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Holidays In Sardinia

Sardinia is an island nestled between Africa to the south, Corsica to the north, Italy to the east and Spain to the west. The east coast shores are lapped by the Tyrrhenian Sea and the west coast by the Mediterranean ocean. Why would you chose to go on holiday to Sardinia instead of mainland Italy or indeed any of the more popular Mediterranean destinations?

Sardinia is pretty easy to get for a holiday with airports in Cagliari (the capital), Olbia and Alghero, Alghero being one of th most popular holiday destinations on the island as well as being one of the most beautiful towns on the island.

Sardinia is one of those rare holiday places to find, an un-spoilt territory with beautiful scenery, stunning beaches and great facilities that attracts hordes of Italian tourists each year and lesser numbers of British and Germans but has managed to keep its integrity and culture and not succumb to the temptation to build monstrous high rise hotel blocks, all clamouring to reach the sun. Perfect for family holidays.

Sardinia is a traditional place where locals still go about their daily business without too much interference from tourists on holiday. Many holiday resorts close down for the winter, not so Sardinia. The winter months see business very much as usual with the fishing boats still coming in and going out daily and the shepherds still tending their flocks in the mountains.

Sardinia receives more sunshine than anywhere else in Italy, reputedly 300 days per year so it’s easy to see why life goes on as usual for the residents of Sardinia, nearly everyday is like summer. So no matter what time of year you chose to visit Sardinia for your holiday the weather should always be good.

The beaches in Sardinia are stunning, stretches of majestic white sand meeting crystal clear blue green water, clean and tranquil, perfect for a long beach holiday. The beaches of Sardinia can get busy in peak holiday times but go out of peak time, even as late as June and you’ll be lucky to find more than ten people on the beach for company. Most beaches have a little beach café or two alongside offering very good food, beer or coffee at very reasonable prices. These Sardinian beach cafes have usually been family run for years and over the period of a two weeks holiday you will find yourself becoming more and more acquainted with the owners. Such is the way of life in Sardinia, every one is so hospitable and welcoming it’s easy to get accepted into their lives, like all islanders they thirst for contact with the outside world.

Scattered across the island are hundreds of ancient Nuraghi, the pre-historic dwellings of the ancient Sardinians, these make an interesting diversion from a day at the beach or shopping during your holiday.

In the north-west of Sardinia are the famous caves of Capo Caccia. These caves run deep into the cliffs to the north of Alghero and can be accessed via a boat trip or by means of a flight of stairs with over 700 steps to the bottom. Guided tours of the caves are run every hour, you can either choose to pick the tour boat up in Alghero or you can drive to the headland and takes the steps down to the caves.

Restaurants in Sardinia specialise in a wide number of dishes, fish, lamb and cheese are three Sardinian specialities but it’s also possible to find really good pasta and pizza restaurants in all towns.

To get the real feel for Sardinia it’s wise to hire a car for a few days and drive inland where the country is very hilly and mountainous but the roads are good and signposted well. Sardinian drivers are pretty good and courteous so even the most in-experienced of foreign drivers should be ok.

There are so many beautiful places that are still relatively un-touched by the outside world in Sardinia. You really should consider Sardinia as a holiday destination, there is plenty to see and do for all the family, even the kids. The beaches are clean and the people extremely friendly. The food is excellent and the transport network is good.

Oh yes, the sun nearly always shines as well.

Harwood E Woodpecker

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