Romazzino, A Belmond Hotel

Costa Smeralda · Sardinia

Sardinia’s Romazzino reopens for the season on May 28th — and September is when the property is at its quiet best. There are properties built to look luxurious, and there are properties built to be the holiday. This is the second kind.

The History Matters

In 1962, the Aga Khan IV — then a young royal with an eye for unspoiled coastlines — co-founded the Costa Smeralda Consortium with a small group of investors. They began acquiring land along Sardinia’s northeastern shore that would, over the years, become a 35-mile coastline of meticulously planned luxury. To design the new coast in harmony with the Sardinian landscape, the Aga Khan assembled an architecture committee. Michele Busiri Vici was among them. He designed Romazzino, inaugurated in 1965 as one of the original anchors of the development. The property still carries that spirit. Whitewashed Mediterranean architecture, flowing lines, arched windows. Set on a green outcrop above a private white-sand beach, surrounded by fragrant gardens. It’s the kind of place where Princess Margaret, Grace Kelly, and Greta Garbo were guests in its heyday; where Vogue photographer Henry Clarke shot Marisa Berenson in Pucci caftans; where scenes from The Spy Who Loved Me (released 1977) were filmed along the surrounding coast. It still feels like that — only with the comforts updated.

Romazzino at sunset — the silhouette has been the same since 1965, only the comforts have changed. — Photo: Belmond

Considering Romazzino for September?

We have priority access to cliffside accommodations and select villas through our Belmond partnership. The September 2026 booking window is essentially the next four weeks. Start planning your stay →

What Makes the Property Work

Romazzino sits on the kind of beach that justifies the price of admission: long, white-sand, private. The water genuinely is the emerald-green that Costa Smeralda is named for. The accommodation range is unusual for a hotel in this category. Standard rooms and suites in the main building. Then, set apart in the gardens, private whitewashed villas with their own pools, solariums, and multiple living spaces — designed to offer privacy without sacrificing communal space. The villas are the format we tend to recommend, particularly for multigenerational groups or families traveling together. The property is set up well for families: a private beach, watersports including paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, and diving, and a golf club at Pevero five kilometers away. The pace is intentionally slow — designed for staying, not for ticking through sights. For clients who want a day on the water, boat charters out to the Maddalena Islands archipelago are exceptional.

Romazzino’s private beach — long, white-sand, and the emerald water that gives the coast its name. The reason the property has held its position for sixty years. — Photo: Belmond

When to Book

Romazzino’s 2026 season runs from May 28th through October. The honest truth is that August — the month most clients want — is the worst time to experience the property. Italian August on the Costa Smeralda is busy, expensive, and stretched. June and September are the months the property is at its best. September in particular: warm water, calmer beaches, no yacht-traffic spillover, more attentive service.

How We Position It  a complimentary lunch for two we’ve arranged for our September guests

We tend to recommend Romazzino as the closing chapter of a longer Italian itinerary — three or four nights at the end of a trip that began in Tuscany or Rome. It works as a single destination too, but its strongest use is as the slowdown that follows a more active first half. For broader context on how the property fits into a fall Italy trip, read our guide to September in Italy. Through our Belmond partnership, we have priority access to cliffside accommodations and select villas for high-demand periods. For September 2026, the booking window is essentially the next four weeks.

A suite terrace at Romazzino — pergola, wicker, and the slow Costa Smeralda afternoons the property was designed around. — Photo: Belmond

Plan Your Stay at Belmond Romazzino

We design fully tailored Costa Smeralda stays — with priority access to cliffside accommodations and select villas through our Belmond partnership. Speak with an advisor →