Casa Lariciu

Casa Lariciu is a house of warm timber and grey stone, set above its pool on a slope of Corsican scrub. From the long covered terrace the view slides over the green to the sea and the low islands on the horizon.

Life here is mostly outdoors. Down on the deck, a small hot tub is sunk into the boards beside the pool, with loungers around it. Up on the terrace, a long dining table sits in the shade, and there's a pergola corner with a cushioned built-in sofa plus another table under a planted roof. Inside, white rafters lift the living room, grey sofas face a wall of glass, and a dining table with a playful comic-style mural sits by a bright, practical kitchen. For a sociable luxury villa rental in Corsica, it covers every kind of meal.

Casa Lariciu sleeps fourteen guests and has seven bathrooms. Bedrooms are calm and uncluttered, with timber floors, shutters and a mix of double and twin beds, so friends and families can split up easily. There's a family room with a sofa and a few pieces of gym kit for anyone who can't skip a workout.

Corsica's appeal is all here: sea air, maquis that smells of herbs in the heat, and the quiet of a Mediterranean island that still feels like France at its least polished. It suits big family gatherings and groups of friends.