Arriving at Villa la Roca, near Alghero in Sardinia, was a bit like happening on the set of Ground Force and Grand Designs rolled into one. Alarmingly, a workman’s van was just leaving as we drew up, while Signor Bardino, the owner, was hastily placing the last geraniums in pots around the garden.

You could almost sense his relief that we were late and I even wondered if the driving instructions had been deliberately confusing. But thankfully there was no Charlie Dimmock or Kevin McCloud waiting to surprise us. What we got instead was a lot of brow- mopping and fast Italian, from which we gleaned that there had been a rush to get the villa finished before we — husband David, daughter Peggy, 4, and I — arrived.

We were very sympathetic and complimentary about the villa, which was lovely — simply built with all mod cons and a vast pool — but we were not really here for the architecture, ancient or modern, or even the stunning outlook over dramatic countryside. If we had wanted those, we would have gone to Rome or Venice, Verona or Florence.

No, we had come for the beaches. There are hundreds of beaches on Sardinia, most with gently shelving shorelines lapped by clear water in shades of aquamarine, turquoise and indigo blue. And they are not just confined to the expensive Costa Smeralda. Pretty coves and long sandy stretches exist in spades both in the south and on the less exclusive northwest Coral Coast, where we were staying.

Here, the holiday companies Thomson and Mark Warner have joined established specialists such as Simply Sicily & Sardinia and Voyages Ilena. There’s also one company, Just Sardinia, concentrating on holidays to the island, not to mention Ryanair flights to Alghero and easyJet to Olbia and Cagliari — all making Sardinia this year’s hot destination in the Med for families.

That said, it wasn’t until our third day that we managed to tear ourselves away from Villa La Roca to investigate the famous beaches. In fact, we could have carried on happily crisping ourselves around the pool until Signor Bardino told us one evening how happy he was to have “English people” in the villa. “Italians, so messy and making noisy like a casino,” he said. “English people very quiet and not doing anything.” It was meant to be a compliment, but we didn’t like the idea of being mousy Brits and made plans to get out there and then.

The countryside was wonderful, with every bend in the road revealing another set of dramatic cliffs rising out of stunningly blue sea. Though the interior, with its twisted rock formations and coating of scrub, looks impenetrable from the coast, on a cross-country drive we found temptingly hikeable and bikeable wildflower plains unfolding between the hilly peaks.

One morning, when we pulled over to stretch our legs, a leathery-faced peasant in a dented van drew up. At first we thought he might be warning us off his land. But instead he chatted volubly while he waited for a dairy truck to take delivery of his milk churns. We understood only about 30 per cent of what he was saying (something to do with “foreigners” from mainland Italy?), but his warmth and the pastoral scene remained with us for the rest of our trip.

Soon, we each had a favourite beach. Mine was a small sandy cove at Torre del Lazzaretto, near Alghero. The sea was so shallow at the water’s edge that I could let Peggy paddle safely while reading my book. Hers was S’Abba Druche, south along the coastal road from Alghero to Bosa. It was another sandy cove but with the added attraction of warm rock pools.

David loved La Pelosa at Stintino on the far northwestern tip of the island. He said it was livelier than the other beaches — but I think it might have been the signorinas in bikinis that clinched it for him. There was another sandy cove near by, La Pelosetta, which looks on to Asinara, a small island that for 20 years housed a high- security jail. “How much harder it must have been in prison,” David remarked, “when you were so close to the pleasures of beaches like this.”

Need to know

Getting there: Chloë Bryan-Brown and family travelled with Magic of Italy (0870 8880222, www.magicofitaly.co.uk) Villa La Roca is from £429pp for a seven-night stay, including return flights from Gatwick and car hire, based on six people sharing. There are discounts for children under 12.

Further information: Italian Tourist Board (020- 7408 1254, www.enit.it). Sardinia Tourist Board (www.sardegna.com).

Reading: Sardinia (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, £12.99).

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