Castell Verde Hotel

We booked our holiday 11 months in advance with some trepidation as there were no reviews of castel verdi- thompson had just added this venue to their brochure.Our fears were put to rest some months later as a few of the national papers gave the hotel rave reviews- they were not wrong. This is certainly a place to unwind take in the amazing views and sample fabulous cuisine. I could not fault the hotel , the staff are very friendly especially in the restaurant where we practised our o level French.The beach is a few minutes walk and when you first see the crystal waters it takes your breath away. However if you dont like crowds like us it does get very busy. We hired a car for the full fortnight bought some maps ( theyre very detailed like our os maps) and drove around a lot of the south and east of the island , usually ending up on one of Corsicas beautiful beaches.A good day out is the Roman remians at Aleria also take a trip into the mountains a breathtaking ride to Col de Bavella doing a round trip from Porto Vecchio and ending up at Solenzara.The jewel though is Bonifacio an amazing citadel perched on white cliffs a must to be seen by boat. This was our best holiday to date- we plan to go back next year to celebrate our 30th onniversary and discover the delights of the north.

took our holiday\honeymoon to corsica in first week of may in order to avoid hot weather, avoid we did lol first few days rained two days of sun then overcast and rain again, you can really appreciate the unspoilt beauty of the island and in glorious sunshine would be remarkable, most pictures you see in the holiday mags of resort(scenery) are that stunning .location of accomodation is set in a fantasticaly situated cove with various accomodations, we opted self catering in the studio apartments so not to be tied to hotel for eating, however we did eat in restaurant on arrival nite as no shops open after 2pm on a sunday, food was superb but you dont get alot for your money as its ala cart , one course is 35 euros and glass of coke is 3 euros so be prepared, providing youve hired a car which is a must due to location of resort , be warned on airport pick up of car you will need to take out the extra 16 euros a day waiver cover , in case you get a puncture as the usual insurance doesnt cover it, a slight hidden cost to greet you , having a car you will be able to access various local restaurants and nearby porto vechio where we discovered a lovely square with out door eating and semi speaking english waiters/ess, fantastic food and loads cheaper three courses plus couple drinks for under 80 euros, the restaurant we ate at was called shanka bar in the main town square you cant miss it, other restaurant we liked was in the nearby town of bonifacio a rough 20 minute drive, roads are well sign posted here we discovered fantastic food and ask for an english menu staff are great and freindly again three course meals cheaper average around 28-35 euros each for food, head for the tourist information office and up towards town on right hand side cafe de la poste will be found, again staff try to understand and speek pigeon english, for basic provisions there are three supermarkets in porto with varied stocked goods a little like asdas and tescos, make sure you take a trip into mountains as its very breathtaking ,if anyone would like more info please email us and we will be more than happy to help

My wife and I took our 18 month son and stayed half-board for 14 nights in the hotel as opposed to the self-catering apartments. The hotel, swimming pool, restaurant and the grounds are in excellent condition and the majority of the staff are very friendly and helpful. We did encounter a few problems. The cot provided for our son was only a travel cot and the mattress was as thick as a pack of playing cards and totally unacceptable to expect him to sleep on it for 2 weeks. When we complained we were told there was no other alternative. Upon further complaints a proper cot mattress was provided on the 11th night. Also the restaurant really only caters for adults and is not geared up for young kids. The kids menu is only limited to 3 basic meals and therefore is extremely repetitive over 2 weeks. (The adult menu on the other hand is really good). The restaurant doesn't open until 7.30pm and so it was very late by the time we got our son to bed and this made the days very long. Also the highchairs provided were only suitable for babies. Our son was too big to fit in them and too young to sit on his own so spent the whole holiday on my lap for breakfast and dinner. The other problem was that once we put our son to bed we would retire to the balcony to unwind, but as there was not an outside light we would sit in darkness. We got around this by stretching a bedside lamp outside - not ideal to say the least ! The beach is only a 10 minute walk away and is fantastic, it is the jewel in the crown and really made the holiday. The sandy beach is perfect for kids and the water is crystal clear. A hire car is crucial. Cabs are expensive and unreliable. Another note for families is that the restaurants in the main town of Porto Vecchio open for dinner at 8pm so there is no chance of an early dinner for the kids. Overall, this hotel would be absolutely perfect for couples and I would give it a 4/5. For families I would recommend the self- catering apartments.

