I am interested in Sardenia as a possible Christmas vacation spot for my family this December 2013. Has anyone been recently and if so, where would you base yourself with two weeks of vacation? Thanks for your help!

I'm going for a couple of weeks in July. Have had little joy with finding out in advance. Travelling hopefully. Solo. With no plans. Will report back

Thanks-keep me posted!

I would not say it is a place to spend one's Christmas holidays. Except for the main cities (Cagliari, Alghero, Olbia and Sassari), everything will be closed. Sardinia's main attraction is its wonderful beaches and in December, it might not be very pleasant to stroll on the shore. I have been three times to Sardinia, each time off season, but in October and March when one could enjoy the sun and good weather.

Duty free...it looks like you are trying to find a beachy place in Europe for your Xmas holidays...most places are summer resorts and not at their best in dec and some have a lot of things that close in off season. may I suggest either embracing winter and doing something like the Xmas markets in Germany or France or Belgium...or forgetting the beach and aiming for warmer (not hot) cities in Southern Europe like Rome, Nice, Lisbon, or maybe Sicily...

Best of luck!

I have been 7 times all between May and September. Outside July and August it is quite. The weather at Christmas could be awful, damp cold and wet.

Personally I would go to Tuscany, Sardinia is a summer destination.

It probably would be a good idea to ask what you want out of the break. There are very few beach destinations in Europe for Christmas. Geographically, The Canaries are in Africa and Sicily will struggle to 65of.

I am not looking for a beach resort holiday but rather a destination that can be reached from the UK and within 3-5 hours.
Our past vacations have included Cyprus,the Canaries,Morocco and Egypt/Jordan during the Christmas holidays.The family joke has become that anytime we visit a country during Christmas time the country either has a revolution,economic collapse,bombing or volcanic episodes?

Our family is looking for a place that doesn't completely close down during the Christmas holidays and one that the weather might be anywhere between 50-70F.Looking forward history,sea and mountains,independent traveling and great food or wine?

We started this tradition 5 years ago when we lost all of the grandparents so have found that being out of the "hype" of Christmas and the sales has been a family bonding time with our adult children that we treasure !

I should add that with both of my kids living in the UK and me flying to various parts of Europe everyweek for work,we are looking for someplace that might be new and different for all of us. I live in Chicago so winter weather is sometimes nice to get out of?
We are not tour or resort people and embrace renting a car to travel independently around a country.
I have found through my various layovers in Europe that places like Italy and Spain close up for several days over the Christmas holiday so am looking for an area where we could find something other than a Chinese restaurant open on the 25th?

Three of my recent responses on this site have been to you so you'll forgive me if I both answer this question and anticipate a little!
I was in Sardinia in September and liked it very much but that does not mean that it serves as a midwinter destination. Read D.H.Lawrence's unexpectedly compelling account of a journey through Sardinia in winter-Sea and Sardinia.

I think that your suggestion of Madeira was good.
I also recall after visiting Ragusa in Sicily in September a few years ago,that on the subsequent Christmas Day it was 22 degrees. There is loads to see and do in Sicily.
Heraklion in Crete is more of a place for winter than you would imagine because the university means it has year round young population. The city itself is not particularly attractive but is a useful jumping off point for the rest of the island.
Or grasp the nettle and go to Edinburgh.
One other thing- twice in the last few years British airports have hit melt down over Christmas,you probably know that. Very generally there seem to be fewer problems in the provinces(partly due to the fact that those airports handle less traffic).It is worth being aware of the alternatives when you book and having a plan B

Frances-my daughter lived in Sicily (Ortigia) for 5 months and its one of our favorite places but because of it being very religious we were leaving it off our list as alot would be closed around Christmas.

I will look into Crete as that was on my Plan B list.Madeira seems like it would work but am wondering if you would be bored in December after a week if the weather wasn't working out?

Thanks for the imput-keep those suggestions coming as I am trying to snag a decent airfare to keep the costs down!

A friend convinced me that the South of France is seriously overlooked as a winter sun destination. Lots to do and good food!
By the way I was driving past Manchester3 this morning at about 9.15 and saw the American plane parked up- did you come in on it?

Seville?

Turkey? Surely apt fpr Christmas.

I am seriously thinking about Madeira now after getting the Fodors Portugal book out of the library. It seems to tick all the spots on the list for our family so am going to look into it as number one on our list.
Frances-our family has been to the south of France many years ago and loved it.PS-I don't work for American.