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The Costa Smeralda is a 20 kilometre stretch of northeast Sardinian coastline developed from 1962 onward as a planned superyacht destination, anchored at the Porto Cervo marina (700 slots, 90 superyacht-capable berths) and bracketed north by the Maddalena archipelago and south by Porto Rotondo. A 50m motor yacht working the Costa Smeralda corridor in Ferragosto (August 12 to August 20) runs €240,000 to €340,000 per week before APA. Porto Cervo holds the densest single-marina superyacht concentration in the Mediterranean during the August second week with 100+ yachts above 30m in the harbor and 80+ on anchor at Pevero, Romazzino, and Cala di Volpe simultaneously. The Aga Khan's original Costa Smeralda Consortium still owns and controls the marina, the Yacht Club, and most of the surrounding land, which is why the coast looks different from anywhere else in Sardinia.
The point of the Costa Smeralda on a charter week is the depth of the marine infrastructure (Porto Cervo absorbs 90m yachts at the slots, has the standing fuel and provisioning depth no other Mediterranean marina matches, and connects directly to the Maddalena cruising ground 5 nautical miles north), the social anchor (Phi Beach, Yacht Club, Cervo Tennis), and the swimming inventory of the Maddalena archipelago. The cost is real. Porto Cervo is the most expensive single marina in the Mediterranean.
The Costa Smeralda is also one of the few Mediterranean destinations where the August second week is the entire product. The Ferragosto week concentrates the European yachting calendar (Sardinia Cup race week, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda regattas, and the loose social calendar that runs Phi Beach, Billionaire, Cervo Hotel) into a 9-day window. The rest of the season works but the Ferragosto density is the singular thing the coast delivers.
When to charter the Costa Smeralda
May. Water 17 to 19 degrees Celsius. Most beach clubs (Phi Beach, La Conchiglia, Long Beach) closed through May 25. Restaurants opening mid-May. The Maddalena archipelago anchorages empty, the marina light. Avoid the first three weeks of May. Late May begins to deliver.
June. Water 21 to 23 degrees by mid-month. Phi Beach and the major beach clubs open June 1 to 5. Restaurants fully open. Anchorages light through June 20, rising through the end of the month. Rates 30 to 40 percent below August peak. The cleanest opening Costa Smeralda window.
July. Peak begins around July 10. Water 24 degrees. Porto Cervo fills steadily through the month. The Maddalena anchorages absorb but Cala Coticcio and Spiaggia Rosa restrict access to permit-only. Restaurant calendar tightens.
August. The week. Ferragosto (August 12 to August 20) is the densest yacht concentration of the Mediterranean year. Porto Cervo at 100 percent capacity for the second and third weeks. Pevero anchor, Romazzino anchor, and Cala di Volpe anchor at 70+ yachts each on weekend nights. Phi Beach, Cala di Volpe Beach Club, and the Hotel Cala di Volpe terrace need bookings 3 to 6 weeks ahead. Headline rates.
September. First 10 days hold most of the Ferragosto rhythm. Water 24 to 25 degrees. The Sardinia Cup race week (early September) keeps Porto Cervo at race-fleet capacity. Rates fall from September 15. Late September shifts to off-season but late September swims well.
October. First week workable. Most beach clubs close October 1 to 10. Restaurants mostly closed by October 15. The product closes by mid-October.
The Costa Smeralda cruising zones
Porto Cervo marina and Old Port. The primary harbor. Approximately 700 berths total, 90 superyacht-capable, several outer slots taking 90m and above. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda pier holds the race fleet and the regatta calendar. Fuel, provisioning, the Promenade du Port restaurants (Madai, Spinnaker), and tender access to the Cervo Hotel village all run from the marina. Tender congestion at the harbor inner gates runs 9 to 11 a.m. and 18:00 to 20:00 in August.
Cala di Volpe and the eastern anchorages. Three nautical miles south of Porto Cervo. The Cala di Volpe Hotel beach club, the Cervo restaurant, and the famous bay holding 40+ anchored yachts on August nights. Anchor in 15 to 25 metres on the lee side. The southeast Pevero bay holds the Pevero golf course and another 30+ anchor stops on August weekends.
Romazzino and Spiaggia del Principe. Two nautical miles north of Cala di Volpe. The Hotel Romazzino beach is the standing swim anchor of a Costa Smeralda week. The Spiaggia del Principe (a 300 metre cove with white sand and 4 metre water) is the photographed bay. Anchor in 12 to 20 metres on the offshore line.
