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Mallorca vs Sardinia vs Corsica
We are off to our annual trip to Paris for business next May and I’m deciding about where to go for our second week. It will be 3rd week of May and we will be coming from Paris. I’m trying to find new places to explore and we haven’t been to any of these islands. Any thoughts? Would probably want to just base ourself in one place. It’s more about relaxation, eating well and my husband getting some paddle boarding in, if possible. If anyone has had a fabulous time on one of these islands let me know. Thanks! |
Had a week in northern Corsica this year and really liked it, very relaxing, great food, scenery and beaches. Extremely mountainous. May would be too cold for me to be in the sea in any of these islands.
Any of the islands you mentioned would have the same, good food, beaches etc. and you could have a fabulous time on any. |
Mallorca is of course more developed than Corsica or Sardinia. This can be both good and bad.
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I’ve been to all three multiple times. I’d say that that generally the food on Corsica is better than Mallorca or Sardinia. As Kerouac posts, Mallorca is a much bigger tourist economy than the other two islands and has more two offer. However, Northern Sardinia and Southern Corsica have some of the best beaches/ coastal landscales in Europe. It’s a short ferry journey between the two. May is a good time to visit, the weather should be pretty good and it will not be overly busy. We swore “never again” in July, as parts of all three islands are just unworkably busy. Look at the coast between Santa Teresa and Palau. Stunning coast but without the ridiculous prices of the Costa Smerelda. |
But the sea is not warm enough to swim in May, is it?
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The Scandinavians don't find that a problem.
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Or the Scots. I’ve travelled the world being stared at by locals, having them call the emergency services in case I suffered from shock whilst swimming in water temperatures less than 75oF. The only location that I made a VERY large mistake was Camps Bay in Cape Town. A ridiculously fashionable place, we had just driven from the East (Indian Ocean]. Cape Toown gets the Atlantic and Antarctic currents, the air temperature was 24oC and the rest of the soft locals were just lay on the beach or in bars. I’ve never suffered such a huge shock, I lasted 10 seconds, it was incredibly cold, much colder than Scotland in February. For most Europeans May in the Med is fine, if you from a Florida the you are going to think twice. |
I guess you've never tried to go swimming in Maine (USA). In August, the warmest the water gets, it's only 17-20 degrees C. (63-68 F) and people swim in that.
Of the three islands I've only been to Mallorca (the other two are near the top of my "to do list". The advantage Mallorca has is that in addition to beautiful beaches and cute small towns, there is a major city - Palma. I really liked Palma and there's plenty to do there for several days not even counting all the other places on the island. Question for the people who've been to Sardina and Corsica - does it make sense to combine those two in one vacation (if so how long). If I were going to visit Sicily as well it seems like it would take a long time to do all three. Does it make more sense to combine Sicily and Sardinia and maybe southern Corsica and do northern Corsica on another trip? |
Originally Posted by BDKR
(Post 17000756)
But the sea is not warm enough to swim in May, is it?
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I’m really surprised you post that Odin. I’ve always found Easter to be the turning point in the Amex, wouldn’t swim before then. Rarely hesitate after then. |
Sea water is definitely cold around Cape Town, perfect for seals and African penguins. The beach at Camps Bay is stunning, but my relatives swear the water is warmer at Fourth Beach in nearby Clifton. The first time I put my feet in the water at Camps Bay was in late December, and it reminded me of water temperature in Lake Superior (numbing). Perhaps that was a little early in the summer, because the water in April seemed warmer.
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“seals and African penguins” and the big white thing. which was strangely enough seen in the waters off Mallorca last year. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8425421.html |
There is a woman who lives near us, though I don't know exactly where, who swims daily in the canals around us. Only if the ice is too thick does she not swim. I've also seen her swimming in the sea here as late as November and as early as March. Obviously she is well used to swimming in cold open waters.
No wetsuit either. My son went to Sardinia last year in May and loved it. He swam in the sea. |
Not so many “big white things” around Cape Town these days, to the dismay of the shark cage diving companies:
https://www.iol.co.za/business-repor...asons-33657901 |
If you do decide on Sardinia don't rely on Google Maps: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-lost-tourists
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Thanks for all the responses. No worries about water temp, my husband went into the Atlantic May 2017 in Saint Jean du Luz and Getaria. He paddle boards in Santa Barbara all year round and our water temps are 55 in winter and 65 average in summer. I’ve been gazing at a map this afternoon and started thinking, we’ve never been to Valencia and we could take the ferry from there to Ibiza for a few nights. Maybe that’s the ticket. Or maybe Valencia and a small coastal town near Barcelona. We’ve spent a lot of time in Barcelona so going someplace new would be nice and we could fly back to calif from BCN. We loved staying in Getaria 2 years ago and again we had been to Saint Sebastian 3 or 4 times so it was nice to see another part of that area. |
I was in Valencia as well as Ibiza, Mallorca and Tarragona last March. Great trip. Not beach weather in March but in May it would be based on what you just said.
Here's my trip report that covers all those - https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...agona-1667547/ |
Thank you Isabel. I just read through that. Full of great information. |
Valencia & Ibiza: excellent plan!
Ibiza will be a lot livelier than Corsica or Sardinia. Were in Sardinia in June and beaches in the east and the south were deserted. No sunbeds for rent, nothing. Only the Costa Smeralda and Alghero were somewhat lively. |
May can be very rainy in the whole Western Mediterranean area. But there is no rule, every year is different.
For places with guests from Northern Europe, the beach season begins in June. Ibiza can be reached by plane from everywhere in Europe and by ferry from the Spanish ports of Denia, Gandia, Valencia , Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. Idem for the 3 Sardinian airports (Cagliari, Olbia, Alghero); ferries to Sardinia from Barcelona, Toulon, Genoa, Leghorn, Piombino, Civitavecchia, Naples and Palermo. Corsica and Sardinia may be interesting for people interested in the ancient local cultures of these Islands (Filitosa, Barumini, Tharros and the museums of Sassari and Cagliari). |
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