A Minted Location day guide
Dock & Dine in Sardinia & Costa Smeralda
On the Costa Smeralda the dock-and-dine play is one buoy-and-tender welcome, one great marina piazzetta, and a fjord. The marina berth carries most evenings, and that is no hardship in Porto Cervo.
Phi Beach — the one true buoy stop
Phi Beach at Forte Cappellini, round Capo Ferro toward Baja Sardinia, states it plainly on its own site: reserve one of its buoys — up to 98 ft (30 m) — by email or WhatsApp, and its free tender runs you ashore for the sunset. The sunset from the granite is the reason to use it.
Porto Cervo — berth once, the piazzetta does the rest
Tie up among Marina di Porto Cervo's 700 moorings and the waterfront is on foot: Novikov Porto Cervo on the harbor scene and Spinnaker at Liscia di Vacca a short hop away. Neither has patron dockage of its own — the marina you are already in is the tie-up. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda's clubhouse, hotel and Piazza Azzurra sit at Marina Nuova; its own 14-berth marina is members-only, so plan around the main marina unless you fly the burgee.
Poltu Quatu and the bays
Poltu Quatu's buoy moorings put you in the fjord with the resort's waterfront dining at the head of the inlet — the bookable mooring and the restaurants come as a pair. Cala di Volpe is the signature lunch-on-the-hook bay of the run, and its famous hotel is the landmark you steer by; it is local-knowledge water, so ask before you plan around it.
Before you go
August is the squeeze; the YCCS regatta weeks in June and September book the coast solid; and the Maddalena park a headland north prices anchoring per meter and bans it outright on Posidonia. Bigger plans than dinner on this coast? The Broker Request form on this page reaches the team that works these waters for American buyers.
The stops, as their own docks describe them
| Spot | Where | Arriving by boat |
|---|---|---|
| Phi BeachThe sunset club at Forte Cappellini comes to meet you: its own buoys (up to 30 meters, upon reservation) and a free tender service (+39 331 3814831), with beach-day access 12:00–18:00. The venue evolves into Nammos Beach for this summer's beach-day concept. | Forte Cappellini, Baja Sardinia — round Capo Ferro from Porto Cervo | Reserved mooring buoys to 98 ft (30 m) plus a free tender ashore — booking@phibeach.com or WhatsApp +39 345 2884254 |
| SpinnakerThe long-standing Liscia di Vacca institution — fresh fish of the day, homemade pasta and Sardinian specialities by its own menu. Berth in Porto Cervo and make the short hop by land. | Liscia di Vacca, Porto Cervo | Berth at Marina di Porto Cervo — 700 moorings, then a short hop by land to the Liscia di Vacca table |
| Novikov Porto CervoThe Novikov name on the Porto Cervo waterfront, operated by Sardegna Resorts. There is no dock of its own — take a berth in the marina and the piazzetta scene is on foot. | Porto Cervo waterfront | Berth at Marina di Porto Cervo — the piazzetta is on foot |
Dockage notes are what each restaurant publishes on its own site — space is first-come and dinner-hour rafting is real, so hail ahead. Where a venue states nothing about docking, we say so rather than guess.
Planning more than lunch?
We represent buyers wherever the right boat sits — shortlisting, surveying and sea-trialing on the buyer's side of the table. Tell us the mission and we'll tell you which boat, and which berth, it calls for.