Month: August 2016 (Page 2 of 3)

La Cigale is famous for its grilled mussels. And rightly so. They were excellent. So good that I had to go back and order them again. What a treat! The mussels were big and super tasty. My boyfriend, who isn’t that into mussels had a pasta with smoked salmon the first time and a salad with hot goat cheese. Both dishes were good, but I really have to recommend you try the mussels. You won’t regret it.

We ate on the terrace, which is nice in itself, but situated nearby a road that can be busy at day. In the evening (when the Spar on the other side of the road closes) I guess the amount of traffic will die down.

Service was friendly, although his English wasn’t that good. I also enjoyed some lovely artisanal ice cream from their ice cream bar.

La Cigale, Porto D 81, 20150 Porto, Ota, Corsica, France
+33 4 95 26 10 13

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about La Cigale also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

The room was spacious, comfortable and clean. I especially enjoyed the very good shower. The airco worked really well (we needed that, because it was very hot) and we had a nice little balcony with a gorgeous view on the bay. Highly recommend booking a room with a view. It is worth it.

The swimming pool was rather small and I found it a bit of a hassle that I had to go trough the breakfast area to reach the pool. The breakfast is served outside so you can enjoy the marvelous view on the Mediterranean Sea. Breakfast wasn’t that great though. We got some bread, pastries, orange juice and yoghurt served at the table. The only spreads offered were jams. It is possible though to order some charcuterie or cheese for a small extra fee.

Our room didn’t have a refrigerator, which would have been nice, especially during the hot summer days. Wifi wasn’t good at all.

Hotel Le Saint Erasme, Route de Porto, 20260, Calvi, Corsica, France

Stayed July 2016. You can find my review about Hotel Le Saint Erasme also on TripAdvisor. My scores: rooms 4/5, cleanliness 4/5, service 4/5.

The entrance fee to visit the exhibition inside the citadelle is really low, so no reason not to buy a ticket to see this interesting historical structure from the inside. The exhibition showed art work of different artists, not all were my taste, but I really enjoyed the aerial photographs.

Citadelle Saint Florent, Via A Citadella, Saint Florent, Corsica, France
http://aveclafr.exblog.jp/23791591/

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about Citadelle Saint Florent also on TripAdvisor.

We had dinner on the terrace of this restaurant in Porto. The interior of the restaurant didn’t look very inviting, but the terrace was lovely, surrounded by lots of flowering plants. Always nice eating outside on a beautiful summer evening. The terrace is situated right next to the road but not many cars passed by when we were sitting there.

The waitress brought us some olives as an appetizer, but those weren’t really my taste. They had a sour taste I didn’t enjoy. I ordered the seiche a la mode corse (octopus in black sauce) and my boyfriend went for a pizza Romulus with tomato, goat cheese and honey. Although it was well past nine when we arrived for dinner, we had to wait more than three quarters of an hour before our meal arrived. Such long waiting times are really unusual in Corsica.

Food was fine, but not outstanding. Nothing to justify the long waiting time. Service could be more efficient.

Le Romulus, D81, Porto, Ota, Corsica, France
http://www.restaurantromulus.fr/
+33 4 95 26 11 58

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about Le Romulus also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

The entry fee is very modest, so no excuse to not climb this tower. The view is excellent and inside the tower you’ll find lots of information about its turbulent history.

Genoise Tower, Place de la Marine, 20150 Porto, Ota, Corsica, France
http://www.porto-tourisme.com/
+33 4 95 26 10 05

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about Genoise Tower also on TripAdvisor.

La Vieille Cave is a nice restaurant with a lovely terrace. The interior is really cosy, but since it was such a beautiful summer evening when we visited, we preferred sitting outside. We started our meal with the cocktail of the day: a cucumber cooler. Lovely! While enjoying our cocktail we ordered the combination of main course and dessert for 23 euro. I went for the risotto with asparagus and octopus. I always enjoy a well made risotto and this risotto was excellent with the octopus tender and not chewy. I also had a taste of the duck my friend ordered and the meat was also very tasty.

Service was friendly and very efficient. We got our main course when we were still drinking our cocktail. Our waitress made one tiny mistake: my boyfriend ordered his moelleux without whipped cream, but it arrived with whipped cream. No big deal, so we didn’t complain. As a dessert I ordered the famous Corsican cheeses. Obviously you can’t go wrong with that.

I can really recommend this place. Excellent food for a decent price. I do think it is necessary to book a table in the weekend. When we visited on a week day the terrace was almost full of people. La Vieile Cave is clearly a popular place te have dinner.

La Vieille Cave, 9 Piazza DI L Olmu, 20220 Algajola, Corsica, France
+33 4 95 60 70 09

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about La Vieille Cave also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 4/5, food 5/5.

U Palazzu was a nice find in the cute little town of Pigna. At first we were not sure we were in the right place, because when we stepped inside it was really dark and our eyes needed some adjusting from the bright shining sun outside. We found that the room we entered led us to a really gorgeous garden with a breath taking view. It really was like stepping through a portal into another, more peaceful, world. Lovely!

We were looking for some desserts and the friendly lady who served us, showed us all the home made pastries and ice cream they had. Furthermore she recommended we try some home made citronnade (lemonade) to freshen up on such a hot day. My boyfriend couldn’t resist the brownie and I really enjoyed my ice cream. The citronnade was a perfect and really refreshing addition.

A little piece of heaven!

Palazzu Pigna, Village, Pigna, Corsica, France

Stayed July 2016. You can find my review about Palazzu Pigna also on TripAdvisor.

The name of the restaurant already gives an indication: when sitting on the terrace, you’re rewarded by an excellent view on the beach. Always nice to eat nearby the sea and see people relaxing on the beach.

I ordered a salad with gambas, which was really huge. The gambas were grilled and very tasty, the vegetables were fresh with a nice dressing. The salad was lovely presented. My boyfriend ordered a plat with Corsican charcuterie which was also nice.

Service was ok and the price reasonable.

Le Beau Rivage, route Nationale 197, 20220 Algajola, Corsica, France
http://www.hotel-beau-rivage.com/
+33 4 95 36 43 64

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about Le Beau Rivage also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

After our first visit here, we couldn’t resist coming back for more. U Fanale really is an outstanding restaurant which offers high quality food. For only 28 euro’s we enjoyed a four course meal with typical Corsican dishes. Every dish was beautifully presented and tasted even better. We asked for advice on which wine to drink with our meal. The waitress was very knowledgeable and gave us an excellent suggestion.

U Fanale means ‘the lighthouse’ in Corsican. It is easy to understand why: from the gorgeous terrace with beautiful trees you have a marvellous view on the bay and the lighthouse. Two times we enjoyed watching the sun set during our meal. If you are looking for a place for a romantic dinner: this is your spot.

U Fanale also has an English menu for tourists, so no problem if your French is not that good. And what’s more: they also serve excellent cocktails. My caipirinha was superb.

Price quality one of the best meals I had in Corsica. Highly recommended!

U Fanale, Route d Ajaccio, 20260, Calvi, Corsica, France
http://www.ufanale.com/
+33 4 95 65 18 82

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about U Fanale also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

When in Calvi you really have to visit the citadel. It is a beautiful, serene place with a rich history. Have an icecream or a drink and visit the beautiful cathedral.

Calvi Citadel, Calvi, Corsica, France
http://www.calvi-tourisme.com/calvi-corse-en-ville.html
+33 6 73 01 64 72

Visited July 2016. You can find my review about Calvi Citadel also on TripAdvisor.