The Med ‘Isle of Beauty' where a week costs under £500 this summer

Times

15 hours ago

Nicknamed the Isle of Beauty, Corsica's dramatic cliffs, hilltop villages and more than 600 miles of coastline attract well-heeled French families, luxury-loving couples and glamorous yachties. Yet this French island southeast of the Côte d'Azur is relatively overlooked by British visitors who, deterred by sky-high summer prices, miss out on the island's turquoise coves, historic citadels and mountains crisscrossed by hiking trails.
However, go at the very end of August and those with late-start school terms can grab a great deal on a family holiday. Seven nights' room only at Le Bella Vista, Hôtel Suites & Maisons costs £478pp for four with Thomas Cook, including Gatwick flights with easyJet departing on August 28 — that's less than half the price of the same package leaving four days earlier. Allowance for a small under-seat bag is included, or check in a 15kg case for an additional £98 return. Breakfast for the week can be added for £60pp. The hotel is a two-hour drive north of Figari airport, though taxis are expensive, so you're better off renting a car for the week for about £288 (enterprise.fr).
The three-star hotel is a short drive from the seafront resort of Porticcio, on the west coast of the island, overlooking the Bay of Ajaccio. The simply decorated duplex apartments sleeping four have sea views, all-white kitchens, a sofa bed for the kids, a mezzanine level with a double bed, and whitewashed exposed beams. There is a seasonal outdoor pool with a café, a bistro serving French-Asian fusion dishes and a fine-dining restaurant, Le Charlie, which earned a Michelin star this year, six months after opening (five courses for £82; lapiscineporticcio.com).
Porticcio beach, a ten-minute walk away, is sandy and has ice-cream parlours, cafés and plenty of water sports, including guided kayaking tours of the Corsican coastline (£38; getyourguide.com). Jet Sensations offers jet ski rental (£43 for 15 minutes) or quad bikes for exploring inland (£82 for an hour; jet-sensations-porticcio.fr).
From the beach it's easy to jump on one of the regular 20-minute ferries to Ajaccio, the island capital (£7 return; porticc.io). The city is best known for being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte and has a museum in his former family home (£6; musees-nationaux-malmaison.fr). After visiting it wander Ajaccio's smart, pastel-coloured waterfront, upmarket boutiques and picturesque old town with its lavish 16th-century cathedral, where Napoleon was baptised.
For a more active day out try Mare e Monti Sud, a 50-mile hiking trail with panoramic sea views that begins near the hotel. Continue south to visit the red-roofed hilltop town of Sartène, which was attacked by pirates in the 16th century and is home to the Corsican Archaeology Museum, tracing the island's history to the Bronze Age (£3; isula.corsica). Call in at the Domaine Fiumicicoli estate on the way back to stock up on fruity AOC-designated red wine made with nielluccio and sciaccarello grapes (domaine-fiumicicoli.com).
• 26 of the best things to do in Corsica
• Return Gatwick-Figari flights, departing on August 28• Under-seat baggage allowance• Seven nights' room only at Bella Vista, Hôtel Suites & Maisons (thomascook.com)
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Feeling flush? If you're inspired to visit Corsica and have more to spend, try one of these…
The three-star Golfe Hôtel is on the outskirts of Porto-Vecchio, a historic town on the southeastern coast of Corsica with a 16th-century citadel, trendy marina and beautiful beaches. The quiet hotel is in a Mediterranean villa with a palm-tree-lined outdoor pool, a small fitness room with infrared sauna and a library stocked with board games. A café serves simple dishes and ice cream. Comfortable rooms are decorated in shades of chocolate brown, caramel and pops of ocean blue, and all have sleek wooden floors, contemporary furniture and views of the city or gardens. Details Seven nights' B&B from £1,113pp, including flights and private transfers, departing on August 28 (easyjet.com)
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The four-star Corsican bolt hole L'A Cheda is tucked away in organic gardens and has 18 rooms in traditional stone buildings. Each is decorated using natural wood and traditional limestone plaster, and has a wooden deck overlooking the greenery. There is a heated outdoor pool with a Finnish sauna, a wellness centre for massages and a bar serving cocktails made with local ingredients. The hotel's acclaimed glass-walled restaurant serves fine-dining Corsican cuisine and hosts jazz brunches, tapas and music evenings and cooking classes. A free shuttle bus runs twice daily to nearby Bonifacio, with its walled citadel, restaurants and lively waterfront.Details Seven nights' B&B from £1,965pp, including flights and car hire, departing on August 28 (corsica.co.uk)