The pastoral mountain model of the uber-luxurious family-run Domaine de Murtoli, this newly opened little sister four-star resort, A Mandria di Murtoli, is about again on a rustic street in the forest of the majestic Ortolo Valley. Designed as a reinvented mini-hamlet surrounded by landscaped gardens and olive groves, the former agricultural buildings (sheepfolds, stables or rehabilitated barns) have been prettily reworked right into a 10-room refuge with personal balconies or patios, together with three spacious suites with their very own plunge pool. Deep consolation prevails: the rustic stylish décor mixes up to date touches with earth-tone materials, reclaimed farm wooden, brick and bright-coloured glazed ceramic tiles from neighbouring Sardinia. You’ll additionally discover a Sardinian-inspired splash of color in your plate at the terrace restaurant Appuntamento, the place juicy tomato salads (plucked from Murtoli’s immense kitchen backyard), lemon tagliolini and a divine tiramisu function on the menu. Lazy afternoons are spent draped on four-poster solar beds paging via a novel at the brick-lined pool, to the tune of thrumming cicadas and wonderful mountain views. Only a 10-minute drive to Domaine de Murtoli, friends are free to use their amenities, which could vary from a stellar meal and a recreation of golf to a swim at the spectacular seashore or a therapeutic massage with important oils from native vegetation at the out of doors spa. Intimate, festive, relaxed and relatively inexpensive (notably low season), the discreet luxe issue, the eco-responsible biodiversity values and bucolic setting add up to one of the newest, most sought-after locations to unwind.
Address: 20100 Sartène, France
La Plage de Casadelmar
A low-slung minimalist rectangle of glass, crimson cedar and stone dealing with the Gulf of Porto Vecchio, this fashionable seaside hideaway and foodie vacation spot was the first of its form to put a recent spin on Corsica’s historically rustic-style resort scene, and has been going robust ever because it opened in 2004. Designed by French architect Jean-François Bodin, 34 rooms and suites – a mixture of white partitions and gray stone flooring offset by vibrant designer bedspreads or cushions – all have dazzling sea vistas from the personal deck terraces the place breakfast is served. From the luminous split-level foyer, there’s a path that leads to the flower-filled landscaped gardens edged with olive timber, cypresses and pines, however the hub of exercise is at the gorgeous infinity pool or at the newly branded MyBlend Spa. The standout: the Michelin two-star restaurant (the sole two-key institution on the island), headed by chef Fabio Bragagnolo, who dishes up refined Mediterranean specialities together with cannelloni with crab and caviar or Corsican Osso Buco-style veal, adopted by a prize-winning chocolate and hazelnut dessert whipped up by pastry chef Claudio Pezzetti. Beach lovers, aquanauts and households with youngsters in tow could favor the relaxed vibe at their stylish little sister 21-room retreat, La Plage de Casadelmar, reached by a 5-minute speedboat trip throughout the bay. Set on a sandy cove on the Benedetto peninsula, the minimalist design of the villas, inviting green-tiled pool, copious platters of seafood spaghetti at the beachside terrace grill, and a fun-in-the-sun ambiance make you’re feeling such as you’re by yourself personal island.
Address: Prequ’île du Benedettu, 20137 Lecci, France