Castell Verde apartments were really disappointing, v.v small, restaurant advertised did not do lunch time meals or anything suitable for children to eat. The location however was great very close to a fab beach and 10 mins from PC.You will need a car to get away from the resort to visit towns, harbour and mountains-well worth it as taxis are expensive.

We would certainly recommend Castell'Verde & Resort as we are just back from a fortnights stay there for our honeymoon. We found the staff in the Reception area were most helpful and the place was kept beautiful. You could see the staff working there worked so hard. We booked our holiday through the Thompsons website and everything went really smoothly for us. The accommodation we booked was for self catering and we have never seen such a fully equiped kitchen area provided before! You name it, it was there ~ even a dishwasher. The room was spacious with wooden flooring with the theme of a cabin in a ship to it. It was all to a very high standard and we were left to our own devices there really. The bed linen is left to make the beds up yourself and after a week you are asked to leave this in the entrance and clean sheets and towels are left. We found this to work well and if there was anything we needed we only had to ask. We had evening meals out most nights at local restaurants, although we could have easily have eaten at the restaurant at the resort but this was on the pricey side. The only piece of advice I would give travellers visiting Corsica is remember to take a French phrase book if you don't speak french, as you could say our meals were a bit of a surprise each night!! You will find that not alot of English is spoken by the locals and I was cursing I forgot the book at home!! We hired a car for the fortnight and thank goodness we arranged that before we left the UK. We have never seen such long queues to collect cars from Figari Airport when we arrived there. We collected our car from Porto Vecchio, from the harbour area. We booked it through Holiday Autos and we had a superb new car too. Corsica itself it absolutely stunning. We have both been on many holidays abroad before but this was something else ~ the scenery and beaches are beautiful. We would certainly go back as Corsica is so big in size that you could keep going back for years and still never see it all. We were staying in the south of the island and we travelled up as far as Corti and across to the west coast, and up into the mountains, which can only be decribed as "wow!". The area we stayed in had beach after beach that were all equally breathtaking. We had heard that the beaches compared to the Carribean and it is indeed very true. As you can gather we had a wonderful honeymoon in Corsica after having such a perfect wedding back in the UK.

