Night location: Santa Maria Navarrese, Italy

Well, we have saved the best until last. Today is our last full day in Sardinia and we think that the east coast is by far the prettiest that we have seen. We have visited eleven beaches in the last eight days, and the three we swam at today were the most spectacular.

The Golfo di Orosei is a part of Sardinia's largest national park and the beaches on this stretch of coast are only accessible by boat or some, like the Cala Goloritze, by hiking. The honeycombed limestone cliffs plunge dramatically into exquisitely aquamarine or turquoise waters and the coves of white pebbles are sporadically littered with large boulders.

We were picked up from our hotel and driven to the port to board our boat for the day where similarly to the La Maddelena tour, we were the only English speakers on board. Cruising north we passed the spire at Cala Goloritze and pulled in to our first beach, Cala Mariolu. The organisation in this region is exceptional. Boats pull in to the coves that are so deep they can sail right in to the shore, passengers disembark via a gangplank that is dropped directly on to the beach and then they float away leaving the coast clear for sun baking, swimming and posing for photos. Interestingly, there is even a 'public transport' equivalent boat system that drops off and collects passengers from the main beaches in a similar manner to a bus.

After an hour and a half of pure bliss, we were picked up and taken to our second stop, the Cala Biriola, which was smaller but we think prettier than the first beach. We swam and lounged for an hour before being collected and served a generous Italian lunch on board our boat.

The third and final beach was Cala dei Gabbiani, where we were left for two hours, while some others on our boat opted to go into a cave. Dark clouds had rolled in during lunch and there were a few light spits of rain, but it seemed to clear quite quickly which was fortunate. Amber swam right out into the sapphire blue deep water and around the large boulders at the edge of the bay to the next cove, where from the water she could see the needle of Cala Goloritze. The clarity of the water allows you to see schools of fish swimming on the bottom, meters below your feet and you float over huge rocks that appear much closer than they actually are. Absolutely perfect swimming conditions!

For our return journey we sat up the front of the boat in the delightful afternoon sun and marvelled at the rugged terrain once more. Of all the regions in Italy that we have travelled to, Sardinia has been our favourite as it combines all of the things we love: a fascinating history; picturesque towns with narrow cobbled laneways that open into piazzas; spectacular natural scenery; exceptional swimming spots with pristine water; and a variety of delicious food including fresh produce, cheeses and local specialities.