Here’s a tiny hotel that’s really only for Francophile purists who enjoy the simple things in life. About a mile from the crowds in Bonifacio, you come across a completely contrasting world.
Domaine de Licetto is a small arrangement of hotel rooms, studios and a restaurant set well apart from each other in 60 acres of wild maquis (the herb scented scrub that invades so much of the island). The rural tranquillity is enhanced by the access – down a dirt track from the cul-de-sac lane that leads on to the lighthouse and to a popular wind-surfers’ beach. Licetto is also in complete contrast to the sophistication of nearby Sperone, one of most spectacular and most expensive golf clubs in Europe.
The Domaine’s hotel rooms lack decent sound-proofing but are impeccably clean with quite small showers (hand held behind shower curtains). Each has a little furnished terrace looking onto nowhere in particular. The walk along the cliff into Bonifacio takes about half an hour but a car is needed to get to any of the nearby beaches.
The restaurant is charming, authentic and suitably rustic and its Corsican specialities have earned it a strong local following, so do reserve well ahead. Essential herbs and vegetables come from Antoine Faby’s potager and the base menu price includes a bottle of wine for 2. Credit cards are not accepted so you will need to send a euro cheque as a deposit when you book.