La Marlotte

La Marlotte

, Hameau de Pastoreccia, Castello-di-Rostino, Corsica.

La Marlotte is a chambre d'hotes (bed and breakfast) hidden away in the blink-and-you-missed-it hamlet of Pastoreccia. True to its origins as a large village house deep in the country, La Marlotte maintains a comfortably rustic style, though with a few twists. The house is 300 years old, with thick stone walls and vaulted ceilings in the ground floor.

All the large guestrooms feature a double bed with a wardrobe and some rooms have mountain views. Extras include a flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a sitting area with a sofa. The en-suite bathrooms have a bath or shower, free toiletries and a hairdryer.

There is a guest lounge with a library, and also a small spa with a hot tub and hammam.

The position of La Marlotte high up in the Corsican mountains makes a totally different sort of holiday to the coast. It reminded us of a couple of days spent swimming in a mountain river on a Corsican holiday some years ago. Like (I think) most English people, we thought of a mountain river as being very cold water, but nothing could be further from the truth. The water was pleasantly warm, clean and fresh and the natural waterslides and deep plunge pools were all great fun.