Ca La Somara

SOAK UP THE VIBES of the Costa Smeralda without the glitz and glamour – or the cost. Ca La Somara – a modest farmhouse two miles from the famed emerald seas and white sands – is a rural retreat made for those who want the simple life. Owners Alberto and Laura escaped the rat race to come here, and so can you.

There are hammocks on your porch, big stripey cushions to flop on, a semi-wild garden and an organic shaped pool. Rooms at Ca La Somara are in the converted stables, a low rise, whitewashed building surrounding a courtyard. Jade green doors, custard yellow borders, massed geraniums, fig trees and cacti, and the odd farm implement add breezy touches.

Inside, all is cool and simple: white walls, raftered ceilings, tiled floors and clean-lined, wooden furniture. Love the details: embroidered bedspreads, oil lamps, a niche with a coloured pot, an alcove with an armchair. Splashes of copper, gold, silver and pink add warmth while bathrooms have hand painted tiles.

Veggie cooking

Try delicious veggie dishes and desserts here (cooking at Ca La Somara is mostly organic), or throw a steak on the barbie. Goggle at the glitzy yachts at Porto Cervo (you can people-watch from La Pergola's starry bar), pack your swimmies for the beach, pedal off on a cycle trail, try a yoga class or make friends with the donkeys outside – then return to the simple pleasures of good food, candlelight and the two of you.

© Room for Romance