Experiencing Sardinia’s Wonders at the Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites

There is a place that is filled with the scents of myrtle, helichrysum and wild rosemary. Where the turquoise blue of the sea merges with the cerulean blue of the sky. Where the North, Mistral and Sirocco winds carve granite rocks into natural sculptures. Where the sunsets provide orange brushstrokes, taking away the heat of the day and giving way to light evening breezes and a blue night sky dotted with sparkling stars. Welcome to Sardinia, the island of wonders, where wild and unspoiled nature generously welcomes those who want to enjoy its landscapes and its fruits.

There is a place where taking in all of this is a treat for the senses and nourishment for the soul. In the Golfo Aranci in the North-Eastern quarter of the Island, overlooking the sea with a view of the Island of Tavolara, stands Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, one of Sardinia’s most exclusive and elegant hotels. It has been owned by the Datome family for more than 50 years and is currently managed by Sergio and Marco Datome along with Sergio’s wife Antonella and their son Tullio.

Here, greeted by the hospitality of the family Datome, you can immerse yourself in the wonders of this island enjoying its beauty and goodness: allow yourself to be enchanted by the shades of blue of the sea that is second to none in its own private beach that rests on the beautiful Terza Spiaggia of the Golfo Aranci. You will be able to swim with dolphins at sunset and enjoy a sense of freedom that will fill your heart with joy. You can dive into the crystal clear waters and go back in time to discover the MuMart Museum, an underwater museum that hosts 14 statues representing subjects related to the sea world created by internationally renowned artists, positioned on the sea-bed of Golfo Aranci, the only one of its kind in Europe.

You will be able to taste exquisite dishes and wines with a marked minerality. Whilst sitting on the terrace of The Blú Restaurant, recently awarded an Espresso ‘chef’s hat’ and considered one of the best a la carte restaurants on the island, in a context of refined beauty with wrought iron seats and gazebos with sinuous lines, enchanted by the view on the Gulf, the Executive Chef Daniele Sechi will delight your senses by presenting contemporary dishes using rare Sardinian delicacies, creating harmonies of bright colours, clear aromas and unique flavours.

In the enchantment of a unique atmosphere, overwhelmed by lush nature, here is a selection of three dishes accompanied by three sparkling wines:

Mullet ‘Amrecca’ with herbs with pompia pearls and avocado. A dish with a strong aroma, created using a local ingredient, the Sa Merca mullet and a citrus fruit, Sa Pompia, that is only found in Sardinia, and only in Siniscola.

Paired with Cantina Pedres Rosè Brut
97% Vermentino and 3% Cannonau grapes, a delicate pink colour, fine and persistent perlage. Fruity and spicy with cinnamon and vanilla notes with pleasant mineral sensations. On the palate it gives a distinctive saline tangue balanced with smoothness for a harmonic feeling.

Mezze maniche pasta, violet prawns, basil purée, fresh chilli, spring onion and dried tomatoes. A dish with bright and captivating tones.

Paired with Ferrari Brut Trentodoc
100% Chardonnay, straw yellow with light green reflections and a fine and persistent perlage.
Intense with a caressing fruity note of ripe golden apple and wildflowers, with a base of yeast fragrance and hints of bread crust. Sublime elegance with a harmony of sensations.

Sea capon with vegetables and tomato and fennel puree. A preparation with marine notes, vibrant and decisive.

Paired with Cantina Mancini, Spumante Brut Adelasia Vermentino di Gallura DOCG

100% Vermentino, beautiful straw yellow with a lasting and fine perlage. It offers fruity and spicy aromas with aromatic herbs nuances such as sage. Exceptional length lying on vivid and fresh notes.

What is extra special about these wines and food pairings…
The harmonies created in these three dishes by Chef Sechi, combined here with the individual sparkling wines, are enhanced by remarkable freshness and minerality that these various wine pairings share, for a pleasant intense aromatic and flavoursome combination.

The scents, perhaps more than any other characteristic, have an incredibly evocative power; it doesn’t matter where you are, but when you catch an olfactory note that reminds you of a place, your mind begins to travel between memories, desires and emotions. As soon as you arrive in Sardinia you are overwhelmed by the mixture of its scents of Mediterranean scrub, almost as a welcome for the visitor to an island that conquers the heart. Likewise, the aromas of its wines with notes of strawberry tree, jasmine, melon, salt and flint, wherever you are in the world, will lead you back to its land, releasing all its essence. All we have to do is enjoy the infinite wonders of Sardinia, sitting here on the terrace of the Blù Restaurant admiring the inlets of the Golfo Aranci.