We stayed here for 4 nights on our 3 week round-the-island trip by rental car. The hotel is located on a small bay a short distance from the bustling city of Cagliari. Driving directions are tricky however, especially when driving back into the city from the hotel. But there’s plenty of paid and free parking right at the harbor (or Marina) within close range of the restaurant district in the old quarter.

The hotel’s location is quiet with a large garden and comfortable sun chairs. There’s a small sandy beach as well.

Sea view rooms, which cost extra, have a balcony and offer a wonderful panorama of the bay guarded by a lighthouse perched on the top of a small mountain.

The reception is friendly, helpful, and mostly English speaking. There’s plenty of free parking in front of and surrounding the hotel. There are 3 floors but no elevator. There’s no pool either.

For Italy, the breakfast “buffet” was adequate, but not outstanding. There’s a restaurant onsite, but we didn’t use it since there are so many good trattorias in the city. Don’t miss Lillicu on Via Sardigna 78. You’ll need a reservation for both lunch and dinner.

Our room was large enough, but with no coffee maker, fridge, or hair dryer. The TV is small with only a few Italian channels to choose from. TV reception was not very good even though it was hooked up to a cable. The bathroom and the shower were fine. The room was clean and maid service was very good.

The hotel, while repainted on the outside, is worn and a bit run-down. It’s obvious that the management has not been reinvesting money to keep it up. The bed was comfortable but the pillows felt very hard. A couple of mosquitoes made it into the room so we slept in our portable mosquito tent for the last 2 nights.

Our room was not cheap costing E 94 for a double in May. The hotel was only partially full when we were there.

Despite the somewhat run-down nature of the building, we still found the hotel to be a good value, primarily because of the convenient, quiet, and relaxing location on a beautiful bay only a couple of kilometers from the city. The view is wonderful and the garden is a good place to enjoy the afternoon sun. The free parking, decent breakfast, and helpful reception were also plusses. We recommend this hotel to other travelers, but be prepared for the fact that it’s a bit worn around the edges.

Cagliari was the first stop on the trip around Sardinia that my wife and I took in 2007, and this was one of the most difficult places to decide on a hotel. I have to say this is probably the first and only time that I had a different opinion from the reviews I read on TA at the time. The main reason why I picked it was that it was the only hotel I could find in Cagliari right in front of a beach. When I got there, at night, I found the hotel in very, very bad shape, with very simple rooms with no comfort at all. When my wife and I got there, we looked at each other and remembered that we were only going to be there for one night. It was way more expensive than it should have been for what it is, and I have to say that I didn't go to the beach in the end. We left early to hit the road and try the many beautiful beaches in southeast Sardinia.

Spent four days in Sardinia, two of which at the Hotel Calamosca.

Wasnt sure what to expect following a number of mixed reviews but with hindsight it was definately the right choice!

im not sure how old the building is and it is a fair comment to say that they need to spend a bit of money of updating it but that kind of adds to the charm. The rooms are basic but clean and the overall feel is quirky with a slight feeling of an italian Fawlty Towers but all of this pales into insignificance when you see the view from your balcony!

A brilliant view at almost Travellodge prices. Definately recommended. The restaurant next door is pretty good as well. Would love to return in summer.

We found the reviews of this hotel to be broadly accurate. Nice spot, good public areas, relaxed but rooms a bit battered. But to clarify a few points. The facilities of the hotel are effectively bar/pizzeria/restaurant with large terrace leading to private rocky beach. There is a public beach next to the hotel which is small, sandy and very popular. Little in the way of English speaking tourists. We found it easily from the airport-follow signs Cagliari, Via Roma and then Calamosca and hotel are advertised