I was reading Red Magazine this morning where they had a piece on waiting until September to take your summer holiday. I ALWAYS holiday in September or October. It’s cheaper, it’s quieter and you still have unbelievable weather. I thought I’d share with you some of my past trips in September over a series of posts. If you’ve not already booked your summer break then this could give you some inspiration – if not, there’s always next year.
Santa Teresa Di Gallura Sardinia…I went last September (2011) in a private apartment which I booked though holidayrentals.co.uk. The apartment cost just £250 for 14 nights which is a bargain since we had beautiful balcony with sea views and a direct view of Bonifacio in Corsica. 
Santa Teresa Di Gallura is a pretty touristy town. It’s where the Italians like to go and spend their summer holidays – so think Barry Island or Blackpool but in the sunshine. Lots of souvenir shops and stalls selling “i <3 Sardinia” t-shits etc. But don’t let that put you off visiting here. It’s a really lovely place, for every tourist shack there’s a traditional pizzeria or excellent pavement cafe where you can sit and watch the world go by with the most exquisite ice-cream you’ll ever taste.
Average prices…
Prices can be a little steep here. My first visit to Sardinia was the year before because I managed to get return flights for just £2 – so I stupidly expected it to be a “cheap” holiday – I was so wrong. The first night I was presented with a €24 bill for ordering just 4 beers. A lesson which was duly noted for my return visit.
On average a glass of wine was around €3 – €3.50
A bottle of wine (out and about) was on average €15-22
If you head to the supermarket then you can get an ok bottle of wine for about €5.
Pizza was of course cheap, there was a great place “Ce Pizza” where you could get 2 (ginormous, seriously think of the size of a pizza in the UK and then that’s what you get as a slice in this place) slices of pizza for €3.
Pizza in most places was around €4-6 and there were offers on in lots of places where you could get pizza and a drink for €8 so eating out, so long as you liked pizza was pretty cheap.
A coffee was about €2.50- €3 however, this depended on the server you got.
If you fancy a soft drink however – be aware! It’s usually around €2.50 for a can of Coke but Bar Central in the town of Santa Teresa is extortionate charging €4 for a 330ml can!!!
The Weather…
Our previous visit to Sardinia the weather was pleasant but was going off a little cooler and certainly didn’t inspire as many beach days as this year did. In September the temperatures are perfect. They drop a little from the unbearable heat of August so expect long, sunny days and hot weather that can be humid.
The sea is also warm during September so it’s great if you love a beach holiday! The average daily temperature in Sardinia during this month can reach a high of 26°C or drop to anaverage low of 17°C.
The average temperature of the sea during this month is 23°C.
It’s no wonder that the Sardinians flock there for their summer holidays. Santa Teresa Di Gallura is home to blue flag Rena Bianca.
If you’re going self catering and fancy getting your cook on rather than eating out every night then my one big tip would be to shun the supermarket and head straight for the weekly market. In Santa Teresa it’s held every Thursday just down by the bus station. We spent a fraction of what we would’ve done at the supermarket and we had an abundance of fresh, delicious food. We also used the local shops such as the bakery and butcher and the quality (and prices) were outstanding.
How we got there
We flew from Birmingham Airport with RyanAir. Flights cost in the region of £45 return. When we arrived at Olbia we took the local bus which was easy to find and cost €4.50 and took you right in to the centre of Santa Teresa. You can find bus timetables on the ARST site. We chose this option because I didn’t fancy driving in Sardinia – it turned out to be an excellent decision as we were able to take in the full scenic journey without the worry. Note that if you get travel sick remember to take something for this – it’s a bit of a ride.
Some more pictures…
{All photographs were taken by me. If you’d like to use them please do ensure you link back to this site and credit me for the pic – thanks}
What’s the deal with link removal requests on blogs? Just had email from @homeawayuk about this post > http://t.co/Z22nqfwyy4 Do we comply?
Sardinia looks beautiful, great post, thank you for the tips they are great and I love your photos.. Cannot wait to visit Italy x