Luxury Family Resort Review: Chia Laguna Nature Resort
Set in the south of Sardinia, Chia Laguna Nature Village resort is designed to make family travel relatively easy: there are children’s activities, evening entertainment, several places to eat and a beautiful private beach close enough that you do not need to negotiate a major expedition every time somebody wants to swim.
I stayed for 3 nights in early July with my four-year-old, and while there were a few things I would have liked to know before arriving, overall it proved to be a relaxed and genuinely enjoyable family break.
First impressions
Transfers arranged by the team at Chia Laguna were on time, with car seats for the little one available. The transfer itself offered a useful first look at southern Sardinia, including the flamingos, which were an unexpected highlight. Seeing them in the wild felt wonderfully exotic and made the journey to the resort more memorable.
We arrived late and tired so finding Italian charcuterie, cheese, bread and melon waiting in our room felt close to miraculous.
That warmth continued throughout the stay. The staff were consistently kind and helpful, even when communication occasionally involved a combination of English, Italian and enthusiastic hand gestures.
The resort is large, but it has a more relaxed, informal feel than a traditional hotel. The accommodation is spread across low-rise buildings surrounded by greenery, rather than contained within one main block.
Accomodation at Chia Laguna Nature Village
Our Superior Room was set in the Village section of the resort - which is flanked by Conrad Chia Laguna and Baia Di Chia resort by Hilton. It consisted of a king-size bed and a wall of patio doors opening onto a small enclosed garden - which gave my daughter somewhere to potter while I unpacked, which is the kind of luxury touch you only fully appreciate once you have traveled with a four-year-old. The room also had Wi-Fi, a minibar and an HDTV, while the bathroom came with a walk-in shower and Culti toiletries.
It was comfortable and perfectly functional for our stay, although the biggest downside was the soundproofing. We could hear quite a lot from the neighbouring room at the end of the evening - so light sleepers may want to pack earplugs.
Word of warning: we also encountered plenty of mosquitoes around the resort and garden, which is not unusual for Sardinia but is worth preparing for. Bring more repellent than you think you will need, particularly if you plan to sit outside in the evening.
Food at Chia Laguna
The food was one of the best parts of the stay. Breakfast covered everything from fruit and pastries to pancakes and the full bacon-and-eggs situation, which meant both the virtuous and the holiday versions of me were catered for.
We dined on a half-board basis, eating breakfast in the central Domus restaurant, and taking dinner at Mezze, The Village’s casual poolside restaurant which offered a broad selection, with a strong focus on Italian food. There were plenty of pasta dishes, salads, meats, fish and desserts, but the image that has stayed with me most is the enormous wheel of Gorgonzola. It was both excessive and magnificent. For kids, there are lots of child-friendly options such as tomato penne (and yes, plain pasta is available on request!).
We also had an à la carte lunch at Mezze, which offered a nice change from the buffet. However, there was no separate children’s menu during our visit, so a simple tomato pasta was charged at the standard à la carte price of €18.
One potential downside for families with younger children is the timing. Dinner is served relatively late - from 7:30pm - and there were not many obvious snack options available in between meals. If your child normally eats early, it may be sensible to keep a few emergency snacks in the room.
The Mini Club
The Mini Club was one of the most useful parts of the resort for us. The animation team took the time to explain how everything worked and talked us through the two main activities (occurring at 9am and 3pm) available each day. That clear introduction helped my child feel more comfortable and gave us a better sense of what was actually included.
The programme during our stay included shellhunting, science experiments and safari photography. The fact that children could dip in for a single activity rather than commit to a full day worked especially well for us. It felt like fun rather than childcare by stealth. As with many international resorts, activities were often introduced in Italian first and then explained in English. This was never a major problem, but younger English-speaking children may need a little reassurance at the beginning.
Evening entertainment
The evening shows were energetic, polished and clearly involved a lot of work from the entertainment team. The Michael Jackson show was the standout and managed to hold the attention of both adults and children. The children’s disco starts at 9.15pm and the main show at 9.45pm, so bedtime became more of a loose concept than a fixed appointment. Happily, my daughter went to sleep exhausted and delighted, which felt like a fair trade.
No sunbed wars
One of the best systems at the resort was the approach to sunbeds. Rather than allowing guests to claim loungers at dawn using towels, the resort operates a card system. This meant there was no need to set an alarm, sprint to the pool or become embroiled in a passive-aggressive sunbed dispute before breakfast. We always managed to find somewhere to sit, which made beach and pool days much more relaxed.
What else is there for children?
The arcade was cash only during our stay, a detail worth knowing before you are standing beside an expectant child with nothing but a room card and mounting regret. Most other spending could be paid for by card or added to the room. There is also a dedicated children’s pool, alongside a play area which is suitable for children from babyhood to around 10.
The resort has enough going on that children are unlikely to become bored - mine certainly didn’t! - but it does not feel as though every minute needs to be scheduled. We were able to alternate between organised activities and slower beach or pool days.
Chia Laguna Nature Village is a strong option for families looking for a relaxed Sardinian resort holiday with good food, organised children’s activities and easy access to the beach via the train shuttle that runs every 15 minutes from 10am.
It is not completely seamless. You may hear your neighbours, dinner may be later than your children would prefer and mosquito repellent is non-negotiable. But the kind staff, excellent Italian food and enjoyable entertainment outweighed that for us.
I came home feeling as though my daughter and I had genuinely shared a holiday, rather than me relocating the usual parenting admin somewhere sunnier. For a trip with a four-year-old, that is about as glowing an endorsement as I can give.