Stayed here for a week in september 2006. The beauty of the island is apparent from the first few minutes of the half hour transfer from the airport to appartments/hotel which themselves are attractively built and landscaped to blend in with the surrounding pine forests. We booked late and were therefore, although only two of us, were allocated a two bedroom split level appartment which was well equipped with downstairs open plan living/kitchen area with access to a terrace with table and chairs. Bathroom was also downstairs, off the kitchen and contained shower, toilet and sink in the smallest space possible!!! Not somewhere you'd want to spend a lot of time!! Kitchen area extemely well equipped with dishwasher, large fridge and every possible utensil you could need!! There is a reasonable sized seating area, with cofee table and tv although only english speaking channel was CNN. Upstairs was a double bedroom and seperate smaller room with bunkbeds and plenty of cupboards, storage space. The appartments were atractive and welll designed with a nautical theme throughout, but would imagine could be a bit claustrophobic if sleeping the four people for which they were designed. Upon arrival, clean linen is left for you to make up your own beds-a peculiarity apparently pertinent to french accomodation in general(?) Although not a big deal, we were suprised by this especially given the four star rating! In addition, at checkout you are expected to clean the appartmets ready for the next inhabitants or forfeit a fairly substantial penalty! Again, not a huge problem if like most decent people you leave a place near enough as you find it, but did mean the last hour was spent frantically cleaning the loo etc. Plus you have to suplly your own materials so would advise taking some basics, e.g. washing up liquid, anti bacterial wipes etc with you to avoid paying the exorbitant costs in the local supermarket. As i have mentioned, the surroundings are attractive and lead down past the pool /restaurant area (which overlooks the bay) to a quiet dust track leading to the beautiful (if busy!) beach On the way you pass the supermarket where you can buy most of what you need including fresh bread each day. Be warned though that with the exception of bread and water, prices are high-so much so that even the londoners were complaining! Beach on a sunny day really is as lovely as it looked in brochure with clear water and a variety of watersports on offer. There is also a beach bar which sells drinks, ice cream, pizzas and salads, for which we received a 10 percent discount card on checking in to use throughout the week. Food and service here was good and prices fairly comparble with the UK and therefore in my experience a little dearer than in the rest if europe, however was a lovely location to enjoy an evening meal as the sun went down. Only ahandful of other places to eat out at in the area and everywhere shut by 10'o'clock which may just've been a reflection of the time of year we went but whilst not lovers of rowdy nightlife, we would've liked the option to stay up later should we have chosen to! We didnt eat at the hotel purely because it was a set menu and very geared towards carnivores (We're vegetarian) Be warned, that the bus service to the nearest towns of porto vechio and bonifacio stops at the end of august and so if you choose to visit outside these times and don't hire a car, are at the mercy of local taxis which are the most expensive we have ever come across, and can also be extremely difficult to find outside the hoilday season. This we found out having been stranded for 3 hours in porto vechio one night waiting for taxi back to the appartments (apparently the trick is to arrange a pick up time with driver who drops you off) and then on another occasion when we booked a taxi to take us to a restaurant no more than a mile down the road (It was raining like nothing I've ever seen at home or abroad, hence the taxi!) only to be charged 20 euro for a 2 minute journey! When we queried this we were told this was the standard fare as the taxi has to come from the nearest town!! Funnily enough we didn't use a taxi again for the rest of our stay which is why I would suggest that car hire is a must for anyone staying in this resort and wanting to see more of the island. We did manage to visit bonifaccio on an organised bus trip which was lovely to see and included a short boat trip but we were only there a morning and would've liked the opportunity to spend more time enjoying the sights of the citadel.( Incidentally, the harbourside supermarket is worth visiting here to stock up and avoid paying the on site supermarket prices). You can also catch a boat from the harbour at bonifaccio to sardinia for not very much at all and is a much cheaper way of doing it than the organised trips. It is also worth mentioning that there is no cash point at all in the resrt of santa giulia so it would be wise to withdraw plenty of funds whilst visiting porto vechio or bonifacio to see you through the hoilday. As I have mentioned, we visited in early september and had 4 days of good weather. However in the middle of the week there was torrential rain and flooding and we later found out the isalnd was on orange alert !! Obviously this could not be predicted but the lack of public transport and hire car meant we were prisoners inside our appartment for 2 days which blighted the holiday somewhat, however on the upside, did see some amazing thunderstorms! In summary, from what we saw corsica is a lovely island, currently very unspoilt by the small amounts of tourism there. Would love to go back but would definately hire a car this time!

We (married couple) booked a last minute week’s holiday to the Castell Verde in Corsica (half board). We had read on the trip advisor and in the brochure that it was a quiet location, but we did not realise how quiet! Most of the beach bars had closed due to being towards the end of the season and the hotel bar closed most nights for 10.30pm. There are lots of mosquitoes so please take protection and don’t forget to take your travel plug as I did as there is no where to by one! But I would truely recommend this hotel/resort as the beaches are beautiful, the food is gorgeous, the rooms are clean with fresh towels daily, the weather was lovely and warm. The market was not very well stocked (again due to being end of season) and expensive, so we joined another couple and shared the taxi fare into Porto Vecchio to buy snacks/gifts. If we go again we would hire a car before we go.

We were first time visitors to Corsica and were unsure of which resort to choose. As there were four of us we looked at a range of apartments and hotels but found that the Castell Verde had a great location and offered good value. I have never seen so many babies and young children on a flight and certainly found that Corsica is very child friendly. The transfer was quick and easy but on arriving at the hotel we had to get our cases down quite a few steps to check in a registration, only to find that we then had to carry them back up the steps to our rooms. The holiday brochures call this a 4 star hotel it is a 3 star when you get there. However the view from our 1st Floor room was well worth it as you get a great sea view and a lovely balcony to sit on. The pool is very nice, again overlooking the sea but watch out for the sunloungers, they don't come with a matress and are pretty uncomfortable. The best tip I can give is to head to the beach, once there go around the rocks to the second part of the beach where you will find a small group of loungers for 10 euros a day - it is bliss! Food wise breakfast is very good, lunch is great but dinner can be a bit hit and miss but it is four courses, so is good value. I recommend getting into Porto Vechio as there is a large selection of restaurant - but there are no bargains to be had and booze is more expensive than in the UK. You may get cabin fever at the hotel so booking a car is well worth it and with the money you have saved on the hotel is easy to do. It's a very relaxing location but doesn't have the advantage of bars and restaurants on the door step and those available on the beach mean a dark walk back to the hotel. Any minor gripes are more than cancelled out by the wonderful beach and views!

