Sardinia- which northeast town?
Mar 25th, 2015, 06:30 AM
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Sardinia- which northeast town?
Going in August. Want to sight see, go to la maddalena, see some beaches, have a nice town with restaurants. Considering golfo aranci or Palau but am open to suggestion. Rick steves says golfo aranci is no big deal. Has anyone been there? I need some advice! Thanks.
Mar 25th, 2015, 08:01 AM
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I've been to Golfo Aranci many many times. My sister in law has a condo on the beach. It is a great little town. It's very economical compared to the towns close to it, but it has the same features. Golfo has very good restaurants and fantastic beaches. If there are shortcomings, they are that it has limited hotels, but the ones it does have are extremely great and relatively economical, as I have said. The best of these hotels is the Gabbiano Azzuro (the Blue Seagull), on its' own beach. It is fantastic. If you have a car, which is almost mandatory, you can visit such places as Porto Cervo and Porto Rotundo, where all the gliteratti hang out, if that's what you like. I have seen and spoken to many of them, but really wasn't impressed. If you DO go to Golfo Aranci, try to be there on August 15th. They have a celebration which will knock your socks off, and the food, drink and entertainment is ALL FREE! They celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. It's really a terrific feast.
Mar 25th, 2015, 08:48 AM
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I've been to Golfo Aranci only once, and I didn't spend the night. It was the off season, so I can't say what it's like in high season. However, I thought it was a beautiful spot. It seemed a more unpretentious, untouristy place than other coastal resorts I've seen in Sardinia.
The name sounds as though it would derive from "Gulf of the oranges", but apparently it derives from "Gulf of the crabs (granchi)." In either case, referring to it simply as "Golfo" sounds a bit odd. Do people who live there really call it simply "Golfo"?
The name sounds as though it would derive from "Gulf of the oranges", but apparently it derives from "Gulf of the crabs (granchi)." In either case, referring to it simply as "Golfo" sounds a bit odd. Do people who live there really call it simply "Golfo"?
Mar 25th, 2015, 10:07 AM
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Sardinia isn't great for the sort of town you a looking for.
To be honest the main town on La Maddalena is lovely and is what you are looking for but is bonkers busy in August and you are stuck on the island.
Palau suffers from being a ferry town.
Golfo Aranci is fine but certainly nothing special.
Porto Cervo and Baia Sardinia have no substance at all.
Santa Teresa had many solid restaurants but the town beach gets very, very busy in August.
Personally I would stay here.
To be honest the main town on La Maddalena is lovely and is what you are looking for but is bonkers busy in August and you are stuck on the island.
Palau suffers from being a ferry town.
Golfo Aranci is fine but certainly nothing special.
Porto Cervo and Baia Sardinia have no substance at all.
Santa Teresa had many solid restaurants but the town beach gets very, very busy in August.
Personally I would stay here.
Mar 25th, 2015, 02:02 PM
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<< Sardinia isn't great for the sort of town you a looking for. >>
He's looking for "some beaches and a nice town with restaurants". Practically any coastal town in Sardegna meets those modest criteria.
He's looking for "some beaches and a nice town with restaurants". Practically any coastal town in Sardegna meets those modest criteria.
Mar 25th, 2015, 02:29 PM
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Not in the NE corner, north of Olbia.
The coastal towns south of Olbia are more resort type but it is a long way to Palau for day trips to La Maddalena.
They are either bases for yachts with no beach, ferry towns, surreal Costa Smeralda fake towns, or villa resorts with no restaurants.
In the NE corner, Golfo Aranci and Santa Teresa have beaches and restaurants without being over the top resorts.
I found the ferry terminal in Golfo Aranci to be a little off putting but the swimming was fine. Spent many enjoyable afternoons at the beach bar waiting for plane flights out of Olbia.
The coastal towns south of Olbia are more resort type but it is a long way to Palau for day trips to La Maddalena.
They are either bases for yachts with no beach, ferry towns, surreal Costa Smeralda fake towns, or villa resorts with no restaurants.
In the NE corner, Golfo Aranci and Santa Teresa have beaches and restaurants without being over the top resorts.
I found the ferry terminal in Golfo Aranci to be a little off putting but the swimming was fine. Spent many enjoyable afternoons at the beach bar waiting for plane flights out of Olbia.
Mar 25th, 2015, 03:24 PM
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If you are really interested in spending time in Golfo (as the locals call it), try to get reservations in one of the three folowing places: The Gabbiano Azzuro Hotel,anyplace in The Golfo di Marinella, and anyplace in La Terza Spiaggia, (The Third Beach). There are five beaches right in the town, and they conveniently call them by numbers one through five. A great place to eat is La Spigola, right on the Secundo Spiaggia. One of the many great mistakes in my life was that in the early 1990's, I could have purchased a broken down building on that second beach. It was so ramshackle that I laughed it off. A guy named Cristofero bought it and turned it into the best restaurant in the area. I gotta say it ain't the best food, althought it's good, but it has the absolute best atsmosphere in the area.
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