Your Gulf of Orosei Lunch Cruise: A Practical Guide to the Day on Board

• Top choice Catamaran with lunch from US$276 Duration8 hours^[1]Rating4.91 from 268 reviews^[1]GuideLive tour guide: English, French, Italian, Spanish^[1]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[1] Check availability
• Baunei Coast day boat from US$75 Duration9 hours^[3]Rating4.42 from 549 reviews^[3]GuideLive tour guide: Italian, English^[3]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[3] See this tour
• Cruise to Cala Goloritzè from US$79 Duration7.5 hours^[4]Rating4.30 from 3,722 reviews^[4]GuideAudio guide: Italian, English, German, French^[4]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours^[4] See this tour

Lunch on board a Gulf of Orosei catamaran

A lunch served on board changes the shape of a boat day. On a catamaran the meal is normally eaten sitting down at a table rather than balanced on a knee, and the wide deck means you are not stuck in one spot while the coastline slides past. The trip from Arbatax is listed as the Gulf Orosei Catamaran Boat Trip with Lunch and runs 8 hours with a live tour guide in English, French, Italian and Spanish.^[1] It is the sort of day you build the rest of a holiday around, so keep the evening free.

Ask the operator two questions before you pay: when the meal is served, and whether it comes before or after the first swim. If you know that lunch lands around the middle of the day, you can judge how much breakfast you need and whether to pack something for the sail out. It also helps to know whether it is a single sitting or a buffet, so nobody in your group is still in the water when the food appears. Portions on a boat are usually generous, but a second helping is not guaranteed, and once the table is cleared there may be little on offer until you are back in harbour.

Dietary requirements and special meal requests

Dietary requests are handled best in writing and well ahead of the sailing date. Say plainly whether you are vegetarian, vegan, coeliac, lactose intolerant or managing a serious allergy, and ask what the kitchen can prepare without cross-contamination. A galley on a boat has limited space and a fixed number of portions, so a note sent at the time of booking is far easier to act on than a request made at the harbour with the engines already running. If you are travelling as a group, send one message listing everybody rather than four separate requests.

If the answer you get is vague, plan for a backup. Nut bars, rice cakes, fruit and a sealed sandwich travel well in a cool bag, and they keep a hungry child quiet on the long run home. The catamaran trip is run with a live tour guide in English, French, Italian and Spanish.^[1] Repeat your request when you board, and tell the crew about anything they should know in an emergency, such as an adrenaline pen or an inhaler. Written confirmation of a special meal is worth keeping on your phone, especially when a booking has passed through several hands.

Limestone cliffs drop straight into clear water along the Gulf of Orosei

Drinks and water throughout the day

Water is the item people forget. Sun, wind and salt make you thirsty faster than a day in town, and once you are offshore there is nowhere to buy a bottle. Ask what drinks come with the meal and what is available during the rest of the sail, then bring a refillable bottle anyway and keep it in the shade rather than in direct sun, where plastic soon tastes of plastic. If wine or soft drinks matter to you, check whether they are part of the meal or paid for separately, and whether the boat takes card or only cash.

Go easy on alcohol while the boat is moving and the sun is high. A swim after two glasses of wine is a poor idea anywhere, and the run back to harbour is usually the stretch when people feel the heat most. Keep one bottle of fresh water for rinsing sandy feet and salty faces, and take your rubbish back to shore. The Gulf of Orosei is protected within the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu, a protected area in Sardinia, Italy.^[6] A refillable bottle and a small dry bag will do more for your day than any gadget in the beach bag.

Toilet facilities on the catamaran

On a catamaran the washrooms, often called heads, sit below deck in the hulls, reached by a few steps down from the saloon or the cockpit. They are usually compact, with a hand pump or an electric flush, and the floor can be wet long before anyone has been swimming. Ask the crew where they are and how they work as soon as you are aboard, before you need them, and find out where the paper goes. Marine toilets block easily, and a blocked head is the quickest way to spoil an afternoon for everyone on the boat.

