We just came back from Porto Cervo and I am very pleased to say that the fellow tripadvisor reviewers were right - this hotel is wonderful

Upon our arrival we were greeting by Alberto (who is one of the nicest people you ever meet) and we were lucky enough to get upgraded to a junior suite for no extra charge

The pool is very nice and the general layout of the hotel is great. There is a lot of space and several tanning areas, not to mention a private beach.
The breakfast is served in a nice restaurant overlooking the pool and is quite filling....I must say we were very pleased with the hotel overall.

One thing I must mention....DO NOT come to Sardinia other than in august if you like to party...everything shuts down the town consists mostly of couples and elderly tourist...also, if you are planning to see the island, rent a car. Buses are not frequent and the cabs are expensive...

Hope you enjoy your stay!

My husband and I, our 1.5yr old daughter and her nanny stayed at the Grand Hotel at the end of August 2007. We chose the hotel on the basis of reviews written on tripadvisor. We had a very positive experience during our stay.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. They were particularly lovely with our daughter. At the time of our stay they were tons of other families with children there. The pool has a kiddie section that where all little ones gather and parents can socialise. There are other poolside areas where the people without children can be comfortable. The restaurant provides very good quality highchairs for kids and that makes the experience much more pleasant and easier. We loved the lunch buffet. It's all very lovely, fresh Italian food.
All standard rooms have shower stalls and no baths. The larger rooms (I think they call those suites even though they're just larger rooms) have bathtubs with a shower overhead. We had one of the larger rooms and one standard one for nanny and baby. The rooms were very clean. The open walkways leading to them could use some more regular cleaning. In our room the shower didn't have good pressure but in our daughter's room it was fine. The room decoration is a bit tired but the wonderful terraces and views compensate for it. I guess a renovation would be of benefit but might also alter the price level.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and easygoing. We visited Cala di Volpe and Romazzino and felt we'd be more pressured to dress up and would worry more when the baby got a stain on her clothes. The whole area is more for relaxing holidays. Even though there are bars and nighclubs in the wider area (notably "Billionnaire") there doesn't seem to be a raging nigtlife scene.
At the time we were at the Grand hotel, Nikki beach was open but in our opinion not very interesting. It is a far cry from the Nikki beach in Saint Tropez where we went the previous year. We also thought the Cala Granu beach seemed to smell of sewage some days and there were mountains of seaweed on the sand. Nevertheless there were tons of people on it. The hotel does not own the beach and does not seem to have control over it being kept clean and tidy. We rented a car and went to other beaches in a 10 min radius that were some of the most beautiful we've seen (compared with Hawaii, Greece, Bali, the Carribbean etc). We recommend renting a car and exploring further afield. There isn't much going on walking distance from the hotel. The hotel shuttle will take you to town 2 fixed times a day, a bit confining. The reception helped us with booking amazing dinners in outside restaurants and also with going on a boat tour of the little islands off of Porto Cervo which was great fun.
Overall just a great relaxing stay with sun, pool/beach, great nature and super food. We would go back. If you're looking for super-stylish interiors, glitz and animation this place is not for you. I wouldn't call it rustic though either. It is a good experience in its category and environment.

We had a fantastic stay at the grand hotel in late june. The staff are amazing and nothing is too much trouble, especially Alberto at the reception. The rooms are very clean and have good views but are not super luxury. While we were staying the hotel was taken over by a celeb tennis. football tournament and became a bit hellish because of all the papparazi and the italian prima donas however that was a fluke time and wasn't particularly the hotel's fault. The food at the restaurant is superb and certainly better than il piscatore in Porto Cervo. A few warnings: rent a car or your options will be very limited! the beach towels for your sunbeds are charged and no one will warn you. Finally when all is said and done this place is wonderful and is a must for anyone looking to enjoy the hotel and surrounding country side.

A++++

This is a beautiful, rustic style but modern hotel set on a hillside within attractive gardens. It overlooks a small beach. I really couldn’t fault the hotel setting, the levels of service or staff. It has a nice pool area and a short walk down to a very pretty little beach. This is the sort of place to stay if you want a week away spent lazing in the sun by the pool or beach reading a book but not really doing much else.

There are some negatives, although minor, they could be an issue if staying longer than a week otherwise you can live with them. Choice of places to eat and variety is very limited to either hotel restaurant or a couple of restaurants (including the very good Clipper) a short walk from the hotel. Nearby Porto Cervo has little to offer in the way of restaurants. The hotel restaurant is very good for evening meals but the lunchtime buffet is overpriced for what you get. Definitely avoid the Hotels “Orange” restaurant, it is pretentious and hugely overpriced for what you get and I speak as someone used to eating out in London!

When we booked we were also attracted by the Nikki beach bar however it was closed, no one could or was willing to give a straight answer as to why and when it would be open, don’t bank on this being available during your stay – a shame.

The hotel pool bar area although in a very nice setting, with a good range of places to soak up the sun but it is let down by an unimaginative range of cheese and ham based snacks and bring your MP3 player unless you want to listen to the same 2 CD’s of dreadful cheesy and outdated poolside music! There is also a bad case of sun bed blocking, however most days we found we could get beds, but I wonder what it will be like at peak season?

Don’t be put of by these negatives, Overall very good for a 1 week off peak holiday where you want the Italian flavour in beautiful, relaxing and pleasant setting with great facilities and don’t want to do much apart from pool or beach.