dcd

Which island is better for snorkeling, beautiful beaches and water, good and value food, and cultural? It would be for 2 weeks visit in August. We are from mid Atlantic of US. Thank you.

Mynameismud

I've been to both islands...CORSICA ^
However august can be a busy period there

bodory

Definitely Corsica !

2 weeks is plenty of time to visit the island. I you want to avoid the crowd of August (terrible traffic jam, full beaches etc...) do not spend to much time around Porto Vecchio or Bonifacio.

There are plenty of hidden beaches between Propriano and Figaro. Capu di Feno beach (the small one) behind Ajaccio is also a must in the morning and after 5 pm.

And try no to stick to the beaches : the mountain is also spectacular and there are places to swim there too.

Take some cash as it is difficult to pay with CC in Corsica.

MSPeconomist

August will be very crowded and Sardinia can be extremely expensive depending on where you stay. You probably would want a rental car too.

I don't know Corsica, but could its culture be more French in style compared to Italian in Sardinia? Which would you prefer?

Carolinian

There is a ferry that runs the short distance from northern Sardinia to southern Corsica, so why not do both?

dcd

We would appreciate experiencing any foreign culture, which we had for both French and Italian. Accommodation and car use would be no problem for us as we have offers from friends of both places. We would be into beaches and snokeling.

Custardthecat

Styaed in Sardinia for two years running in 2008 and 2009. First experince was very good at Chia Laguna resort in the South. Great beaches, very clean and lots of activities. Avoid out of season though if you do have kids as the kids activities can get compromised by the conferences that they tend to have there. Great food.

Second experince at some equestrian resort in the East of the island not very good. Food very poor, rooms not nice and overall badly managed.

The North is meant to be quite classy but not been there.

Custardthecat

oh forgot! Weather a bit hit and miss out of season too in Sardinia. Went in May first time and got 4 days rain.

dcd

Great! Thank you. It seems that we would choose Sardinia too. Hope to be there next year or near future.

bluebird09

I have been y couple of times on both islands, so it really depends on the season. Avoid French crowds in August and Italian crowds in July.
To be honest, I'am half French but I prefere Sardinia.

The island of Corsica:
most of it is forest,
yes, they do have some tiny lousy beaches as well but'll have to take a speed boat to get there... The costal line is just cliffy.

Whereas Sardinia:
-great beaches,
-better hotels, better food
-no nasty French street furniture (you will need a car on both islands)

Meaning this for cosica, they do not have any money to repair their roads, sometimes, it just makes you think of India or Brasil: http://www.team-oldenhorn.net/wp-con...telegraphe.jpg
http://www.google.fr/imgres?q=lacet+...zoom=1&chk=sbg

http://www.google.fr/imgres?q=route+...0nYCUBQ&zoom=1

http://www.google.fr/imgres?q=route+...zoom=1&chk=sbg

They call it "bootlaces" "Lacets", from those pictures, you'll get a first impression... So good luck :-) ^

Anyway, just try both islands, avoid in Corsica just Ajaccio, prefere Saint Florent instead, go to Porto vecchio, Bastia for a walk around between derelicit houses, same goes for Bonifaccio in the south - it has some kind of atmosphere..

Drop over to Sardinia, just go to Costa smeralda.

iapetus

dcd, I just searching for info on Sardinia and noticed that your thread got no responses. I can't really answer your question, but I thought I'd throw out what I do know.

mrs. iapetus and I spent our honeymoon on the eastern side of Corsica. We absolutely adored it. We drove around a bit, but didn't make it as far up the western coast as Ajaccio. We found beautiful beaches and water everywhere we went in Corsica (well, those beaches are a little harder to come by near Bonifacio, at the extreme southern tip of the island). The food was great and the culture, particularly in the interior of the island, was really intriguing.

My guess is that you'll find everything you're looking for on either island. They'd both be great choices. But I suspect Sardinia is just that much more off the beaten track than Corsica, which is already fairly well off the beaten track, particularly for us Americans. And I also suspect that while Sardinia may be a bit cheaper, it's also a bit harder to get to.

I may be in Sardinia for a work trip this June.

Sorry it took so long for you to receive a response.

M60_to_LGA

I'm actually thinking of taking a week or so (9-10 days perhaps) in Corsica sometime later this year. Ideally I'd like to go in the off season - probably sometime in September or October.

However, I'm likely to be traveling alone (albeit with a few weighty books.) Will I get bored? I'm more interested in hanging out in picturesque towns, although I would like to do some hiking as well.

From what I can tell, it looks like the transport network is pretty good, so I wouldn't need to rent a car to travel around the island. Is that correct?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

zoe67

Base yourself in a nice place and make day excursions to discover some of the best spots. Or just chill out and enjoy it… Hotel Carré Noir is a great place to relax with some really stunning views!
http://www.hotelcarrenoir.com/

zoe67

In Corsica Hotel Carré Noir is a great place with some magnificent views and a very relaxing setting! Corsica is a great island in every sense, probably much better than Sardinia (can't compare, haven't been)
http://www.hotelcarrenoir.com/

Alsacienne

Corsica is very hilly, and road speeds tend to be very low compared to what you might be used to. However hiring a car will take you where you want to go and when!

I recommend visiting Sartène and Corte in the interior and also the prehistoric stones at Filatosa. But the beaches can be very good too .... just make sure you cream up or you might burn as there can be very little shade. (A couple of unprepared hours in May 2008 gave us 5 days of painful peeling sunburn!!)