Villa Balagne

Villa Balagne looks out over a bay scattered with small islands. It's a modern house of stone and white render, and its dark infinity pool seems to pour straight into the view.

Inside, one big open space holds a sunken lounge with a curved built-in sofa, a black fireplace suspended from the ceiling and a wall of glass facing the sea. The kitchen is dark and handsome, with a long island, induction hob and timber panelling, and breakfast happens outside under a slatted pergola hung with woven lights. As a luxury villa rental in Corsica, it's design-led without feeling cold.

Villa Balagne sleeps ten guests in six bedrooms and has six bathrooms. Each room has its own character: a master with a round freestanding bath set beside the window, another with a whirlpool tub in the room itself, desks with velvet chairs and patterned wallpaper, and colours that run from plum to lilac to teal. Several open onto the pool deck, and the bathrooms move from marble to black tile to warm timber.

The terraces are made for slow days, from loungers along the pool to a shaded table above the bay. The coast below is the gentle, sunny side of this island, a part of France loved for its clear sea. It suits friends, families and anyone who values good design.