Coves in the Gulf generally have no facilities, so the boat is your only option between swim stops. Use the harbour toilets before you board, especially if you are travelling with children, and work out a simple rule for the day. If anyone in your group is nervous about going below while the boat is moving, ask the crew for the calmest moment, which is often while the catamaran is anchored and the rest of the group is in the water. Change into swimwear before the first stop rather than queueing for the cabin later.

Shade and seating arrangements

Shade is the first thing to sort out when you step aboard. Catamarans carry a hard top or a canvas bimini over the saloon and cockpit, with a broad open foredeck and trampoline for sunbathing, so there is usually a choice between full sun and cover. Claim a spot under the roof early if you burn easily or you are travelling with small children, and move around through the day so nobody cooks on one side for the whole crossing. Sitting low and central is also the most comfortable place if the swell picks up on the way home.

Bring a hat with a strap, high-factor sunscreen and a light long-sleeved shirt for the ride home, when the boat turns and the sun catches you from a new angle. Bare shoulders and the back of the neck are the usual casualties, and a rash vest works better than reapplying cream every hour. The sea itself is warm in high summer: the average water temperature in the Gulf of Orosei in August is 26.5 °C, with a minimum of 24.4 °C and a maximum of 29 °C over the last decade.^[2]

Boarding and accessing the water

Boarding at Arbatax is usually by gangway or a short step across from the quay, with crew on hand to take bags and steady an elbow. Wear shoes with grip rather than smooth soles, keep both hands free, and hold children's hands until they are settled. The Gulf of Orosei stretches 30 kilometres along the eastern coast of Sardinia, so the sail out and back is a real part of the day rather than a quick hop.^[7] Arrive with time to spare, keep your booking confirmation available offline, and note the harbour name in case you need it for a taxi later.

Getting into the water is the part people underestimate. You step down a ladder from the stern or the sugar scoop and you climb back up the same way, often with wet hands and the boat moving gently. Take your time, use the handrails, and ask a crew member to spot you if you are not a confident swimmer. Cala Mariolu is famous for its crystal-clear water, white pebbles and dramatic limestone cliffs that plunge into the sea.^[8] Water shoes help on pebble beaches, and a rash vest saves you from both sun and stone.

Comfort for children and limited-mobility guests

Catamarans suit families better than most boats because there is room to move about, a stable platform and shade to retreat to. Pack a small bag per child with a sun hat, a towel, a snack and a dry change of clothes, and ask the operator about life jackets in children's sizes before you book. If your child is prone to seasickness, a seat in the middle of the boat, a plain breakfast and plenty of water help more than anything you can buy at a pharmacy once you are out at sea. Watch young children near the bow and the trampoline when the boat is under way, and agree a meeting point on deck in case you split up.

For guests with limited mobility, the questions to ask are specific: is there a step-free route from the quay to the deck, how wide is the gangway, is there a toilet you can reach, and can the crew help you into the water or keep you comfortable on board. Some Gulf of Orosei listings are marked wheelchair accessible, including a dinghy excursion from Cala Gonone to Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè that runs 7 hours.^[9] Boat crews are generally willing to help, but only if they know in advance, so put the question in writing when you book.

Planning your day on board

1. Ask about the meal

   Ask the operator for the menu, the serving time and whether drinks come with it, before you pay, so nobody is surprised on the water.

2. Send dietary notes early

   Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy requests are easier for a galley to handle when the message arrives days ahead, not at the harbour.

3. Pack for sun and spray

   Hat, sunscreen, a light long-sleeved layer, a refillable bottle and shoes that grip a wet deck cover most of what the day asks of you.

4. Confirm the details

   Boarding in Arbatax can be busy. Check the departure point and a contact number for the operator the day before you sail.

5. Sort out your swim stop

   Pack a towel and a dry bag for phones. If you want to go ashore at a protected cove, arrange any reservation well before the trip.

Worth knowing