Me and my boyfriend spent a week at the Castell Verde s/c apartments in Santa Guillia at the beginning of August. Overall we had a great time. It has everything you need for a relaxing break away with nice beaches, great weather and good places to eat. The apartments are pretty basic with a cabin style theme. The kitchen has everything you need in terms of utensils and had a microwave and 2 hobs for cooking. The bathroom/toilet is very small but the shower is quite powerful and there is always hot water. We would recommend taking washing up liquid, toilet roll, cloths etc as they don’t provide anything. There is a local shop but be aware it is quite expensive as it is the only one around unless you have a car. The balcony was a good size with table and chairs for eating out and we had a lovely view where you could just see the sea. You do only get one set of towels for the week but ask at the reception and they will give you more if you need them. The Beach was lovely with gorgeous clear water, white sand and lovely views of the mountains. It was very busy when we were there with lots French and Italian holidaymakers so get there early for a nice spot. There are a couple of places to eat along the sea front all serving very nice food especially pizza’s and salads. The hotel gave us a 10% off card at check-in to use at the main beach bar that came in handy as you can use it every time you go. If you prefer to sit by the pool then get there early as that too gets very busy especially with young families. We found there weren’t that many places near the hotel to eat out in the evening but Porto Vecciho and Bonifacio are full of nice restaurants where you can get some good deals. We went on the organised trip to Bonifacio which we thought was defiantly worth the visit especially if you get to go on the boat trip (depending on how windy it is) then we walked up to the citadel and walked around the old streets with lots of nice shops/boutiques. You can get a bus to Porto Vecchio from near the shop that runs at certain times of the day. Ask at reception for a timetable. It is only around 10-15 mins away and is worth going for an evening. The last bus back is around 7.30pm but we got a taxi back for around 20 Euros. The only one disappointment we had was that we wanted to hire a car but there were none left! So our one bit of advice if you want to explore the rest of the island and visit different beaches would be to book one early before you go. We would definitely recommend Corsica and would like to go back at some point to see more of the island.

We (a young couple) spent a lovely week at Castell Verde in late June. If you are wanting a relaxing break, very close to the sea, with a pool and the opportunity to travel a bit to see some sights, then this is a good option. We went for the self-catering option which worked out well as the kitchens are well equipped and there appeared to be only a couple of options for the evening meal in the hotel. Also, although the quality of local restaurants does vary, if you get a good guide book and try some local delicacies, they're very nice including lots of veggie and dessert options in restaurants if you can decipher the menus! - Very few people speak English but we enjoyed this aspect and the opportunity to revise GCSE French! The residences are very clean and modern, along a wooden chalet style-theme, the only minor complaints being that they are a little dark and the towels don't get changed. Also bring washing up liquid or dishwasher tablets with you etc. The veranda is nice but try and get a sea view - not sure whether this is possible with SC. Car hire is pretty essential unless you do just want to hang around the pool and go to the beach or on organised trips. We liked the setting of the place which is quite rural but as mentioned you can walk to the beach which goes past a store with all the essentials and a short drive will take you to better boulangeries and other beaches e.g. Palombaggia. We also particularly enjoyed sunset meals at the beach restaurant at Santa Guilia where they do decent seafood specialities and pizzas and you can book a table right next to the beach. The swimming pool is great - shallow and deep bits and good views. Tennis courts also good and we hired them and bats etc for free. The beach does get quite busy but wasn't too bad for June and lots of different people from everywhere rather than being Brits abroadish. It seems clean with white sands and the water is crystal clear and you can swim out to some nearby rocks for snorkelling and there are other watersports available. If you prefer to just swim then the sea at Palombaggia gets deeper quicker. It was a little overcast at the beginning of the week but the weather was always warm and did get very warm being late 20s early 30s by the end of the week. It seemed to be quite a civilised resort and also a relatively popular time and place to take small children. Nearby Bonifacio is about 20 mins drive away with a nice marina and Citadelle and is good for boat trips to islands off the coast. Porto Vecchio is about 10 mins away and again with an old Citadelle with good restaurants and some small shops. Neither were as large or as tourist orientated as some other resorts in the med but again we liked these aspects. The mountains and vineyards are also good places to visit.