Melia brings inventive cooking to a leafy perch above Porto-Vecchio, with an open kitchen, tiered garden and bay views. Add excellent cocktails and a cosy, intimate atmosphere, and you have a rather lovely spot for dinner.
Chez Eva is one of the local shops worth knowing about when stocking the villa: a triumph of fresh fruit and vegetables, Corsican specialities, cheeses, cold cuts and fine groceries at the Marina di Fiori roundabout. There’s also a kosher selection, making it a particularly useful stop before a beach picnic or dinner at home.
Set on a little sandy cove overlooking the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio, La Plage Casadelmar is a 20-room beach hideaway made up of four villas and a main building. Pine trees and red rocks frame the beach, while a heated 16-metre pool offers a change of scenery when you’ve had enough sea. The Restaurant & Grill sits above the bay, serving Mediterranean dishes and spit-roasted specialities from its panoramic terrace. And when you fancy a change of scene, a boat transfer connects you with its sister hotel, Casadelmar.
Rena means ‘sand’ in Corsican, an apt name for this beachfront table where Roman cooking meets Corsican produce. Chef Lorenzo di Saverio folds local lamb, herbs and seafood into dishes inspired by his native Rome, with the waves providing the right soundtrack.
A small cove of white sand and clear, shallow water on Porto-Vecchio’s coast, surrounded by ochre rocks and Corsican maquis. Bringing a snorkel is highly recommended.
