Domu Antiga

Small but stylish village B&B in Sardinia's rural interior, with bountiful breakfasts, great rates and warm hospitality Beauty, serenity and an elegant restoration in the heart of old Sardinia. White pendant lamps hang from high sloping beams in the old loggia, and local bread and cheese (the best) are brought to the check-cloth table. Opened in 2013 in the little cobbled village of Gergei, this 3-bedroom B&B, managed by generous Arnaldo and his English-speaking son Samuel, is a perfect reconstruction of a 19th-century farmhouse - a stylish slice of paradise behind high stone walls. The local area, a sparsely populated wilderness of olive groves, crags, gorges and megalithic towers, offers some of the most exciting history - and hiking - in Europe; you can read all about it from the big red sofa in the lounge or a chair in the garden. A short drive away is the hilltop World Heritage site of Su Nuraxi, the most famous Nuraghic settlement on the island, dating from 1500BC and with huge views across the plains - breathtaking. Then it's home to whitewashed walls and terracotta floors, logs crackling invitingly in the corner, antique dressers holding country china, and beautiful bedrooms with chunky rafters and embroidered linen. There are bountiful breakfasts to wake up to - "the best in Sardinia", say guests - and authentic pizzas a short stroll down the road. We have yet to visit, but by all accounts we're in for a treat when we do.