Palombaggia

What I like about Palombaggia is that firstly, it’s not miles and miles from anywhere like some of the other beaches (unless you miss the huge great sign and arrow like I did), and there are plenty of places to park amongst the pine trees backing the beach which means that even when it’s boiling hot like today, the car stays nice and cool while you’re roasting yourself on the fine white sands…



Palombaggia is known as one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and it is easy to why as soon as you set foot on the sand. For me what sets it apart from the other beaches are the colours; deep red rocks, fine white/golden sands, absolutely amazing turquoise blue waters all backed by pines and maquis. I was surprised that the rocks didn’t seem to affect the colour of the water and I ended up taking just as many photos of the rocks as the beach!



I wandered past a couple of beach restaurants which were offering simple, delicious sounding dishes at reasonable prices when you consider the location, and was really tempted by the gambas but I managed to restrain myself as I'd already eaten. There were also loungers and pedalos for hire.



From here, I clambered up over the red rocks that form a natural barrier between two huge crescents of beach. Incredibly, there seemed to be trees growing out of the rocks and sand, but the sun was in the wrong place for the shot I really wanted – maybe next time. I stood on top and realized that the crescents are virtually identical. I wonder why I have never noticed that before. Anyway, it was here that I first discovered how they get jetskis into the water – they say you learn something new every day!



I know it’s the end of September, but I was still surprised that the beach wasn’t busier given the weather – 30 degrees and hardly a cloud in the sky. Normally there is a that ‘deep breath’ moment when you go from the hot beach into the relatively cool water, but the sea was so warm that I just waded out, hardly noticing any change in temperature at all.



I can imagine that Palombaggia is really popular in the peak season so I’d perhaps ferret out the quieter spots during July and August, but at this time of year it was just perfect. The colour of the water was the most amazing I think I have ever seen, and something I’ll remember for a very long time.