Phi Beach and Baja Sardinia. Northwest of Porto Cervo at the Forte Cappellini headland. Phi Beach (the cliff-side beach club running daytime and evening) is the social anchor of the August week. The Baja Sardinia bay holds the working overnight anchor when the Maddalena weather closes.
Maddalena archipelago. Five nautical miles north of the Costa Smeralda. Seven islands across the Bouches de Bonifacio. The protected zones at Cala Coticcio (Caprera), Spiaggia Rosa (Budelli), and Cala Corsara (Spargi) require park permits and the captain handles the application 30 to 90 days ahead. The archipelago is the swimming anchor of any Costa Smeralda week and delivers the Sardinian water at its strongest density.
Bonifacio and the southern Corsica corner. Eight nautical miles north of the Maddalena across the Bouches. The Bonifacio harbor (the cliff-walled fjord) absorbs 50m yachts and the southern Corsica coastline runs west from Bonifacio to the Lavezzi islands. Most Costa Smeralda weeks include 1 to 2 nights at Bonifacio.
Porto Rotondo and the southern Costa Smeralda. Six nautical miles south of Porto Cervo. Working secondary marina (350 slots, 25 superyacht slots), quieter than Porto Cervo, and the overflow base for August nights when Porto Cervo runs full. The Porto Rotondo town carries its own restaurant inventory and the proximity to Olbia airport (12 nautical miles south) makes it the practical changeover marina.
A standard 7-day Costa Smeralda and Maddalena rotation
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Olbia or Porto Cervo board | Boarding, short hop, overnight Porto Cervo or Porto Rotondo |
| Sun | Pevero and Cala di Volpe | Cala di Volpe beach club lunch, evening at Cervo or the Yacht Club |
| Mon | Romazzino and Spiaggia del Principe | Romazzino beach day, lunch on board, evening at Phi Beach |
| Tue | Maddalena archipelago | Spargi and Budelli anchor, Spiaggia Rosa permit visit |
| Wed | Caprera and Cala Coticcio | Cala Coticcio permit visit, lunch on board, overnight Caprera anchor |
| Thu | Bonifacio | Cross north, Bonifacio harbor, dinner at Stella d'Oro |
| Fri | Maddalena return | Lavezzi islands swim day, return to Porto Cervo overnight |
| Sat | Porto Cervo disembark | Disembarkation morning |
This is the rotation that gets the Costa Smeralda at its full value. It works on 40m to 70m yachts cleanly. Above 70m the Maddalena permit logistics and the Bonifacio harbor depth tighten and the structure shifts to a Costa Smeralda-only week with day excursions to the Maddalena.
Costa Smeralda yacht size guidance
40m to 60m. The sweet spot. Porto Cervo absorbs at this size with 9 to 12 month booking lead. Pevero, Cala di Volpe, and Romazzino anchorages direct. Maddalena permits work cleanly.
60m to 80m. Porto Cervo outer slots only (4 to 6 of the 90 superyacht slots take 70m and above). Cala di Volpe anchor at the offshore line. Maddalena cruising direct with 12 metre draft constraints at some anchorages.
80m to 100m. Porto Cervo absorbs 1 to 3 outermost slots, fully booked 12 to 18 months ahead. Most weeks at this size overnight at the Olbia commercial harbor or anchor at Pevero and tender to the marina.
100m and above. Porto Cervo outermost slot only, by request, 18 to 24 months ahead. The structure shifts to daytime Costa Smeralda and overnight Olbia or anchor offshore.
Costa Smeralda charter cost math
| Line item | Range (50m motor yacht, August Ferragosto) |
|---|---|
| Weekly rate | €240K to €340K |
| APA (32% to 38%) | €77K to €130K |
| VAT (22% Italian) | €53K to €75K |
| Porto Cervo berthing (per night, August) | €4K to €9K |
| Phi Beach evening table (per visit) | €2K to €6K |
| Hotel Cala di Volpe lunch (per visit) | €1.5K to €4K |
| Maddalena park permit (per visit, per yacht) | €0.5K to €2K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | €24K to €51K |
| Full check | €410K to €580K |
The 22 percent Italian charter VAT applies. APA on the Costa Smeralda runs 32 to 38 percent; the higher end reflects the Maddalena and Bonifacio crossings, the Phi Beach evening spend, and the marina ancillaries. Porto Cervo berthing at €4K to €9K per night in August is the highest single-night berth rate in the Mediterranean.
What we passed on
We pass on Porto Cervo as a 7-day overnight base. The harbor pressure in Ferragosto is too dense for a full-week overnight run. Use Porto Cervo for the changeover ends and for 1 to 2 social nights, and anchor at Pevero, Romazzino, or Cala di Volpe for the rest.
