Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa Hotel Review, Corsica, France

This elegant and homely property was built in the early 1960s by the Canarelli family and has been maintained to an excellent standard. White vaulted ceilings, flagstone floors, untreated wood, antique mirrors, and rough-hewn linen sofas in soft greys decorate the reception area, and a local florist fills antique vases with pastel decorations every week. Collectables from the owners’ travels and black and white photographs showing the hotel’s history create the sense that you’re entering a large family home.

A plant-filled vestibule separates the reception and lounge from the sophisticated bar and adjacent to this, a rustic formal dining room with two open brickwork fireplaces, wooden beams and hanging lanterns and chandeliers forms the heart of the restaurant, where breakfast is also served.

Windowed doors open out onto a paved open-air courtyard, with a collection of tables huddled under a leafy, heated trellis. Beyond this a path leads to the decked bar, where you can choose between loungers or tables shaded by pine trees, or the private stretch of beach. A small jetty decorated with lobster net lanterns looks out towards Porto-Vecchio.