Costa Smeralda for golfers: Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza and Romazzino

The Costa Smeralda has a single benchmark golf course and a great many luxury hotels. Three of them, all five-star, are Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza and Romazzino, designed or opened in the 1960s. The course is the Pevero Golf Club: but each hotel presents it differently, and the difference shows when you book.

Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza and Romazzino compared

Pevero at a glance

The course opened in 1972 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones: 18 holes, par 72, 6,107 metres between the Gulf of Pevero and the bay of Cala di Volpe, among granite outcrops and Mediterranean scrub. From the 4th hole you can see Corsica and Caprera. In 1978 it hosted the Italian Open, won by Dale Hayes. The 2026 green fee for 18 holes runs from 120 to 180 euros depending on the season, the maximum handicap is 54 and the dress code is strict: no jeans, T-shirts or cargo shorts. Tee times are booked online; at the club you will find the Pevero Golf Academy, with courses for juniors too, and a driving range with Toptracer.

Hotel Cala di Volpe: the only one with a package

The Hotel Cala di Volpe was designed between 1961 and 1963 by Jacques Couëlle, whom Jacques Prévert called "the anarchitect", and it looks like a small seaside village in stone and rough plaster. In the film "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) James Bond and Anya stay there, and on the same bay the 16th hole at Pevero is dedicated to 007.

It is the only one of the three with a dedicated offer: Unlimited Golf, which includes unlimited play, breakfast in the main restaurant, one 18-hole round for two and discounted lessons. The published conditions excluded high summer (in 2025 from 23 June to 14 September) and no price is given: you book by phone with the hotel. All 121 rooms have a private terrace; at the top is the Harrods Suite. The swimming pool is Olympic-size and saltwater, according to the hotel the largest in Europe. To reach the sea you take the boat from the private jetty: a shuttle every 30 minutes, from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and in five minutes you are on the reserved beach. Dinner options are Le Grand, Matsuhisa and Beefbar, and the SHISEIDO Spa rounds off the offer.

Hotel Pitrizza: the most discreet

The architect Luigi Vietti designed the Hotel Pitrizza in 1963 on the hills of the Costa Smeralda and described it in a phrase the hotel still recalls: it cannot be seen from the sea, from the land or from the sky. Today it has 49 rooms and suites and 16 villas, almost all with a private pool. Its emblem is the saltwater pool carved out among the granite rocks.

For golfers, Pitrizza has one limitation: it has no course and no golf package, it declares no shuttles, discounts or dedicated bookings, and the stay-inclusive rate that Pevero sells is tied to other hotels in the area. Among the activities it suggests, however, is Pevero. Other activities include tennis and padel, water sports and sailing trips to La Maddalena and Bonifacio. The hotel is run by the Cheval Blanc brand of the LVMH group; according to TTG Media, after the renovation works it is due to be renamed Cheval Blanc Pitrizza, Costa Smeralda.

Romazzino: golf as an experience

It was Aga Khan IV himself who inaugurated Romazzino in 1965: a hotel of white arches designed by Michele Busiri Vici on the bay of the same name. Since 2024 it has been run by Belmond, which includes Pevero among its experiences: you submit a request and the hotel arranges the rest, with private lessons with a local professional and use of the putting green and driving range.

The 94 rooms and suites range from 22 to 45 m²; the signature Romazzino (80 m²) and Smeralda (81 m²) suites and the 6 villas include transfers and breakfast, and in the villas a butler. The private beach looks out over the La Maddalena archipelago and a seawater pool is cut into the rock. From the pier boats leave for Spargi, Budelli, Caprera and Cala Coticcio. For those who like to walk, the hotel points to the Pevero Health Trail, the path that winds through the hills of the course.

Families and children

All three have a club for the youngest guests. At Cala di Volpe the La Volpe Kids Club, during the opening season, runs every day from 10 am to 6:30 pm. The Kids' Club at Pitrizza welcomes children from 3 to 12 years old with the same hours; the one at Romazzino follows the same age range, with multilingual staff and babysitting on request. At Romazzino dogs are admitted only if small, up to 10 kg.

Which to choose

Those who want golf built into the stay choose Cala di Volpe, as long as they avoid high summer. Those who prefer tailored lessons and organisation by the hotel should look at Romazzino. Those who put privacy and the sea first and book the course themselves, on the club's website, will find in Pitrizza the most secluded address. In all three cases the course is the same: the difference is who books it for you.