Corsica

Corsica feels carved from rock and sea. Its beaches are framed by mountains, forests and villages with a proud cultural identity, creating a destination where Mediterranean beauty carries a wilder, more independent spirit.

Corsica lies in the Mediterranean south-east of the French Riviera and just north of Sardinia. More than half the island is mountainous, with peaks above 2,500 metres, and the GR20, one of Europe’s most demanding long-distance trails, runs along its spine. Much of the interior forms the Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, a landscape of pine and chestnut forest, gorges and stone villages.

Its coastline is as varied. Bonifacio stands on white limestone cliffs above the strait; Porto-Vecchio, in the south-east, gives onto the beaches of Palombaggia and Santa Giulia; Calvi, with its Genoese citadel, looks over its bay in the north-west; and the red cliffs of the Calanques de Piana and the Scandola reserve form a UNESCO World Heritage site on the west coast. Corsican language, cuisine and polyphonic song remain strongly present.

The season runs from May to October. June and September are ideal, with warm sea and quieter roads; July and August are hot and busy, especially in the south around Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, when ferries and flights from the mainland arrive full. Late spring is the best season for the mountains, with the maquis in flower and the rivers full.

The GR20 is usually walked from June to early October, once the snow has cleared from the high passes. Calvi holds a jazz festival in June and a gathering of polyphonic choirs in September, when the island’s singing traditions are heard in its churches. Winter is mild on the coast, but most hotels close from November to April.

The finest hotels gather in the south. Hôtel Casadelmar looks across the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio, and the Grand Hôtel de Cala Rossa stands among the pines on its own bay north of the town; near Sartène, Domaine de Murtoli spreads its restored farmhouses across a coastal estate. In the north, Hôtel La Signoria occupies a historic manor house among the trees outside Calvi.

LVXVRY books Casadelmar as a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and Cala Rossa as a member of Relais & Châteaux — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For Murtoli and La Signoria, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay directly.