A six-bedroom in Costa Smeralda in the first three weeks of August lists at €28,000 to €90,000 per week. After service, tourist tax, staff gratuities, a chef on four nights, and the standard 8-metre rib for two days, the all-in figure typically lands 45 to 70 percent above the headline. The same villa in northern Alghero or southern Chia runs 55 to 70 percent cheaper. The full structure, line by line, with three worked examples.
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Sardinia pricing splits cleanly along regional lines. Costa Smeralda is the Riva-and-Ferrari corner of the island where Aga Khan family equity built the resort cluster in the 1960s and the August week became a price-discovery market for Italian and Russian capital. Romazzino, Liscia di Vacca, Pevero, Porto Cervo, and Cala di Volpe set the upper bound. Porto Rafael and Punta Sardegna sit a tier below. Outside the Costa Smeralda triangle, Sardinia is half-price, and the beaches are arguably better.
The rates below were verified against May 2026 cards from Le Collectionist, Plum Guide, Onefinestay, Thinking Traveller, and four direct management companies operating in Arzachena and Olbia. All figures are quoted weekly except line items. The regional split table follows the headline table.
Headline weekly rate before service, taxes, gratuities, and chef. Peak runs the last week of July through the second week of September. Shoulder is the first three weeks of July and the third week of September. Off season is everything else. The price compression at peak is the steepest in the Mediterranean villa market.
| Bedrooms (Costa Smeralda) | Peak (last Jul – 2nd Sep) | Shoulder | Off season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BR | €14,000 to €28,000 | €9,000 to €18,000 | €5,500 to €11,000 |
| 5 BR | €20,000 to €42,000 | €13,000 to €27,000 | €8,500 to €16,500 |
| 6 BR | €28,000 to €58,000 | €18,500 to €38,000 | €12,000 to €23,000 |
| 6BR trophy (Romazzino sea-front, Pevero estate) | €48,000 to €90,000 | €32,000 to €58,000 | €19,000 to €34,000 |
| 8 BR | €42,000 to €90,000 | €28,000 to €58,000 | €17,000 to €34,000 |
| 10 BR+ | €80,000 to €220,000 | €52,000 to €140,000 | €32,000 to €82,000 |
The top of each band is Romazzino, Pevero, Liscia di Vacca, or Cala di Volpe sea-front. The bottom is Porto Rafael or interior Arzachena. Add 15 to 25% on the second week of August.
| Region (6BR, peak August) | Headline weekly rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Smeralda (Porto Cervo, Romazzino) | €28,000 to €90,000 | The luxury market reference |
| Porto Rotondo (Punta Lada, Punta Volpe) | €18,000 to €45,000 | Quieter than PC, similar boat access |
| Maddalena archipelago (Caprera, La Maddalena) | €14,000 to €32,000 | Ferry-only or boat-served |
| Stintino & Asinara coast | €9,000 to €22,000 | La Pelosa beach, west coast |
| Alghero & coral coast | €8,000 to €18,000 | Catalan town, west coast cliffs |
| Chia & Pula (south coast) | €10,000 to €24,000 | Forte Village adjacent, dune beaches |
| Costa Rei & Villasimius (southeast) | €9,000 to €20,000 | Calmer waters, family-leaning |
A six-bedroom in Stintino at peak August is roughly the price of a four-bedroom in Romazzino in the shoulder. The beach quality argument runs the other way.
Italian villa managers commonly bundle a service charge or “management fee” into the contract: 10 to 12% on Costa Smeralda product, 8 to 10% elsewhere. Le Collectionist runs 10%; Plum Guide and Onefinestay run 10 to 12% on Italian inventory; the direct managers run 10 to 15%. On a €40,000 week, that is €4,000 to €6,000 in service, separate from any government tax.
Italian comuni levy the Imposta di Soggiorno on every guest. Arzachena (which covers most of Costa Smeralda) charges €3 to €7 per person per night depending on the property’s tourist-rating bracket, applied for the first seven nights only. Olbia, Porto Rotondo, La Maddalena, and Alghero apply similar bands. Children are usually exempt below 12. On a 12-guest, seven-night booking, plan for €300 to €590 in tourist tax. The line appears on the contract, not in the platform’s headline filter.
