Hello everyone! I'm having trouble deciding between Sardinia and Sicily for our upcoming family vacation in August. I know August is probably the worst time to go, but because of school and another family event in London, we can only go in August. I know it'll be packed wherever we go, but I'd rather go than not go at all
Anyway so the Fodor'a community was amazing as always and helped me figure out some really nice places to stay in Sardinia, but I'm having trouble finding accommodations. Someone suggested looking into Sicily, so I did and found some really nice villas by the beach. There are TOO many options! I need help deciding which towns are best for toddlers. We have 3 kids--17, 2, and 10 months old. I'm sure the 17yr old will want to be around some kind of nightlife. For the kiddos I'd like to be close to a beach and I would also prefer restaurants/piazzas/walkable town etc. Any recommendations on nice little towns with pretty beaches?
Or I could just stick to Sardinia and settle for a mediocre rental/hotel. Any advice on that?
Thank you so much for any advice you can offer, it's much appreciated

Hi Maggie

I've been to both a number of times, give me a budget and I'll post links for some options.

Very generally, I think the decision should be based on how much you want to relax. Sardinia is very laid back with stunning coastal landscapes, very safe beaches with Sicily offering some of the best food, architecture and historical sites in Europe. They are very different destinations.

Hello maggiemay32

Maybe you would like to go to Cefalu in Sicily. It is possible to have an apartment there, or you can find resorts. There is a nice beach and there is enough for a teenager to do.

How much time do you have? Sicily really warrants 2 or 3 weeks....

It might help if we know more about your interests and why you considered Sardinia, as it would seem that you have many, MANY alternatives.

I have difficulty imagining that your only lodging options in Sardinia are "mediocre." How are you searching? Are you using booking.com?

In Sicily I stayed at Avola. It is a small town, not touristy at all, very peculiar with it's hexagonal form, by the beach. Live music at night in the big central square, with people from all ages: kids running, teens flirting, moms and dads talking a lot, senior people eating all kind of sweets (besides cannolis and icecream there are dozens of sweet things, and sicilians really like to eat them all!) Is served by the airport of Catânia. I stayed at an apartment and met a Grandma (it is really how people treat her, by "Nonna") who as a villa with a pool for rent, but not in Avola, 5 kms away in the mountains. But I saw some nice villas in Avola, you may try to search through airbnb or trypadvisor.

Thank you for all your replies! We have about a week or so. And since we have two little ones, we're not looking to do any sightseeing or anything, just relax by the beach and eat yummy food! I'm also vegetarian (husband isn't), so from doing some research online, it seemed like Sicily might have more options for me? Food is a big part of our vacations so Sicily seemed more appealing. But the beaches in Sardinia do look stunning! Gah I'm so confused!! And I'm using Booking.com, vrbo, Airbnb, and Expedia. I was looking primarily in Golfo aranci and Pula, and all the nice villas (private pool, close to beach etc) are either sold out or require lengthy stays!
Does Sardinia have good vegetarian options? I can happily survive on pizza and gelato for a week SO to sum it up, we'd like two things out of our trip--relax by the beach and EAT!

In six words:
Sicily for culture, Sardinia for beaches.

Sicily has some very nice beaches.
In the north: San Vito Lo Capo, Castellammare del Golfo upto (roughly) Trappeto, Mondello, Campofelice, Cefalù (the town is lovely, too).

...or the Vendicari beaches. But those of Sardinia are just nicer.

You will NEVER find beaches anywhere as lovely as those in Sardinia.

Agreed, Vendicari has really good shallow shelving swimming beaches, particualry near the old tuna factory.

Waldo

You may want to qualify that with " anywhere in Europe" (I agree).

Ever been to The Exumas?

Maggie, between us all, we can give you some very appropriate suggestions for rentals and hotels but bearing in mind both locations in August attract prices of anywhere between £50 and £5000 a night, we need some direction.

Haha I was gonna say, the Bahamas and Caribbean beaches are pretty spectacular! I'm so sorry I forgot to mention our budget! We comfortable spending up to $5000-$6000 (max!). We've been going to Europe twice every year for 10 years now, but since the kids were born we have only been twice. So we're longing for the European streets and the culture and the food and the peiple and all the other wonderful things! So I even though Sardinia has gorgeous beaches, will it have all of the above as well? Cuz I'll settle for a so-so beach with a piazza and cobblestone streets nearby, rather than go to a gorgeous beach with lots of hotels and what not.
Also, I apologize for being so annoying haha...I just wanna make sure we're getting the most out of our first Europe trip in 3 years (wow how spoiled do I sound ��)

maggiemay32,

Sardegna is not good for vegetarians. Sicily is better. Sardegna is very beautiful, and if you have little children and want to relax, there are many beautiful hotels and apartments. You can find a few towns with nice streets that are old with history. but Sicilia has more. Some parts of Sicily are poor and now I think maybe Cefalu is too big for you and too much like a city. But there are other beautiful towns with nice beaches but also with piazze and fun in the summer. For a vegetarian, there are more vegetables dishes to eat in summer. In Sardegna, by the beach, there is only cheese for vegetarians and the tomatoes for the pasta are not as good as in Sicilia. There are nuts and bread, and good pizza made with good grains.

Sardegna is very beautiful and if you want to go you will have a beautiful vaction with your family. But Sicilia is very special. It has more complications than the beaches with resorts in Sardegna, but if you if it is not necessary to have "perfect", and maybe sometimes you see some poor people or something dirty, it is a place you don't forget and want to understand better and return.

So, you are flying from the U.S. for one week in August? In that case, I'll go off the board and suggest San Sebastian -- it would be easier to get to, won't be as miserably hot, and has all the things you seem to be seeking. Just a thought!

Massimop, thank you!! I had a feeling Sardinia won't have much vegetarian food, and I'm a self proclaimed foodie so eating is a big part of our vacations! And kja we'll be in London for a family event, so we'll be flying in and out of there. Also, we've been to San Sebastián and absolutely loved it!

<<So we're longing for the European streets and the culture and the food and the peiple and all the other wonderful things!>>
Sicily. No doubt.
Sardinia is beautiful but it's all about beaches and nature. Sicily has much more to offer in terms of culture and food. And you will find more than enough nice beaches.

Sardina for the stunnng beaches and relaxation but Sicily is more "interesting" with options for sightseeing. I also think you would get more for your money in Sicily...Sardina while it can be done for less caters to people with lots of money...at least the areas with the best beaches...ie your accommodations unless paying really expensive rates for August will not be that great and wall to wall on the beaches. I would opt for Sicily. Food is better...period.

Food in Sardegna is good! But not if you go to the beach resorts or places by the cruise ships like Alghero. The good food in Sardegna is in the mountains. Everything is home made. In the mountains it is even possible to be a vegetarian and have good food. But it is more difficult at the sea, because everybody eats fish. In Sicily, they eat lots of vegetables. Also good gelato and milk that you make with nuts. Food is very cheap.

I don't know what a vegetarian diet involves, but the main food in Sardinia is sea food, and FRESH. Is that consistent with vegetarian, since it's not meat?

No, I am sorry, but the main food in Sardegna is meat, pecorino cheese, egg and bread. In the past times everybody lived in the hills and raised sheep or had the mines. They did not live by the sea because it was too dangerous. It is only later that people come to live near the sea and most of them are Romans who have the money to buy another house. If you like eels it is excellent to eat them in Cagliari, or snails. There are lots of nice mussles and lobsters in north Sardegna. But the cooks in the restaurants many times are not from Sardegna or even Italian. If you want the true food of Sardegna, it is best to go the mountains.