Whether their feet are in the water or nestling in the heart of the maquis, these hotels in Southern Corsica all enjoy an exceptional panorama between the hills and the sea. From Mediterranean houses to stone mansions to renovated sheepfolds, these establishments are all perfectly anchored in their natural environment for an idyllic, rejuvenating trip.
U Capu Biancu
U Capu Biancu is one of the hotels in South Corsica that is most representative of the region’s island beauty. U Capu Biancu is first and foremost an idyllic location. The estate is nestled in the wild gulf of Santa Manza, where the blue waters blend with the plant colours of the maquis that surrounds the residence. Everything has been designed to ensure that this boutique hotel with around forty rooms blends in perfectly with its surroundings, using natural materials such as rough and driftwood, stone, earth, rope and linen. Like a family holiday home that’s as chic as it is confidential, U Capu Biancu showcases a bohemian, elegant decor. Every space looks outwards, and the rooms, flooded with light, reveal several different worlds.
The escape continues in the panoramic restaurant led by chef Gadio El Hadji, who offers responsible, local, seasonal and colourful cuisine. The same authenticity can be found at La Paillote, a friendly place overlooking the sea, ideal for savouring dishes with a Mediterranean flavour, not forgetting the brazier evenings. The cocktail bar and wine cellar are perfect after a lazy day on the sun loungers and daybeds on the hotel beach. And if a yoga session or spa treatment is just the thing to round off your stay, a dip in the infinity pool is enough to give you the feeling of total fulfilment that reigns at U Capu Biancu.
Hotel Don Cesar
Set between the sea and the hills, Hôtel Don Cesar overlooks the town of Porto-Vecchio. Immersed in the infinity pool, you could almost think you were in the Mediterranean, so close is the sea. There’s no need for frills in the 39 rooms and suites, whose refined design leaves plenty of room for the view outside. 7 luxury villas to rent, nestling in the pine forest, are also available, with terraces and private pools to enjoy with family or friends.
In his Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant, chef Yuri Longabardi combines the flavours of his native Italy with regional produce. Not forgetting La Paillote on the waterfront. After a trip on one of the Hôtel Don Cesar’s boats, a delicious meal and a sunbathing break on the hotel’s small beach, head to the Nuxe spa to finish the day in style.
Hotel Marinca
In the south-west of Corsica, not far from Propriano, the Hôtel Marinca gently overlooks the Gulf of Valinco. Its direct access to the beach and its many neighbouring coves add to the hotel’s charm. The architecture is graphic and designer, with arches, immaculate walls contrasting with parquet and marble floors, and modern furniture. The sleekly decorated accommodation is spread over 2 floors and the garden level of a Corsican building on the private estate of Vitricella.
For fine dining, head to chef Romain Masset’s La Verrière, which arrived a year ago and boasts a sublime romantic terrace overlooking the gulf, and La Paillote, for a Mediterranean meal in a bohemian-chic setting. There are 4 pools, including an indoor one, to discover alongside the Clarins spa.
La Casa Santini x Roc Seven
Facing the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio, this hotel, which can be reached by boat, stands out with its ochre façade and weathered blue wooden shutters. This real family home, worthy of a romantic film, is surrounded by maritime pines and palm trees that provide pleasant coolness on hot days. The rooms and suites give the impression of being at home, only better, thanks to their cocooning atmosphere, tiled floors and furniture made from natural materials.
Casa Santini x Roc Seven offers a private beach right next to the hotel gardens, bringing together lovers of fine sand and sun and afficionados of a shady break with their feet in the grass. The restaurant varies between Italian, Spanish and Corsican flavours. We particularly like the conviviality of the summer barbecue evenings on Thursdays, when you can enjoy roast meats and fish a la plancha to the rhythm of live bands.
Les Bergeries de Palombaggia
It’s hard not to be won over by what Les Bergeries de Palombaggia has to offer. Perched high above the sea, this Relais & Châteaux hotel faces the Cerbicales islands and Palombaggia beach, which can be reached via a private access. The view can be admired from the infinity pool, where you can feel alone in the world, protected by the surrounding maquis.
Here, the 14 rooms and 7 suites are cosy, with private terraces or patios surrounded by the mansion’s stone walls. La Table de Mina, helmed by chef Lucas Perez Gonzales, offers local cuisine featuring sun-kissed vegetables.
The Domaine de Murtoli
Describing itself as a “hotel bursting at the seams”, Domaine de Murtoli welcomes its guests in around twenty 17th-century sheepfolds and mansions. Set between the sea, the valley and the countryside, these stone houses can accommodate a couple or a group of 16 people. Imagine strolling barefoot through the grassy gardens before cooling off in the private pools available in most of the houses. The rooms and suites with terraces in the main building are just as charming, with access to the 20-metre communal pool.
When hunger strikes, there are plenty of choices: the rustic chic of La Table de la Ferme, the Mediterranean tones of La Table de la Plage for a meal on the sand, and the traditional cuisine of La Table de la Grotte, whose experience takes place, as its name suggests, in a magnificent natural cave.
Many of the products come directly from the estate, which is essentially a farm and farmland. Cheese-making, charcuterie, honey-making, vegetable gardening… So many activities that take place on both sides of the site and that anchor guests a little more firmly in this world of luxury agritourism.
Read also > THE ARMANCETTE HOTEL IN SAINT-GERVAIS-LES-BAINS, A CLASSY AND CONFIDENTIAL RESORT
Featured photo: © U Capu Biancu
