Sicily or Sardinia

[Twomilksonesugar]

We're 3 older ladies and looking at a weeks break next June but cannot decide between the 2 islands.
We are looking for a nice hotel on or at least near a beach, not too far from some bars/restaurants. We may do a couple of trips but primarily we are looking for a relaxing break but we don't want to be completely isolated either.
Can anyone help suggest which island/resorts may suit our needs?

We loved Taormina in Sicily. You can choose to stay by the beach or in town and there is a cable car between them. Lovely restaurants, great food and lots of history.

I just came to say this. We stayed Catania but went to Taormina. Amazing!! I'd go back any time.

@Twomilksonesugar
If you want to feel that you have travelled further than the Mediterranean and almost Indian Ocean, beach wise, then Sardinia is your choice.
Obviously Sicily has really lovely beaches too, but if beaches are “your thing” then Sardinia is it. Sardinia’s culture is there, but it is less evident than in Sicily for a tourist.

Sicily, on the other hand is the full package. It’s in your face in that its culture is very much on display, all the time, in every way. Food, architecture, history, towns, art. It’s great, rain or shine.

I’m Italian and have been to both islands multiple times.

I can't comment on Sardinia but spent 2 weeks in Sicily a few years ago. Check where flights from our local airport go to- Palermo or Catania, because that might sway which side of the island you stay on. For Taormina, Catania is the closest major airport. Etna was rumbling when we went and it was advised to miss Taormina, but others said it was lovely. We stayed in Catania and got the bus to Syracuse for the day.

If you fly to Palermo, you could stay in Cefalu along the coast. I'd only heard of Cefalu on my return to the UK, but have read multiple people recommend it since! Both Palermo and Catania had great flea type markets and amazing fruit/veg markets. Palermo also has catacombs with the famous Rosario Lombardo. I found Sicily a bit grittier/rougher around the edges than northern Italy, but still had a lovely charm and I never felt unsafe at all. I preferred it to Naples by a long way.

If you are into history, Agrigento is a day trip from Palermo or Cefulu. The main site looks like the acropolis and lots of the artefacts are in the museum in Agrigento. I can recommend the most outlandishly decorated B&B in baroque style if you go there.

Cala de Falco resort in Sardinia might work. Small town with places to eat, nice pool and hotel food lovely.

I'm a big fan of Alghero in Sardinia. I've been a few times. I'm finally going there alone next year.

It's got an old town, then a lido area that stretches for a few miles. The hotels are across the road from the beach. There's plenty of restaurants. You can do boat trips. The bus goes to other beaches. I think there's a weekly market.

We really want to go to Sicily, mainly as DH loves the Godfather films and they do tours of the locations! It must be beautiful, Dua Lipa and Charlie XCX have both recently got married there. I’d like to go to Sardinia too, but it’ll be Sicily first.
I love Italy, try to go every year, stayed in Lake Garda this year and loved it, apparently it’s the third most popular Italian holiday spot, after Rome and Venice.

Thank you everyone. Taormina and Cefalu have both been recommended to one of my friends so I think we will begin to look at those 2 resorts. They both sound amazing.
I think it may be Sardinia next year for us too.