Casadelmar

Casadelmar broke with Corsican convention when it opened in the 2000s: instead of rustic stone, architect Jean-François Bodin composed long horizontal lines of red cedar, glass and local granite low against the hillside, facing west across the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio towards the evening sun. The result remains the island's definitive piece of contemporary resort architecture, wrapped in gardens of olive, cypress and lentisk.

With around 34 rooms and suites, the scale stays intimate; interiors continue the architecture's warm minimalism with timber, neutral fabrics and terraces angled at the water. An emerald infinity pool runs towards the gulf, and a jetty and small beach below handle sea days, with the old town of Porto-Vecchio a short drive around the bay.

The restaurant carries two Michelin stars for refined Mediterranean cooking led by Italian chef Fabio Bragagnolo, making the hotel southern Corsica's leading gastronomic destination alongside its design credentials. A compact spa completes the offer. For travellers who want Corsica's wild beauty framed with urban-grade polish, Casadelmar is the island's high-water mark.