment, but having to refill water bottles all the time to drink water it’s not very practical.

Car rental - the hotel itself doesn’t rent cars. There is an Europcar desk at the hotel where you can book a car. They will bring the car to the hotel, and you just return it to the hotel. Is it expensive? Yes, it is more expensive than renting it at the airport. Because it’s isolated, there aren’t a lot of options.

Excursions - the hotel itself doesn’t organise the excursions. They sell them through a third party. There are a lot of excursions you can do, but they are expensive. If you rent a car and book the excursion yourself, you will save a lot of money.

Food - they could probably cater to a more international approach with chips, burgers and hot dogs, for example. Not everyone is a lover of Italian cuisine. Also, the pizza here is not very good.

Ice creams and crepes - you have to pay for all these extras. They do provide some cakes and fruits throughout the day, but it’s not the all-inclusive type of resort you might be accustomed to. You have to top up your key card with money at the reception and use it to pay for these things. Like we said at the beginning, this is not your typical all-inclusive resort.

The people - more than 80% of the tourists that come to this hotel are Italian. The other 20% are from all over Europe (France, Germany, the Netherlands, ...) and a few from the UK, so you will hear a lot of Italian around you. In a way, it makes you feel like you are actually in a foreign country.

To finish the review, because it’s getting long, some words about Sardinia. It is absolutely amazing and stunning. The scenery, the food, the people, the beaches, the sea… it is absolutely wonderful! Will we return to Sardinia? Definitely! Will we return to Is Serena Badesi Resort? Not likely… not because of the quality of the resort. The resort is good with its limitations, but because the island has so much to offer, being isolated and so far from everything is not for us.

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend this resort. The quality does not justify the price – we have had far better experiences in hotels at half the cost. Sadly, the list of negative points could be extended even further. Overall, our stay was a great disappointment.

The prices are great, there are many activities available for all ages & interests, rooms are clean and large, the food is great

We’ve just returned and, sadly, it wasn’t the relaxing holiday we’d hoped for. Too many issues — most of which have been raised in past reviews and still haven’t been addressed. I now understand why people say the positive reviews don’t feel genuine.

Check-in:
Chaotic and rushed. We were also hit with a surprise tourist tax (€2 per person, per night). Even our 5-year-old was charged — despite kids under 14 being exempt. Reception later said we’d have been refunded at checkout… believe that if you like.

Rooms:
Very basic. WiFi was poor — constant dropouts, which is a nightmare with teenagers. Be careful you don’t end up using mobile data abroad.

Showers:
Terrible pressure, and water takes 10 minutes to warm up — no matter what time of day. This has been mentioned repeatedly in reviews, but still no fix.

Kids’ Entertainment:
Nothing until 9:45pm, which is far too late for little ones. We tried keeping our 5-year-old awake after dinner, but she was falling asleep. Entertainment area was totally empty at 8:40pm. Poor planning.

Drinks:
Only one lager on tap — not a big deal for me, but my 18-year-old son noticed the spirits were clearly watered down. Disappointing.

Food:
Decent variety, but the buffet layout is baffling. Butter by the cereal, toast on the other side of the room. My wife had to go on a jam hunt every morning. Staff could easily fix this — it’s a small change that would improve guest experience.

Milk (yes, this deserves its own section):
No milk in the rooms, had to ask twice. Took three days to find a drinks machine with a milk jug for my coffee. Machines were often broken, empty, or not cleaned properly. Avoid the hot chocolate — the powder had clearly gone off.

A la Carte Restaurant Booking:
Booked in advance for both rooms. When we arrived, it looked shut. My son has a gluten allergy, which we’d flagged, but the staff were clueless. They dumped two plates on the table without a word, ignored us, and served other tables while we sat there. Eventually I had to approach the manager, who had a translation app open about the allergy. No help, no drinks, nothing — so we walked out and went back to the buffet.

Staff & Management:
Some real stars — the lady greeting guests in the dining hall, the man on chips, and the dessert server were all lovely.

Reception staff were not friendly. The manager (white skinny-fit shirt — assuming the GM) ignored us every time, even when we said hello. Unless you’re in a bikini, don’t expect his attention.

Lifeguards – or just sunbathers with uniforms?
One thing that really stood out was the lifeguards’ lack of attention. Both at the beach and by the pool, they were constantly on their mobile phones — scrolling, texting, or chatting — rather than watching the water. On several occasions, we saw them sitting with their backs to the pool or looking completely distracted. It didn’t give us much confidence in safety, especially for families with children. Lifeguards should be focused on preventing accidents, not catching up on social media.

Excursions – prepare to pay a premium.
We looked into a few of the daily outings offered through the hotel and were shocked at the prices. Some activities were well over €320 per person, which makes them completely unrealistic for most families, especially when you multiply that by several people.

Ridiculous extras.
One final point — be prepared for extortionate prices on basic items. We needed more sun cream and ended up buying a bottle from the on-site shop. The price? €27 for a single bottle. I understand resorts charge more than supermarkets, but this was beyond excessive. It left a bad taste and felt like they were taking advantage of guests who have little choice once they’re there. (See attached pic)

Final Thoughts:
Would I return? No.
Would I recommend it for families with young children? Definitely not.
Too many avoidable issues that the hotel simply isn’t addressing. If you've read this far, please hit the thumbs-up so this review doesn’t get buried under the suspicious 5-star ones.

