World Wide Nate in Sardinia
Discovering a new destination in the world is the equivalent of finding a random amount of money in my pocket while doing laundry.
Discovering a new destination in the world is the equivalent of finding a random amount of money in my pocket while doing laundry. Six years ago, I met Samuele and his wife in China while having dinner on the top floor of the Macau Tower. We randomly met a few days later at a club in Hong Kong, and he introduced me to the existence of his home, the island of Sardinia, Italy.
His description had mythical elements, as if he were from Atlantis. Years later, I traveled to Cagliari, the capitol city of Sardinia, which is the second largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily being the first. Cagliari is a port city with a lot of history dating back to the 14th century. While I waited for Samuele to pick me up, I decided to wander around Cagliari to the medieval town of Castello, a former fortress sitting on top of a hill. Castello definitely has its vantage points, with incredible panoramic views of the city.
The narrow streets are just wide enough for cars to navigate, now filled with restaurants, businesses and residential apartments. Castello maintains structures that are centuries old, like the Tower of the Elephant — the second largest tower in Cagliari, used to defend the city from attacks. Sardinia’s coastlines are dotted with white sand beaches, which make them a hot spot for Italians visiting from the mainland during the summer, as well as foreigners like myself.
Samuele picked me up from Cagliari, and we rode fifty-minutes southeast to Castiadas to Is Fradis Beach Club. Samuele and his wife Sarah are in the second year of operating Is Fradis Beach Club (translation “the brothers”). Is Fradis has a welcoming vibe that is great for families, couples and even singles that spend six plus days visiting. The beach club is open from May to October and provides a variety of amenities that will keep you there all day. The restaurant serves Michelin style food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Italians aren’t big on breakfast, but Is Fradis manages to serve a filling bacon, eggs and toast. The dinner menu is traditional Italian, with the freshly caught fish taking the dinner to another level.
The club has its own section on the beach where you can rent a lounge chair and lay out under the sun. You can order food or drinks from a server without leaving the beach and enjoy the turquoise blue water seascape — great for swimming. The coastline is filled with beachgoers socializing, exercising, playing hand tennis and making sand castles. The daytime is peaceful and vibrant, but the nighttime is flawless for beach parties.
The driving force for my visit was to catch up with friends, but the added attraction was the 12-hour full moon party from 6pm to 6am. During the day, a stage was built, and speakers were placed on the beach in preparation for the seven DJ rotation. As the night fell, the full moon lit the black sky, and Italian accents added ambiance to the house music pulsating through the speakers.
People were in constant motion, shuffling between the bar and beach, dancing in the sand in flip-flops or bare foot. Fist pumps and shouts from the crowd filled the air, and I realized I wanted to be at Is Fradis every year!
