Hotel L’Escale Côté Sud

On Corsica’s north coast, just a little east of Calvi, L'Île-Rousse is a traditional seaside town with roots in Phoenician times. It’s in a lovely spot in the notoriously beautiful Balagne region, a place that’s known for fabulous beaches with oh-so-soft, sun-warmed sands and vividly blue water. And while this is undoubtedly a place that invites you to relax, slow down, and soak up some vitamin D, it’s not to say ‘Île-Rousse isn’t ripe for exploration. Place Paoli, the village square, has little boutiques to pop into, and you can savour the local flavours at the marketplace in between strolls along streets lined with Florentine-style houses.
 
Active types can tackle the vast network of hiking and biking trails and be rewarded with some sensational sea views from the hilltops. Or take a more leisurely journey by hopping aboard the Trinichellu, a little train that shuttles between Île-Rousse and Calvi, calling at pretty beaches along the way. All aboard!