The Costa Smeralda gratuity norm runs higher than mainland Italy. Eight hundred to 1,400 euros per staff member for the week, paid in cash on the final day, distributed by the housekeeping lead. A typical six-bedroom Romazzino villa carries four staff (housekeeper, pool, gardener, houseman or driver), occasionally five if a permanent chef is on the property. Plan for €3,200 to €6,000 in gratuities, in cash, available for the departure morning. The well-run direct managers will brief in writing. The platforms generally will not.
The Costa Smeralda chef market is well-supplied but priced at peak: €700 to €1,500 per day for dinner service, plus food sourcing at cost. Lunch is half the dinner fee. Food cost for a group of 10 runs €55 to €110 per person per dinner depending on fish, primo, and wine. The in-house package the manager pushes runs €900 to €1,800 per day; it is sometimes the property’s permanent cook and sometimes the village pizzeria’s second-in-command. A week with four chef dinners and two chef lunches lands €4,500 to €8,000 all in. We list the chefs we have used by name on the chef trap guide.
Costa Smeralda is a boat-day market. An 8-metre rib with captain runs €1,400 to €2,800 per day, fuel separate. A 10 to 12-metre day-boat runs €2,400 to €4,800. A 24-metre Riva or Sanlorenzo motor yacht with crew is €9,000 to €14,000 per day plus fuel and a 10% crew tip. Fuel on a 12-metre at full throttle to Maddalena and back is €400 to €700. The standard two-day pattern is Spargi-Budelli-Maddalena one day, Tavolara or Mortorio the next.
Phi Beach, Nikki Beach, Cala di Volpe Pool Club, Phi Beach Costa Paradiso, and the Capriccioli front-beach club operate spend minimums in August: €200 to €400 per person at lunch, €180 to €420 per person at dinner, before drinks. A sun-bed at Phi Beach in front row in August is €180 to €320 per day per person. A double bed (lettino matrimoniale) in the front row at Nikki Beach is €800 to €1,400 with a €600 spend minimum on top.
Mercedes V-Class from Olbia (OLB) to Porto Cervo runs €180 to €320 each way; S-Class €240 to €420; armoured S-Class €520 to €850. The helicopter from OLB to a heli-pad villa runs €1,400 to €2,400 per leg with the larger A109 priced higher. Cagliari (CAG) is a 3-hour drive from Porto Cervo and is rarely the smart inbound airport unless the trip is paired with Chia.
Three trip configurations we priced for clients in 2024 and 2025. Numbers verified against source contracts. The takeaway: the line items add 45 to 70% on top of the headline rate in Costa Smeralda, less elsewhere on the island.
Headline: €9,500 / wk (shoulder pricing).
Service charge (10%) €950. Tourist tax (4 guests × 7 nights × €4) €112. Staff gratuities (2 staff) €1,800. Alghero airport transfer round trip €520. No chef, restaurant dinners €320 per couple per night × 6 = €1,920. Pre-stock €380. Single boat day, 8-metre rib, €1,400 plus €180 fuel.
All-in: €16,762 for the week.
Premium over headline: 76%.
Headline: €46,000 / wk (Romazzino mid-tier).
Service charge (12%) €5,520. Tourist tax (10 × 7 × €5) €350. Staff gratuities (4 staff) €4,400. Two V-Class transfers OLB round trip €1,080. Second car for the week €780. Chef four dinners (€1,100/day) €4,400 plus food €3,200. Pre-stock €1,400. Two boat days, 12-metre with captain, €3,800 average €7,600. Phi Beach lunch one day, €2,400 for 10. Cala di Volpe Pool Club dinner one night, €3,200.
All-in: €80,330 for the week.
Premium over headline: 75%.
Headline: €145,000 / wk.
