Le Grand Hôtel De Cala Rossa: An Elegant West Indies-Style Retreat On The Island Of Corsica

Such is the discreet nature of its location — screened behind thick foliage of yucca, cypress, bamboo and bougainvillea — that we bypassed the entrance to the Le Grand Hôtel de Cala Rossa, located in Porto Vecchio in southern French Island of Corsica.

A narrow, stone pathway from the main hotel building leads through a veritable botanical garden of olive and palm trees, oleanders, honeysuckle, jasmine, immortelle, lavender, citrus, rosemary and clematis. This delightful sense of nature also permeates many of the hotel's furnishings, including two finely varnished wood replicas of horses obtained from a carnival carousel and an elongated sculpture made from branches of a juniper tree.