Near the Cignoni e Nieddu stop of the Trenino Verde the twisting course of the Sarcidano river takes its highest leap – a 20 metre drop and a true spectacle of nature, the su Craddaxioleddu waterfall – before it ends up in the waters of San Sebastiano (or is Barroccus) Lake. It is the feather in the proverbial cap of a magical place, especially in Spring. The Funtana is Arinus park, a combination of oak and beech trees, as well as lush Mediterranean vegetation, lies nestled among the hills of the historical Sarcidano region just a few kilometres from the town of Nurallao. In the midst of this dense vegetation the air is filled with the sound of water gurgling up from a myriad of springs and streaming over riverbeds. The landscape is graced with hues of green, a great place for walks and long hikes in peace and silence to explore nature’s hidden treasures. You can enter the woods along a trail marked by cyclamens and other wild flowers and reach the main water fall, smaller yet charming falls and a variety pools and streams that only enhance the sheer beauty of the place. The sunlight filters down as the relaxing sound of the running brooks, the birdsong and the fragrance of the many trees and bushes accompany you along your way.

The idea of using boats for a new type of accommodation on the sea looks towards a wide range of tourists who love nature and seek engaging experiences

On October 7th the First Mediterranean Nautical Convention has been organized in Olbia by Assonautica North Sardinia and Chamber of Commerce of Sassari: it took stock on the issue of “Nautical Hotel- the nautical tourism of the future, sustainability and innovation”. An event born to allow the operators of the nautical industry to debate by analyzing the current situation but most of all by establishing routes of future development on the issue of the nautical hotel. As a matter of fact Sardinia was the first region in Italy to regulate this brand new type of accommodation: the definition of nautical hotel is based first of all on the presence of a network of at least 7 pleasure crafts for no less than 50 “cabin berths”, connected to a central structure that is no longer simply harbour related but in which tourists can stay and find all those services you can find in a hotel, from concierge to catering. An idea that goes beyond the simple rental business and that looks at that segment of tourism that not only in Sardinia asks to be welcomed. Boats can of course sail, cruising up to three miles during daylight hours.

REAL HOTELS BY THE SEA

“When we talk about nautical tourism- explains Giovanni Conoci, president of Assonautica North Sardinia – there are some preconceptions. It is thought to be a market reserved for a few experienced boaters, instead it is a tourism for everyone. Of course the boat must be able to accommodate the customer, while maintaining the ability to navigate.

The nautical hotel also has another great advantage: it can give the possibility of increasing the accommodation capacity without expanding the buildings on land, where services are provided by marinas. A cabin of a boat can be compared to a hotel room, since the proposal is to assign the same classification of hotels and a price linked to the seasonal period. Framing this activity allows you to go from being a mere charterer of boats to an entrepreneur who does the hotelier offering services and a much better welcome. Winning for the territory and for the final guest. Certainly companies must be at the forefront and also the human resources adequate : tourists today ask those who receive it an increasingly high competence, even in the territory”.

“Working on the nautical hotel – adds Andrea Ratti, professor of nautical design at the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano – means working to increase the receptivity of a destination without impacting on the territory but with a new type of housing solutions that may be attractive to a wider audience, customers that goes beyond that of experienced boaters towards a wider range of tourists for whom navigation is not central but at the same time loves a true contact with sea and nature. But they go increased with the services and infrastructures and a net of light and diffuse port that allows with this model to function. We need functional structures that are consistent with the territory and with a correct impact with both social and environmental sustainability. Important are the characteristics of the boats that today are designed primarily to have performance in navigation, while in the case of the nautical hotel the priority would be hospitality, having as tourist users looking for an experience of life on the water and not of exasperated navigation”.

La Sardegna si apre all’albergo nautico diffuso (rainews.it)

Albergo nautico diffuso, nuova idea turistica per la Sardegna | Prima pagina, Regione | Cagliaripad

Olbia, turismo del futuro: ecco “Albergo Nautico”

Primo convegno nautico del Mediterraneo a Olbia – Sardegna Reporter

A Olbia il primo Convegno nautico del Mediterraneo – Pianeta Camere (di commercio) – ANSA.it

La Sardegna si apre all’albergo nautico diffuso – Unica Radio

Albergo nautico diffuso, un’opportunità per la Sardegna – Gentedimare2.0 (gentedimareonline.it)