Service charge (12%) €17,400. Tourist tax (16 × 7 × €7) €784. Staff gratuities (6 staff) €7,800. Helicopter OLB transfer one-way €2,200, return V-Class €640. Second and third cars €1,400. Chef five dinners (€1,400/day) €7,000 plus food €6,800. Pre-stock €2,800. Three boat days, 24-metre Sanlorenzo with crew, €11,500 average €34,500 plus fuel €4,200 plus crew tips €3,450. Phi Beach two days €6,400. Nikki Beach dinner €4,200.
All-in: €244,374 for the week.
Premium over headline: 69%.
EUR figures as quoted. USD conversions use the May 2026 EUR/USD rate of 1.10. Card billing rates will vary 1 to 3% from the spot figure.
Six levers move the all-in cost on a Sardinia week.
Pick the third week of July or the second week of September. Headline drops 25 to 35%. Wind is calmer in early July. Water temperature is the same in September. The boat days are easier to book.
Trade Costa Smeralda for Porto Rotondo. Twenty minutes south by car, 30 minutes by boat, 45% cheaper on the headline, same Maddalena boat access. The beach clubs are quieter and the dinner reservations are easier.
Skip the in-house chef. Independent chefs at the same daily rate cook a grade higher and source from the better Olbia fish markets.
Book the boat for two days, not three. The marginal third day is rarely the day that builds the memory. Save €3,800 to €14,000 depending on the boat.
Skip Phi Beach lunch, book the dinner instead. The lunch minimum is twice the dinner minimum for half the production quality. Same room, different evening.
The sixth lever. Sardinia direct managers run a quiet repositioning market when a confirmed booking moves: the villas release 15 to 25% below the original rate to fill the gap. Five direct managers serving Costa Smeralda will email a short list of late-availability properties on request; the platforms do not surface them. Email in late May for August openings, in late October for the early-September window.
For a six-bedroom in Porto Cervo, Romazzino, Liscia di Vacca, or Pevero, the headline weekly rate in the first three weeks of August runs €28,000 to €90,000. After service, tourist tax, staff gratuities, and a chef on four nights, the all-in week typically lands between €42,000 and €128,000. Add two boat days and the figure passes €65,000.
Base inclusions on the editorial list are the property itself, daily housekeeping (six days), pool maintenance, gardening, Wi-Fi, arrival cleaning, and one car. The chef, transfers from Olbia Airport, additional cars, boat charters, beach-club bookings, and staff gratuities are all separate. Always confirm in writing before the deposit clears.
Eight hundred to 1,400 euros per staff member for the week, paid in cash on the final day, distributed by the housekeeping lead. A six-bedroom Costa Smeralda villa typically carries four staff. Plan for 3,200 to 5,600 euros in gratuities, in cash, available for the departure morning.
Independent chefs run €700 to €1,500 per day in peak weeks, plus food sourcing at cost. Lunch service is half the dinner fee. The in-house chef the manager offers runs €900 to €1,800 per day and is often the property’s permanent cook plus a sous-chef on call.
Yes. The Imposta di Soggiorno varies by comune. Arzachena (which contains most of Costa Smeralda) charges €3 to €7 per person per night depending on category, applied for the first seven nights. Olbia, Porto Rotondo, and the Maddalena archipelago apply similar bands. On a 12-guest, seven-night booking, plan for €300 to €590 in tourist tax.
The peak premium clears by the second week of September, dropping headline rates 30 to 45%. By mid-October most villas have closed for the season. June runs at 35 to 50% below first-three-weeks-of-August. Late May and early September deliver near-peak weather at shoulder prices.
Almost never on Costa Smeralda product. Mercedes V-Class from Olbia (OLB) to Porto Cervo runs €180 to €320 each way; S-Class €240 to €420. The helicopter from OLB to a heli-pad villa in Romazzino or Liscia di Vacca runs €1,400 to €2,400 per leg. Always quote separately.
The 18-page PDF with line-item math for Costa Smeralda, Porto Rotondo, Stintino, Chia, and Alghero, the comparison table against Mykonos, the seven chefs we have used by name, and the direct-manager email script that works on five Costa Smeralda operators. Free. We trade it for an email.
When a hotel beats a villa on the booking math. The restaurants worth booking before the trip. The bars that take a cocktail program seriously.