deal for families with young children, La Chimera is a small residence blessed with a panoramic setting: a backdrop of mountains, trees and a beautiful landscape and sea views over the gulf of Villasimius to the front. Set in well-maintained grounds in a quiet location two kilometres outside the vibrant beach resort of Villasimius and 300 metres walk to a sandy beach, the residence also boasts a swimming pool and a children’s play area.

A panorama of the small residence

Outdoors: The enclosed grounds are very pretty with green lawns and lots of trees, with space for children to run around in. The lovely pool area is off to one side and is gated. There is a patio running around the unusual shaped swimming pool with some sunloungers to relax on. Another part of the grounds contains the children’s play area, where parents can sit on picnic benches and watch their little ones play on the slide, swings and little plastic seesaws as well as in the small house.

Each has a garden

The delightful pool

Next to the little reception office is a small laundry room with a washing machine which guests can use for 5€ a cycle. There is a large communal room with a TV and a stereo as well as children’s videos, although these are mostly in Italian, so you may want to bring your own. Behind this room outside are a large barbecue and a wood oven for communal use.

Childrens play area

Lovely grounds

There are 14 apartments set in two groups of terraced villettas on the ground or the first floor. The apartments are nicely designed so that nearly all have sea view from at least one terrace. Each has its own garden and either a terrace or patio or both. In terms of outdoor furniture, each terrace area has a bench, a parasol, a barbecue, a clothes drying rack and a table and chairs.

A living/dining room

Indoors: There are 2 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom apartments, all recently built. The one-bedroom apartments also have in their living/ dining rooms a double sofa bed and a single bed built into the wall, sleeping a maximum of 5. One of the two-bedroom apartments has a bunk-bed up two steps in an alcove in the corner of one of the double bedrooms but there is also space for a double, a single or twin beds, so this can be arranged on request, and the apartment could also sleep another 2 or 3 in the living room.

Air-con (costs extra)

A typical bedroom

The comfortable air conditioned interiors are decorated in the traditional Sardinian style with typical hand-embroidered fabrics for both the bedspreads and the curtains. Each apartment has Satellite TV and a tiled shower room. They have simple but well-equipped kitchen corners with electric oven and gas hob and, fridge-freezers.

Campulongu beach

A cluster of apartments

Surrounding Area: The nearest beach is about 300 metres away, which is just over five minutes walking, across the road from the residence and along a pine-shaded path. The beach is Campulongu, which is long and sandy, although there are some stones. The beach never gets overcrowded as there is not a lot of parking nearby, which is ideal for guests of the residence who can walk. It is great for snorkelling and diving because three years ago, the whole area was declared a marine park to protect the incredibly-transparent sea, which is home to a wide variety of sea fauna including a colony of tropical fish from the Red Sea that is unique in the Mediterranean.

Attractive old fortress

Small port in Villasimius

The village of Villasimius, located in the southeast of Sardinia, won second prize last year as Italy’s best tourist resort. It is a lively small resort with dozens of wonderful beaches with various water sports facilities, bustling markets, a small port where you can book boat trips to the nearby islets, and a wide selection of restaurants, bars and nightlife. It is a fairly long walk from La Chimera but is well-connected by road. Other beach resorts like Solanas and the Costa Rei are not too far by car. Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, is just under an hour’s drive on a winding but extremely panoramic road.

Sun, sea & swimming pool

Villasimius beach

Sightseeing: Pula, Nora and Bithia, Teulada, Cagliari, Sant’Antioco island, San Pietro island, Villasimius and coastline.

Panorama from La Chimera

Italian Islands Insight: The apartments are only available for Saturday to Saturday bookings. Cots and highchairs are available and there is plenty of parking. Only 3 apartments do not have sea view and these have lovely gardens instead, while two apartments have full wheelchair access. The emphasis is on families and the helpful owners have tried to create a peaceful ambience. This is a quiet place to return to in the evenings, which is often important if your young children, worn out by a day at the beach and lots of sun exposure, need to get a good night’s sleep and to go to bed early. Parents can enjoy relaxing on their terrace or perhaps have a barbecue whilst their children lay safe asleep. In order to maintain a calm environment and family atmosphere, noisy groups of young people are discouraged from staying here. However, in our opinion this could also be a very good choice for a couple, as the accommodation is of a good standard, the terraces have lovely views, and the surrounding area is very beautiful. It could be good for those who want to stay somewhere tranquil in a lovely part of Sardinia just outside of a fun resort, but with easy access to all its amenities.

Relax beside the wonderful swimming pool