Corsica, but of Course
Flight time: About 2 hours from Gatwick or Stansted
Time difference: GMT +1 hour
Currency: Euros
Language: French, English widely spoken
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An outpost of France, Corsica is to the Gallic republique as Taiwan is to the People's Republic of China: a part of the motherland to most, defiantly apart to others. That depends on who you ask, but if there are mild political tensions (French language signs spray-painted away with Corsican tags) they do not distract from a genteel getaway.
The Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa
www.cala-rossa.com
Just outside bustling (by Corsican standards)Porto Vecchio on the south-eastern side of the island, the Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa is a quiet spot with an emphasis on its spa treatments.
At the beach bungalow, with sea urchins (pulled from where you were just swimming) cracked open and slurped with rustic Corsican white wine, guests feel as if they've been invited to a friend's villa. We've never had so many cappuccinos brought over to our sun loungers with Corsican breads, cheeses, and the ubiquitous fig jam.
A very quick trip from the airport in Figari, Cala Rossa is also convenient to Bonifacio, the cliff-top town and southern bastion of the island. You can make a day trip to Sardinia, waxing Italian on the horizon, from here. If it's all about getting away from it all, get going!
Hotel Le Maquis
www.lemaquis.com
Across the bay from Corsica's capital (and Napoleon's birthplace) Ajaccio, Le Maquis gets its name from the Scotch broom scrubland around it. The hotel's logo - a rifle - stems from the island's freedom fighter past. Put the two together and you have a small, yet simply delicious (and we do mean the Franco/Italiano fare on the dining veranda too), resort.
Le Maquis looks and feels like some 1950s, 1960s or 1970s Cote d'Azure transplants rolled into one, a bit of faded glory glued to an ambience mellow with history. The hotel has been a family affair from the get-go, and we think it's a grand one. With rooms right on the beach, Hotel Le Maquis is close in to Ajaccio and the airport but miles and miles away.
Pirates & Pilates
Whether you go on your own, with a significant other, or with enfants in tow, Corsica is compact and easy to experience in a week or less. Whatever you do, if you hug the coastline don't neglect the volcanic inland heights with their tiny lakes, sleepy towns and snow in the winter and spring.
And don't let the corsair pirate on the provincial flag fool you - rough around the edges La Corse may be but it's as five-star as you want to make it - your call. Beware regional airline Corse Air, however; one broken plane and we were left to our own devices... and Air France!
