ecann1

Hi all,

My husband and I are looking to take a vacation in either Sardinia or the Costa Brava this mid-August. He will be working at the Edinburgh festival the week before, so he and I are looking for a place we can unwind and relax, but we also love to wander about in villages, historical sites and see geography that is different from Northeast U.S. We are thinking of flying from U.K. to ? And then from ? Back home. Any input/opinions from travelers would be welcome!

All accounts seem to suggest that Sardinia will be dreadfully hot and somewhat crowded, This is also why I have sadly excluded Amalfi coast from the running. I do heed these warnings, but we were warned the same about Mallorca for our Honeymoon (August as well) and we found it to be extremely charming and relaxing, as well as cooler and less crowded than NYC. Is that because we stayed at a finca in the interior around Soller and drove around? Maybe. We were thinking about returning to Mallorca, but of course don't want to merely reproduce our Honeymoon.

We were initially interested in returning to the Costa Brava because we loved it the first time, and we missed visiting a number of places (Castellfollit de la Roca, Pals, Cadaques, Llafranc, as well as driving over the French bordert) and would love to return to a few places like San Llorenc de la Muga as well as to the mountainous coast..

I then became very excited by the possibility of going to Sardinia. I thought maybe that could be similar to our Mallorca travel experience (car, history, interior travel, plenty of beach for everyone.) And Sardinia seems to have such an intriguing cross-section of cultural influence. Does anyone know if the geography/country is as beautiful and varied on that of the Costa Brava?

I am really confusing myself because there are so many beautiful places to choose from. Also my hubby will be working a very tough summer schedule and I don't want to ultimately choose a place that will be just as hectic. Thx! Erika

P.S. I have also had basal cell skin cancer so although it's OK if I'm in the sun with sunscreen, it might be a consideration if Sardinia is much hotter than northern Spain. Comparisons on internet show it to be about a 5 degree F difference.

Bedar

I think Sardinia would be less crowded which is important to me.

kja

I take it you ruled out visiting Scotland....

massimop

Sardinia is beautiful! In Costa Brava you have too many big ugly buildings but not in Sardinia. Only the part that is the Costa Smeralda and in the vicinity of Alghero is crowded. Maybe places like Arbatax. But you don't need to go to the famous places to be where it is beautiful. Maybe you would like to go near Bosa. Beaches are beautiful close to there and the towns in the hills are very pretty.

I have never been to Mallorca. I don't know where it is hotter. Portugal and northern Spain are nice. They are not so hot (I do not believe.) There are not many people who go to Galicia in Spain and it is very beautiful views of the sea and nice old towns.

BritishCaicos

I have been to both many, many times and will probably soon buy a house on Mallorca.

I've have no idea why anyone would tell you that either island is too hot in summer. Hot compared to the UK, yes I agree but both are sizeable islands which have their local climates regulated by the sea. Temperatures on both islands rarely exceed 35oC and both frequently enjoy sea breezes to keep the figures down. The humidity is usually low compared to many areas of The States.

Both islands have a simply perfect summer climate.

They are similar in many ways as they have coastal development, stunning coasts and largely undeveloped interiors. In Sardinia's case I'd say that the coasts are more stunning, the interiors less developed but it has generally less to offer in terms of contemporary culture and historic sites.

Both have pretty good air links and I'm sure Jet2 still fly from Edinburgh to Olbia.

For a first visit I'd definitely suggest staying in the area to the North of Olbia. From here you have access to enough stunning beaches for each day of the year and easy day trips to the La Maddalena islands or Bonifacio on Corsica.

August can be busy but not on the scale other other Southern European destinations, it's very easy to find a quiet corner.

It's definitely a good choice for a break from our over bearing heat in Scotland.

Good question was offered above.

What about Scotland?

We have had pretty good summers recently, it hasn't snowed in August for years!

frencharmoire

Sardegna is wonderful and if you pick the right place I don't think you will find anything hectic or overwhelming. Just stay away from the northeast corner around Olbia, etc, and its pricey resorts. Alghero gets cruise ships and cheap flights, so put yourself some distane from that too. Since it is an island, Sardegna does get breezy. Nights should be mild even if you want to hide from the sun during much of the day. You definitely would need a car to go sightseeing interesting places in the interior. You might want to split up your stay with some days quite near the coast but other days stay inland. I would think the mountains would be cooler than the valleys.

However, I also will suggest Galicia and maybe also the Azores? Never been to the Azores and have no idea how crowded the islands get in August, or what the temps are, but Galicia has mild temps and some very very beautiful seascapes. You'd need to avoid Santiago de Compestela and all the other stops on the "Camino" The town of A Coruna might be a mob scene, because I think there are lots of cheap flights from Northern Europe heading into there. But if you rented a car and headed to the more secluded parts of the coast, I don't think you'd run into many foreign tourists. Food is absolutely fabulous there, and there are charming towns. Here's info:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/g...articles/77390

Elsewhere for your sensitive skin,there are beautiful seascapes in Scotland you can combine with good hiking, although starting out from Edinburgh, they might be as time consuming to reach as Sardegna. Depends on what you pick. If you just want to conk out, relax and eat, the seacoast of Belgium might be simple to hop over and enjoy, especially if you are cyclists, since everything there is flat. It can get windy on the beach. .Could be that Beligan beaches are crowded in August, I don't know.