A very hard review to write so let's start with the pros
*great rooms set out in a village so it's not a hotel
*juice dispensers around the resort for drinks
*lovely clean pools
*2 reserved sun loungers for your time at the beach for the duration of your stay.
The beach was my favourite place so calm and quiet.
*Big shout out to Martina on the desert stand. Didn't speak English but had a lovely smile for us.
And the chip man who could only say chips but was lovely.
*plenty of options for food, even my son who has allergies could eat plenty

Cons
*for a 4 star hotel you get 2 cans of water on your first day then nothing. So if you're parched in the middle of the night I suggest you take a refillable bottle with you and take to your room.
*you pay a tourist tax
This was a surprise but we paid it. Then upon reading about it. They charged us for our 5 year old. When questioned we got grief especially because of the language barrier.
*If you want to go on the day trips I suggest you Rob a bank.
550 euros for a family to go on one trip!! We gave them a miss.
*entertainment didn't start till 9. Everything in Italian but we didn't stay as it was too late for our daughter.

The biggest thing was no one spoke English, so we felt like outcasts for the week.
We didn't have a clue what was happening, the entertainment group that was spread about the resort, completely ignored us and talked to other families.
We tried asking questions but got no where.
They sang in English very weird but didn't speak it???

We booked a table for dinner one day as they have 1 restaurant for the buffet that was for everyday but 2 restaurants that can be booked once for something different under the inclusive price which was nice.
When you book on the app, they ask about allergies. We ticked my son had them and all was good.
we were seated when we pointed to the list as he didn't speak English.
We sat there and one staff member brought a plate out for my daughter and then left.
Other families came in sat down was offered wine and drinks. Food was brought out to them.
We sat there for 20 minutes no drinks offered no food, no one came to our table apart from my daughters plate.
We got up to leave and the man came over with Google translation saying we can't feed you.
Absolutely disgraceful. We wouldn't have been bothered if he said at the beginning sorry we can't accommodate your son. But to be left for 20 minutes being ignored honestly just awful.

We spent 6 and half thousand pounds on this 4 star holiday and it was a let down!!!
So glad for the sun.
We won't be returning unfortunately.

The good reviews aren't AI! We booked this and then got a bit worried when someone said the good reviews must be artificial intelligence - thankfully they aren't!

So if you've booked or are thinking of booking what do you need to know? The overview - this hotel will exceed expectations in a lot of areas.

- Fantastic remote location with mountains and farmland the backdrop one side, and stunning coastline the other.

- Hotel buffet way way way beyond what you'd expect! So much variety and everything cooked fresh by a team of chefs. No processed food in sight. Better quality than most restaurants.

- Amazing clean and modern facilities including pretty much perfect swimming pools. One big family pool with a slide, and one 3 lane 25m pool separate if you want to swim lengths - really well maintained and calm atmosphere as staffed all day.

- evening entertainment that is 90% ok if you don't speak Italian! Live music and dance - e.g. We Will Rock You mini musical with live queen songs sung and played by talented musicians. (They are clearly trained performers who rehearse performances extensively and not just "hotel entertainers") . The one night we didn't get it was the comedy night in Italian but every other night (we stayed 10 nights) it was good fun.

- the hotel rooms are all spread out around the "village". So much better than being in one tall building. We were in block 26 - 3 rooms on ground floor and three rooms above and that's it. In between each room there's well maintained hedges and shrubs so it's extremely private. One of the best things about the hotel in my opinion.

- wooden walkway 5 minutes walk to a private beach with your own sun lounger reserved for the duration of your stay. And all inclusive bar is also available on the beach.

- exceptional staff - the bar staff, the cleaning staff the gardeners, the sports coaches - absolutely everyone is working so hard to make sure everyone is happy. Best I've ever experienced for this. They remember you the next day at the bar and can remember your orders. We spoke to other guests who were impressed by this too.

Things to be aware of - Peroni on draft all inclusive and a good range of cocktails but then not all drinks all inclusive. Basic ice cream from machine included but any lollies are extra. They don't hide this though.

The main downside is the all inclusive wine ! It's really not great. The prosecco is decent though.

We rented a car and drove to Alghero - beautiful and recommended. The hotel is not really near other places to visit easily. But that's not the fault of the hotel - just be aware. And actually it's nice being aware from it all.

The sea is not calm a lot of the time - beautiful and wild. The red flag was up more than not although even with red flag they still let you swim in a shallower section of sea just to the left.

The free Padel tennis coaching and things like that are amazing - take advantage!

We just want to say thanks to all at the hotel. Great holiday

What a beautiful island, the hotel is beautiful and clean.

Loads for kids to do and kids club was amazing.

Staff are friendly however I do feel it would help if staff spoke more in English.

Food was lovely! I was worried not like fish however every night there was lots to pick.

Even my picky toddler loved his food which is a first!
Just wish there was onsite show which sold cans, water and snacks.

I honestly would be happy to return.

schönes Resort

Wonderfully relaxing place. Lots to do, good food, really helpful happy staff & spotlessly clean. A very chilled week.

Review based on a 7 day holiday in July 25. Family of 4 with 2 older teenagers (15 and 18).

The pros:

Access to tennis and Padel courts and to water sports. You need cash deposits to borrow bats and racquets
Beach with allocated sun beds
Plenty of sun beds around the pools. Plenty of beds available after 09:30-10am
Modern rooms and hotel - no signs of wear and tear.
Food - varied and of a high standard (mostly)
Hard working entertainment staff

The Cons

Beach towels not provided
Mosquito problem - despite covering ourselves in insect repellent we were bitten every evening
Food is never hot (same with hot drinks)
Air conditioning in bedrooms - our room never dropped below 24c
Water pressure in showers was terrible
Not enough staff in restaurants- tables not cleared.
No snack bar (our kids were gutted)
Entertainment in Italian

Tips
Don’t bother with Prestedge- same food just eaten in a different place! Separate pool with padded sun beds seemed like the only real benefit.
Crisps, nuts and tacos available from the bars - you just need to ask.
The patio (il patio) was a great alternative to the main downstairs restaurant.