Azores v. Corsica

[snowballupahill]

I have a 2dcs, dd 14 and ds 9 - both outdoorsy but also enjoy downtime..I was thinking the Azores could be fun, walking up volcano, swimming with dolphins, visiting geezers (mud pools) but wonder whether Corsica could have better weather although the activity would be primarily snorkelling. Has anyone any experience with either of these? Both will involve two flights one by EJ followed by a local carrier. Slightly concerned that dd menstrual cycle is erratic and she could end up grumpily sat on beach if I do too many water-based activities.. any thoughts??

Not been to Corsica but the Azores are very beautiful. We went when ds was about 9 for May half term and we had lovely weather most of the time but it’s not for nothing the locals look out the window, shrug and say (irritatingly) “four seasons in a day...”. The whale watching is amazing (we didn’t swim with them) and we had a couple of incredible experiences where the dolphins and the pilot whales surrounded the boat and swam alongside it for ages. One pod of pilot whales was about 25 strong, adults and youngsters, and it was just one of those still talked about experiences. It’s worth going to the botanic gardens - you can swim in volcanic pools there but warning - the sulphur stains swimming cosies yellow so wear very dark ones. There is also a tea plantation to visit, a double caldera with different coloured water in each pool. Lots of really interesting bird life.

We were on the main island but I would love to back and go to Pico. Family member has a house on the main island and was saying that the Americans have just ‘discovered’ the Azores so might be worth going sooner rather than later. They have just built a very large new hospital specifically for US medical tourism. Cheaper to get a hip done there than in the US!

Mine were bored in the Azores and loved Corsica.

We've looked at both these destinations in the past and I'd lean towards Corsica, because of the weather. The Azores looks very sleepy, fine if the weather is great and you can get outside and do lots of activities, but rather rubbish if not. Corsica has more local life, culture, and better weather. There are plenty of land based activities in either though - hiking and cycling in particular. We looked at using this company for visiting the Azores and might yet go: www.wanderingtribe.co.uk/

We had a week in Ponta Delgada many years ago. We hired a car and explored everywhere. Sao Miguel is beautiful and very different from anywhere else we had been. The volcanic scenery is really interesting, especially Furnas Valley, and Sete Cidades is even more beautiful than any photo I have seen. The hydrangea hedges and beautiful buildings add to the charm of the island.

Temperatures in July/August reach the dizzy heights of about 24 degrees, so it isn't as hot as Sardinia.

I’ve been to the Azores and loved it - it’s beautiful, stunning calderas , the tea plantation is awesome and the whale watching is spectacular ..... but it is very sleepy, and the weather never gets very warm or sunny (I think it’s between 19 and 24 all year). It was cloudy much of the time we were there but it wasn’t cold

So in short it depends what your kids find entertaining .... if they like outdoor pursuits like quad biking, walking and thermal pools I’d recommend Azores in a heartbeat