We went to Cagliari last November. We know a family over there who showed us around, invited us over for meals etc. We booked an apartment near the centre of the town, so not a beach holiday at all.
It it was nice enough but far from being my favourite holiday. Cagliari is small, the surrounding countryside is a bit bland, the beaches around there aren’t as scenic as the beaches around here. However, we had a brilliant day out at Barumini. (Go there if you’re into ancient history. Sardinian history is really interesting, especially pre-Roman, and the main museum in Cagliari is good. )
As to food – we had to laugh when our hosts made us a basic dried pasta and sauce type thing and then announced that they’d got a typical Sardinian dessert……..Viennetta!