Residence Riva Azzurra Arzachena — Hotel in Alzachèna/Arzachena

We stayed for a week at the beginning of September and had a 1 bedroomed apartment on the first floor. This wasn't the best holiday for us but through no fault of the residence or staff. It was just that this area had very little to offer for visiting as an alternative to sunbathing. It tends to be the playground of the super rich and their huge yachts can be seen in most bays. We took a local bus from outside the residence to Porto Cervo, a town purpose built by the Aga Khan. The bus took 15 mins but there was no return bus for 6 hours and we were quoted E 120 to return to Cannigione- so we were stuck. Every single shop is designer - think Rolex, Hermes, St Laurent, Ferrarri and numerous real fur shops-uggh! Lots of very wealthy beautiful couples and their brattish kids swanning around. Nothing to do but eat , shop or stare at boats in the hope of seeing someone famous. ||Everything in this area , apart from the local market, was expensive and we found the food extremely disappointing. We like to wander out and sample local restaurants and bars in the evening, its why you choose self catering often. The food was never Italian as we would understand it- very little flavour, no herbs or seasoning used, no vegetables apart from fries available. Lots of spiny lobster if that's your thing! We didn't have a starter the entire time we were there as the price seemed outrageous - beginning at £14 usually for 1 starter. We tended to use the gelaterias for desserts and ended up having more pizzas than is good for you!||But, I don't want to sound entirely negative as its a beautiful island and the coastline and sea swimming is glorious. The residence has the town public beach opposite. No loungers available sadly but you can always nip back very quickly for a lounge by the pool. The pools were cold but clean and refreshing. There is another beach La Cona , a pleasant flat 10 minute walk from the apartments with a cafe. The pools have ample loungers and Balinese sunbeds and we found everyone very respectful about not "saving" them. There is a separate children's little play area and pool with a slide. there is also a large play area in the park between the residence and beach. We only used the restaurant below once and were charged £100 for 1 piece of fish with no accompaniments so did not return.||The small complex is cleverly designed so that no-one overlooks you. The view is wonderful from the terraces by the pool and your own terrace. The rooms were very clean. the shower worked extremely well, the bed was comfy and there was plenty of storage space. The aircon was a bit hit and miss and the TV is only Italian channels but who wants to watch TV there anyway. Wifi worked fine. The reception lady was friendly and helpful when we needed her. The blurb says beach towels provided but they are only thin white bathroom towels so best to take your own, The towels were changed once during the week and a change of bed linen would have been nice too. There is a supermarket 5 mins away , a local market once a week and a craft market every night in the harbour area starting at 9 pm. ||We had a relaxing time, read some great books, enjoyed the swimming and snorkelling but I think this area and resort is probably best for just 1 week, good for small children and to unwind but not if you like exploring or enjoy quality , affordable...

The Riva Azzurra Apartments are in a quieter part of Cannigione, overlooking the beach and the green with a fantastic children's play area, making it a very family-friendly location. There is a restaurant and café associated with the complex, although also much used by other locals and tourists, so you don't have to venture far to find food if you don't want to self-cater. Our apartment was very spacious and had everything necessary for living and cooking. The bedrooms were comfortable and the bathrooms basic but very clean. We booked a superior apartment and it was in a standalone cottage-style building, which made it more private and quieter than being in the multi-storey block. The colour scheme was a little odd - lilac and green predominated and it gave the apartment a 'doll's house' look; it was charming rather than modern. There are three small swimming pools, all great for children but the deepest one is too small for an adult to get a decent swim - it's more to cool down than to get your daily exercise. Some days there were not enough loungers and the area round the pool was noisy, but this was very unpredictable as sometimes there was hardly anybody else on the terrace. The staff were very helpful - we had booked a boat trip which was cancelled at short notice and they worked very hard to find an alternative. Similarly, we needed a small repair in the bathroom and it was fixed very quickly. The location is tucked away behind the main street of Cannigione, with a supermarket and many other shops within easy walking distance. We hired a car to see other parts of the Costa Smeralda, but you don't really need one in the town. On the last day, we had a late flight and there were facilities for showering after check-out so we could make the most of our day by the pool. All in all, a good...

We have just returned from a week's stay at Residence Riva Azzura. What a fantastic week we had. Our family of 4 were wanting a week where we could relax, enjoy the coast and eat locally.|We had it all there! We stayed in a one bed apartment overlooking the pool and with an amazing view of the sea. The apartment had all we needed and was clean and welcoming. The staff in reception were also very helpful.|The pools aren't too big, but the majority of the time we found ourselves alone or sharing the pool with just a couple of people. I think this is also the first holiday I've had where there was always a sunbed available!|The beach was a mere 3 minute walk away, again never too busy either.|With 2 supermarkets right behind the apartments, we were always in easy reach of getting any staples we needed.|There are many bars and restaurants in easy walking distance, all offering a good variety and fairly priced.|There is a great park area in front of the apartments too, which was always packed with children enjoying themselves.|We didn't have a car on hire, the receptionists organised airport transfers for us. We were happy staying local daily, but did take the bus to another beach one day - easy and cheap, but not very frequent return bus times.|I would not hesitate to return to Residence...