Corsica?
 

We will be traveling from St. Tropez to Lucca in mid May, and thought of going to Corsica as an in-between stop for 3-4 days. There seems to be quite a bit of controversy over who likes or does not like Corsica. It also seems that there are very few postings on this board for Corsica. Is Corsica a good choice? We will have a van that we would take over on the ferry. There has been discussion of the roads on Corsica. We are traveling with two small children and want to make sure that it is fairly safe to drive on the island.

We are also having difficulty finding a hotel. Cala Rossa and Hotel La Villa is too expensive because they will not allow us to stay in a normal room, just a suite. I have sent 4 requests to Hotel Saint Christophe in Calvi and they have not responded. Does anyone have any other suggestions for a nice accomodations?

i would only say that the roads are quite narrow so be aware of this...the island is quite beautiful....it is quite barren in some areas and is quite nice for driving around...we drove from bastia the town in the SW whose name i forget at the moment...got it ajaccio..
we booked our hotels through the great western hotels web site and were pleased with them...we took our car from and to nice...the ferry was very, very nice....we did our reservations on-line in advance...on the day we were to go the sea was too rough and the trip was cancelled, but they rebooked us on the bigger over-nite boat from marsailles...they paid for our tolls to marsailles from nice and paid us mileage to go there and gave us a great cabin on the boat...you might consider the overnite boat to save a days hotel room and the kids would love it....the boat was the cleanest boat i have ever been on...

sorry --that is we drove from bastia to ajaccio in the sw....

We spent a little over a week driving on Corsica before doing the same on Sardinia. Corsica is scenic and beautiful. It is quiet and laid back for the most part. We did cut a tire on a tiny and narrow mountain road by driving over a sharp rock stuck up as the only "guardrail" on a treacherous road. But nobody said we had to drive that road -- most others are not so wild or rough.

Are you the one who posted some time ago and I suggested Hotel Saint Christophe? In any case, yes that would be my first choice. You may find that they won't respond until spring if you are going in summer. And if you've emailed, you might try a fax instead. We stayed in the center of town at the Grand Hotel which was fine. I just would have preferred the views and setting of the Christophe.

We almost went there a few years ago to join a friend who was invited to lecture but an illness in family prevented us. I looked up my notes, we had listed : Hotel La Villa, as you know, and the L'Abbaye, doubles in high season were €176,
Mérdiana, near the beach, doubles €95-138

We toured the entire island with our 4 kids - eldest aged six - thirty five years ago. No doubt the roads are better today and accommodations more frequent but, with one or two minor exceptions, we had no problems with either. I had bought a used Opel Caravan in Maastricht and we made our way over the winding Route Napoleon to Marseille and then by ferry to Corsica.

And what a beautiful island it is! We enjoyed hugging the coast going from watch tower to watch tower, swimming off beautiful beaches with snow-capped mountains in the background (it was May). The kids loved it but alas - nothing remembered.

With your 3-4 days, you'll get to see (I'd say) Cap Corse, Calvi, Porto, then over the spine through Evisa back to Bastia. What a scenic trip - go for it!

Thank you all for your information. Yes Patrick, I did post several months ago, and based on your recommendation, I have faxed 4 times to the Christophe. Possibly, they are closed for January. It sounds as if you all enjoyed Corsica. We have driven the route a couple of times from the French Riviera down the coast of Italy, and thought taking the ferry to Corsica might be a good alternative.

How long was the ferry ride? And, do you think there would be any problem taking a van on the ferry?

We did the fast ferry from Nice to Bastia with our car. There were some minivans on the ferry. We departed at 8 AM and arrived Bastia about 11:45. There are other alternatives, and some go in at Calvi.

the overnite ferry from marsailles: we boarded about 6PM as i remember and sailed a couple of hours later and arrived first thing in the morning after an early breakfast...it was perfect and very comfortable...the timing patrick mentions for the fast ferry is correct...they sail frequently...they have an on-line site

Corsica is gorgeous and well worth the trip...one of the most beautiful places I've been. I lived in Nice last summer and my fiance and I flew to Bastia for 4 nights. We rented a car at the airport and drove to San Martino di Lota (in Cap Corse) to stay at Hotel La Corniche which was the most romantic place and the highlight of our summer.

In those 4 days we drove around the Cap Corse and saw Bastia...we thought we'd see a lot more but the roads are so narrow and we kept pulling over to take in the scenery and cool off in the sea... so now we'll have to go back :) Don't worry about seeing too much, just enjoy!

http://www.hotel-lacorniche.com/

You'll have a wonderful time!!

We are presently in Corsica--specifically Corte. We just came down from Castagniccia--the true heart of Corse.
We did take the ferry from Nice,to Bastia, saw lots of vans on board. We are driving a small car and finding the roads easy, as traffic is light in April and we're not hitting the most touristy places. Our stay in Corsica, is approx. 3 weeks, most of the time spent hiking. The food is incredible.
Why would you bother coming for just 3-4 days with a family of 4 (I know that kind of travel is not easy). Save the trip for a later time, when the kids are older. You really want to see and feel the island--unless it is sun and beaches that you are considering. We will eventually write a review of all the places we stayed in and the restaurants we ate in--but not till we return in May. We are not going to Calvi on this trip--hitting the trails mainly. We are using "Walking in Corsica" a cicerone guide.
Have a good trip, if you decide to come, it is a beautiful island.