Introduction to the ‘city’ of Chia
The area of Chia is marked with the red pin
In the title of this post I ‘qualified’ that Chia is a ‘city’ because it is really better defined as an ‘area’ of Sardegna. The area of Chia is located on the south coast, west of Cagliari. As we spent just about a week in total in Sardegna, we flew into the Cagliari airport and drove straight to Villasimius, just over an hour. We then backtracked by passing Cagliari, on to the area of Chia on the southwest coast. Even this drive was short of two hours, and the coastal area, especially between Villasimius and Cagliari is absolutely gorgeous. We ended our trip with one night in Cagliari, and it was nice to experience the capital city.
In Chia, we opted for an Airbnb, which was a more economical choice for the area, as the few resorts there are, are quite luxurious and expensive, the Chia Laguna resort complex, for example, is a 5 star resort. If you are visiting for a very special experience, honeymoon or have the money to spend I would recommend this resort complex. We were able to explore the grounds, as we went to find an ATM, and eat in one of the restaurants.
However, our Airbnb experience was more private and autonomous, I would say. The host was very gracious and there is parking available at the apartment. There is also a very large terrace with nice patio furniture. We had a lovely aperitivo one night; read more in the food and wine section. To reach our Airbnb, we had to drive up a dirt road.
Our walk down to the Viale Chia under a full moon at twilight
Chia is very quiet. It is unique because there truly is not a ‘town’ center. There are now these resort complexes, but they are quite self-contained for guests. From where we stayed, we walked to the little bar/supermarket called Bar Mongittu to pick up wine and snacks, and we also walked to the two restaurants that I recommend. Again, driving or walking around Chia feels like driving around a sleepy beach town, the main road that runs parallel to the water, the Viale Chia, is never very crowded. Thus, we walked along the side of the road to reach Mirage and Ristorante Bithia. This was actually quite liberating. We stopped and bought some peaches and figs at the roadside fruit stands on our walk. It would have been very easy to drive a few minutes to the restaurants as well, but the freedom afforded to drink as much vermentino as our vacation hearts desired was ideal.
Warm summer nights, a passeggiata (leisurely walk) on a sleepy country road bring back floods of nostalgic warm feelings, and I want to return immediately. One night we did jump in the car and drive to Ristorante Crar’e Luna. It was good, but I must say the other two I recommend in detail in the restaurants post were even better, excellent, in my estimation.