Houseboat vacation –Trying out Houseboat life in Italy’s first houseboat resort

Ever played with the tought of selling all your stuff, ditching everoyne, buying a boat and live in it peacefully and away from all the struggle? Well, there is place in Italy that gives you a glimpse of this. You can try out houseboat life without ditching everything. Beginning of May I got invited to spend a few nights at Italy’s first houseboat resort Marina Azzura Resort. In this article, I’m going to share some impresisons with you, things you should know and some other useful information and tips if you consider travelling to Italy’s first houseboat resort in Lignano Sabbiadore.

General information

Premise

The houses are inspired by the colors of the Italian island Burano and the houseboat concept is inspired by the Netherlands. In total there are 89 houseboats there, some on water and some on land. The houseboats on land are particularly suited for families with small kids taking into consideration increased safety. The houseboats on water are either situated in the lagoon or along the river. The houseboats are two-storeys and offer room for accomodating 6 people in total. The upper deck has a 12m2 large terrace with sunbeds, a sitting area and an umbrella.

Food

Besides the houseboats, there is a houseboat restaurant on site providing a breakfast and dinner buffet. Food can be eaten in the restaurant or can be ordered directly to the houseboat. The houseboats are also equipped with a kitchen for people that prefer self catering. Further, there are BBQ areas located throughout the resort.

Sport

There is a tennis court available for guests. Furthermore, the river invites for other sport activities like kayaking or SUP. Another way is to explore the area through the bike paths.

Pool

In the centre of the resort there is a pool area with a total surface of 450m2. There is a regular pool (including a whirl pool and water fountains) as well as kids pool available. The pool area provides the guests with pool beds and umbrellas. Starting summer 2023 there is also a poolbar and minimarket available on the pool site.

Location

You can find the houseboat hotel in Lignano Sabbiadoro in Northern Italy on the Adriatic coast. It' is situated a bit out of town along the river of Tagliamento surrounded by nature. It is also close to Bibione, another beach resort town. The nice thing is that while it’s situated in peaceful nature, it’s close to other major cities that are worth a trip like Venice or Trieste which both are only about 1h away.

Who this is for

The Marina Azzura resort is perfect for people who want to escape mass tourism and look for a quiet, relaxing as well as a unique place to spend their vacation. The resort is very kids-friendly, with a kids-friendly pool and playground as well as houseboats that are built on land to make it a save space also for the smaller family members.

Things to do

The Marina Azzura resort is the perfect place to disconnect, rest and relax. During sunny summer days you can spend your days at the hotel pool or at one of the beaches in Bibione or Lignano Sabbiadoro. When there is bad weather or you simply are looking to do something different here are a few suggestions of things you can do in Lignano Sabbiadore/Bibione.

Do a bike tour

You can rent a bike and bike to Bibione and from there along the coast to the Faro di Punta, the lighthouse. A bit further you can catch the ferry to bring you to the other side of the river to continue your bike tour to Lignano Sabbiadore before making your way back. Bikes can be rented directly at the hotel.

Visit the terme (Bibione Terme)

The health benefits of the terme that originates from a depth of 500m with a temperature of over 50 degrees have even been recognized by the ministery of health. Surrounded by pine trees with a view on the ocean, this terme is the perfect place to spend some downtime. Enjoy the hot baths or go for a soothing massage – at the Bibione Terme it’s all about pampering yourself.

Visit the charming medieval town Portoguaro

The origin of this city dates back to the 12th century. With it’s river flowing through the city, the little alleys and the skew clocktower, Portoguraro has its charme. Because of its Venetian flair it is also called little Venice and can be reached within half an hour from the resort by car or taxi. Take a stroll through the town, enjoy some delicious Italian pizza and drink an Aperol Spritz at the piazza amongst the locals.

Rent a motorboat and drive along the river

The Marina Azzura resort offers a boat rental service. There is no licence required to conduct an electric boat. So take a self-guided tour along the peaceful river and surrounding nature. The boat offers space for five people and prices start at 30 Euro for 1h.

Take a boat trip from Bibione to Caorle

You can take a boat, even bring your bike along and head to Caorle - another charming and colorful Italian city. Caorle has a beautiful, long sandy beach but also a pretty historic centre. It’s situated in the gulf of Venice and can be considered a hidden gem. Caorle is located 44km from Bibione.

Go wine tasing along the DOC-Wine route Lison Pramaggiore

This is one of the most regarded wine routes of the area famous for its high quality wines. Discover the wine area, pay a visit to different wine cellars and taste some delicous wines. There are three routes to chose from - the Classic zone, Livenza region and Tagliamento region. You can find out more about the exact location and the specifics of the different wine routes here.

Things to know

• Lignano Sabbiadoro as wel as Bibione are a seaside resorts popular amongst local and foreigh tourists. They are situated on the Adriatic Italian coast. In the summer, these places draws massive amounts of people so it can get very crowded, whilst off-season is very calm and quiet.

• The resort is open from May to September only  – the agreement with the municipality is that the houseboats are removed from the river the rest of the year.

• The ferry between Lignano Sabbiadore and Bibione doesn’t operate during strong winds and/or bad weather. You can find the ferry schedule through this link.

• The Marina Azzura resort is a bit out of town with nothing much around, so therefore a car is highly recommeded to easily get around. However, it is possible to explore by bike and there are taxi services available.

How to get there

The fastest and easiest way to get to the Marina Azzura resort is via car. If you chose to come by train or bus (or even airway when you live further away) platforms such as Omnio or Trainline help you compare trains, buses and flights and so you can book the fastest, cheapest (and hopefully most sustainable ; )) way to get to Lignano Sabbiadore.

You can find more info and directly book your stay at Marina Azzura resort via the link here.

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