We pass on the Spiaggia Rosa (Budelli) without the permit application 30 to 90 days ahead. The beach is closed to landing and the anchor permit limits the visit to 30 minutes and the daily quota fills by 10 a.m. in August. The permit goes through the captain and through the Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena; the application is straightforward but requires lead time.
We pass on the Phi Beach reservation for non-Ferragosto August weekday nights. The product runs at full capacity Thursday to Sunday in Ferragosto but the midweek capacity in the first and last weeks of August is below the threshold that justifies the table minimum. Use Phi Beach on Thursday through Sunday or skip it for the Cervo Hotel or Spinnaker as the evening anchor.
We pass on the Costa Smeralda corridor in the first three weeks of May. The beach clubs, the Maddalena permit logistics, and most of the restaurant inventory are not yet open. The cruising ground works but the on-shore product does not.
We pass on the Porto Rotondo to Porto Cervo daily transit as a substitute for a Porto Cervo slot. The 6 nautical mile run is workable on the yacht but the tender congestion and the daily fuel burn pulls €1K to €3K a day in friction that an outer Porto Cervo anchor at Romazzino avoids.
Multi-region pairings
The Costa Smeralda-Maddalena 7-day rotation is the standard charter week. The cross to Bonifacio adds 1 to 2 nights on the Corsican side and works cleanly within the week.
The Costa Smeralda-southern Corsica 10-day one-way (Olbia board, Porto Cervo, Maddalena, Bonifacio, west around the Corsican south coast to Propriano and Ajaccio, disembark Ajaccio) is the strongest long-form western Mediterranean charter. We cover the Corsica side on the Corsica page.
The Costa Smeralda-Sicily structure runs technically (Porto Cervo to Palermo, 250 nautical miles) but pulls into a 12-day charter with 2 passage days. Most clients pick one ground or the other.
The cross-pillar question (villa or charter)
The Costa Smeralda holds the deepest hillside villa inventory in Italy at €30K to €200K per week, much of it built into the original Aga Khan development plan with private water access. For clients who want the Ferragosto social calendar without the marina pressure, a villa stay plus day charters from Porto Cervo or Porto Rotondo to the Maddalena works at €8K to €25K per day. The yacht charter answers when the trip wants the Maddalena and Bonifacio overnight inventory, when the group prefers the deep anchor swim rhythm to a beach club routine, or when the social calendar runs through 3 to 4 different shore points (Cervo, Phi Beach, Billionaire, Cala di Volpe) and the yacht serves as the movable base.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Romazzino, Pantogia, and Pevero villa inventory plus the Porto Rotondo hillside options. HotelsForKings covers the Hotel Cala di Volpe, the Hotel Romazzino, the Cervo Hotel, and the Pitrizza. RestaurantsForKings covers Madai, Spinnaker, the Hotel Cala di Volpe lunch, the Cervo, the Cipriani at Cala di Volpe, and the Stella d'Oro at Bonifacio. BarsForKings covers Phi Beach, the Billionaire, the Cervo Tennis Bar, and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda terrace.
FAQ
What size yacht works best at the Costa Smeralda? 45m to 65m motor yacht. Porto Cervo holds 90 superyacht slots and the bulk take 40m to 70m yachts. Above 80m the berthing tightens to 3 to 4 outer slots and the booking lead time stretches to 18 months for August.
When is the Costa Smeralda at its best for a charter week? August Ferragosto (August 12 to August 20) for the full social density and the Sardinia Cup calendar. The last two weeks of June and the first 10 days of September for the same coastline at 25 to 35 percent off August rates without the marina pressure.
How does the Maddalena permit work? The Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena issues daily anchor permits for protected anchorages (Cala Coticcio, Spiaggia Rosa, Cala Corsara, parts of Spargi and Budelli). The captain applies through the park authority 30 to 90 days ahead. The permit covers 1 to 3 anchorages per day, and the August quotas fill quickly.
Is Porto Cervo worth the August premium? Yes if the trip wants the Ferragosto social calendar. The €4K to €9K per night berth rate is paired with full Yacht Club access, the Promenade du Port restaurant inventory, and direct tender to the Cervo village. For non-Ferragosto August weeks the answer is to overnight at Porto Rotondo or anchor at Pevero and visit Porto Cervo by tender.
Can I do the Costa Smeralda without Maddalena? Technically yes, but the Maddalena archipelago is the swimming product. A Costa Smeralda week without the Maddalena anchorages compresses to 4 days of beach club routine and misses the strongest natural anchorages on the coast. Include 2 to 3 nights at the Maddalena minimum.