Is This Sardinia’s Most Beautiful Hotel?

Kamin Mohammadi is wowed by Le Dune Piscinas, an idyllic retreat with dramatic views of the Sardinia coastline

Hotel Review: Le Dune Piscinas, Sardinia

Some hotels are destinations. Others, like Le Dune Piscinas on Sardinia’s untamed Costa Verde, are revelations – quietly transformative, beautifully wild. Reopened in 2024 as a five-star eco-luxury retreat, this remote hideaway on the island’s southwest coast is more than a hotel: it’s a tribute to landscape and legacy, and a sanctuary for those drawn to silence, sea, and the art of slowing down time.

Le Dune Piscinas rewards the intrepid. Set on the beach itself at the end of a rough sandy track through ancient forests and some of Europe’s tallest sand dunes, Le Dune began life as a place of labour rather than leisure. In 1875, it was the terminus of a narrow-gauge mining railway designed by French engineer Léon Gouin. Here, ore from the Gennamari-Ingurtosu mines was stored before being ferried across the sea. The buildings that now house the hotel’s reception, restaurants and rooms once served as warehouses and stables and are rare vestiges of Sardinia’s industrial past, now lovingly restored and protected by UNESCO as a site of cultural heritage.

STAY

The hotel’s history has been quietly honoured in the restoration. You arrive through the original mine tunnel, the railway line evoked in teak and ebony beneath your feet. Inside, the story continues in the details: sanded stone, Sardinian wool, light playing on basalt and wrought iron. The rooms and suites, 28 in total, are sun-drenched cocoons of texture and calm – white linens, rattan chairs, artisanal ceramics, and windows open to the sea or to the folds of the dunes. 

Art is quietly threaded throughout the hotel, adding depth and contemporary texture to the story of the place. The owners, passionate collectors themselves, have curated a thoughtful collection of site-specific works and installations that respond to the building’s mining past and natural surroundings. From Moritz Waldemeyer’s flickering LED torch-lamps that evoke the miners’ headlamps, to Crisa’s striking murals in the fine-dining restaurant, the art doesn’t overwhelm – it invites reflection. Like the hotel itself, it’s rooted, respectful, and in dialogue with the landscape.

Here, solitude is sacred. A new wellness philosophy underpins Le Dune’s offerings for 2025, with a dedicated spa overlooking the dunes — an intimate space with treatment rooms, a sauna, and a relaxation area designed to blend seamlessly into the landscape. There is also a serene outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art gym, but most soulful is the new programme of sunrise yoga and sunset meditation, offered directly on the beach or in hidden pockets of the dunes. Here, the sound of the wind and the waves accompany you back into your body – and back into presence.

EAT

Dining is equally grounded. The arrival of Chef Angelo Biscotti brings a light, seasonal touch to Sardinian cuisine, from just-caught fish and foraged herbs to ancient grains and wild honey, across the hotel’s three dining options. At Rosso Tramonto, Ginepro, or the barefoot Maestrale beach restaurant, you taste the island in every bite, while the wine cellar offers guided tastings of native varietals – a journey through Sardinia’s untamed heart.

DO

Le Dune also offers a selection of curated experiences – boat excursions to hidden beaches, e-bike tours through the hills, and walks along the Cammino di Santa Barbara, the old miners’ trail that connects the site to its industrial past. But for many guests, the real appeal is the simplicity: long walks on the empty beach, an aperitivo in the Piazzetta at sunset, and uninterrupted sleep under star-filled skies.

This is not a hotel designed for spectacle. It’s designed for those who appreciate quiet, space, and a sense of connection – to place, to history, and to themselves. A rare find on one of the Mediterranean’s least developed stretches of coastline, Le Dune Piscinas is a retreat in the truest sense of the word.

Where? Le Dune Piscinas, Via Bau 1, Loc. Piscinas Ingurtosu, 09031 Arbus (VS) Sardegna 

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ledunepiscinas.com