There are certain spots in Italy that are so beautiful it’s almost impossible to describe them. There are even places like this that a lot of people, especially those in the United States, have never heard of and may not ever see. I had been all over Italy during my lifetime, but there was still a relatively long list of places that I had not experienced but definitely wanted to if possible. One of those places was the Costa Smeralda, which because of a lot of different and random circumstances I recently had a chance to go see for a day. I only needed to do one thing, which was find a hotel room in Costa Smeralda. The only potential problem with this was that I had to find that hotel room in a matter of a few minutes. If I could not have done that, I would not have been able to go.
I pulled out my phone and searched for apps that help people find hotel rooms at the last minute. I found one called HotelTonight and downloaded it quickly. I opened it and searched for Costa Smeralda hotels. I was quite impressed with the number of choices that were available. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the quality of the choices was also quite high and the rates being offered were very reasonable. I chose a hotel that was right for me, and reserved and confirmed my room within a matter of a seconds. I had done it, and I was ready to go explore the beauty of Costa Smeralda. All I needed to do at that point was figure out where I was going to go and what I was going to see.
Palau is what I definitely wanted to see before I arrived in this region of Italy. It is small, out of the way and full of people who simply live their daily lives here and go about their business. This is a happy place given its proximity to the sea and as a result the people are extremely friendly and helpful when you ask them questions, although a lot of them do not speak English. Regardless, I walked around and filled my camera with photos that I assumed would be nothing short of amazing when I reviewed them in the future.
If you want to really get away and see nothing but gorgeous hills rolling onto a stunning beach that sits along a sea as blue as anything you’ve ever seen, spend some time in Le Saline. This is another out of the way place that is home to a resort, but otherwise it’s really not overrun with tourists. I was nothing short of mesmerized by the entire scene, but I was also running out of steam a bit and needed some coffee. I found a cafe and sat down for a cappuccino and some nice little sweet treats, which was perfect for what I needed at the time.
Porto Cervo may be a bit out of the way in a geographic sense, but it’s definitely a spot that has been discovered by tourists from all over Europe and Asia. This is a bustling resort town that has all of the amenities you could ever want, and it sits along the shore that is as stunning as any I had seen at that point in the day. Porto Cervo also has a lot of different lunch options, which was great because I needed to eat. I found a place and decided to go with the seafood, as it was probably caught that morning. It definitely tasted like it was, and I was now full and ready to continue on with my day.
As I meandered down the coast throughout the afternoon, I accomplished a few tasks. I found some really nice gifts for the important people in my life and I managed to snap some photos that may have rivaled those that I had taken earlier that day. I spoke to quite a few people who lived in the area and learned more about what life is like here. Overall, the people who live here are happy, healthy and enjoy a climate and a lifestyle that almost anyone would envy.
As I sat over a delicious dinner near my hotel, I thought about what a day I had enjoyed myself. I also thought about how my new favorite app, HotelTonight, had helped me find a hotel room in Costa Smeralda that I would never have found without it, let alone within a matter of a minute or so. I looked forward to seeing other places with my new travel companion.
