welcome to thea-listers secret island

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Mediterranean

Welcome tothe A-listers’secret islandThe isle of Cavallooff Corsica haslovely beaches, greatdiving and one chichotel. No wonderBeyoncé loves it,says Sean Thomas

Piece together your perfectisland. It might have Frenchcooking, Italian grace andstyling or perhaps a hint ofSpanish sexiness. What else?How about a clear, warm,Seychellois sea that unrolls its

lacy waves on to gleaming desertedbeaches: because this island is private.It’s justadream,of course.Or is it?Letme

introduce you to Cavallo — sometimescalled the Mustique of the Med — a flat,rocky, sunny, myrtle and rosemary-perfumed island off southern Corsica.Owned by a syndicate of Italian billion-

aires, this jagged, mile-wide chunk ofdemi-paradise is a mere two hours fromHeathrow (and half an hour by taxi and

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boat from Figari airport in Corsica) yetfeels like it is on the other side of the globe:in a yearned-for world where there isn’tmuch to do, in the nicest possible way.And we’re here to do just that.On our first morning at the Hotel & Spa

des Pêcheurs (the only going concern onCavallo, apart from a smattering of villasthat can be rented from time to timeand a couple of independent eateries),I approach Giuseppe. He’s head barman atthehotel’s ShoreClub, an agreeably affableplace, with its bowered sunbeds and itstables pitched so close to the waves thatyou can practically eat your salad niçoisewhile you paddle.“So what shall we do this afternoon,

Giuseppe? What do you suggest?”Th h i Gi h H




The charming Giuseppe shrugs. Helooks at the jade-meets-sapphire sea.“Ahhh. You can swim? Maybe you can

dive.” Another shrug. “Then maybe swimagain.”“Apart from that?”“Eat is good here.”He’s right. Eat is good here. The Shore

Club has an Italian ambience as well as afaint Ibizanbuzz. Think chilloutmusic andnude sunbathing in thenext cove along. Inthis mix, though, the attitude to food isdistinctly French. On Giuseppe’s adviceI have a simple carpaccio of fresh fish with

a glass of chilled Corsican rosé. It’sdelicious.Theseafoodshouldbeexcellentbecause

the surrounding seas are special. Cavallo(part of France) is one of the islands of theLavezzi archipelago, and lies in aprotectedmarine environment, shared with nearbySardinia (part of Italy). No furtherdevelopment is allowed on Cavallo itself(Corsican nationalists firebombed a villain the 1990s as a protest against invaders).On the surrounding islands, no settlementis allowed at all.Add in the absence of polluting industry,

a stiff and cleansing current through theStrait of Bonifacio and aban on large-scalefishing, and you havesome of the clearestwaters in the Mediterranean,with someof the mostamazing aquat-ic life. I’m in-troduced tothat life by Sil-vio, who runsthe hotel diving

centre. From June to September Silviolives in Cavallo; the rest of the time heis inThailand (“I don’t likewinter”). Sil-

vio has dived in some of the most iconicscuba sites on the globe and rates Cavalloin the top ten. Why?

“Groupers!” he says. I’myet tobeper-suaded, mainly because I have no

idea what a grouper is. Then,when we scooch our dinghyto a spot of bluewater a kilo-metre offshore and dive to20 metres, I begin to un-

derstand. Groupers arebig fish, maybe a metrelong.A school of them isan impressive sight.Moreover, in thecoral-fringed under-water canyons ofMerouville, they are soplentiful and so tamethat they swim up andheadbutt your goggles.Don’t despair if you can’t

scuba — the snorkelling isalso excellent. The water isso clear that visibility is upto 60 metres, so it’s rather

like swimming in a vast pool of vodka. Inthe shallows the little fish dance aroundyourhands,makingyou feel like anunder-water medieval saint, gifted with thelanguage of sticklebacks.Swimming, diving, snorkelling and eat-

ing splendid seafood.What else?Well, thespa is jolly nice. While I am partying withthe groupers my girlfriend has a “reallyenjoyable” hot-stone massage, with anemphasis on local stones.That may not sound so amazing, but —

like the seas around Cavallo — those ubi-quitous rocks beneath your sandalled feetare special. Soft and rounded, they resem-ble the rocks of the Seychelles. What’smore, at theHotel des Pêcheurs, where allof the large, soothing rooms have gloriousbalconies with sea views, some of thelarger boulders are used as features in therooms, right next to the minibar.The rocksofCavallo alsoplayeda role in

the island’s history. The Romans came inthe second century AD to quarry granite.You can still see traces of the picks andshovels wielded by slaves. After theRomans left, Cavallo was left to snoozeunder the Mediterranean sun right up tothe 1970s, when a Paris nightlife mogulturned it into a retreat for celebrities.In its heyday as a hideaway, practically

everyone who was anyone took the ten-minute boat ride from the Corsican main-

land to little Cavallo. MarcelloMastroian-ni, Catherine Deneuve and Petula Clarksummered here (Clark called Cavallo aheaven on Earth, and said, “we lived likegypsies and washed in the sea”). Exiled

d




princes and incognito artists came too.Now Cavallo is being revived. The hotel

and villas are being refurbished and thecelebs are, accordingly, drifting back.Some of the Monaco royal family havebought properties and Giuseppe tells methat Alicia Keys and Beyoncé have beenspotted.Naturally, this rockrose has a thorn.

Corsica is an expensive place, and Cavallois pricier still.Whether you eat at the hotelor the excellent Italian restaurant near theisland’s tiny marina, you can pay threefigures for a modest dinner. Hiring snor-kels or renting golf buggies— the bestwayof tootling around — is similarly costly.Then again, what price an empty mind?Because that is what Cavallo delivers.After two days, my cares fall away. I turn

off my phone; I shovemy laptop in its case.Strolling to the next empty beach I stare atthe sea and the sky, and I think: what shallI do next? Then I realise that the silence iseverything. The aimlessness is perfect.Maybe I’ll take another swim.Ormaybe I’llsit in the sun, where the air is scented withwild rosemary, andwaithappily fornothingto happen.

Sean Thomas was aguest of Simpson Travel(020 8003 6557,simpsontravel.com),which has a week atthe Hotel & Spa desPêcheurs from £2,146ppin September, rising to£4,496pp in August.This includes half-boardaccommodation,flights on the weeklySimpson British Airwayscharter into Corsica, andconnections to Cavallo.Simpson also featuresvillas on Cavallo, startingat £865pp in Septemberrising to £1,750pp inAugust, based on ten

Need toknow

sharing, and includingaccommodation,flights, transfers, andtwo nights’ in-villachef service.




Five great deals for island breaks in EuropeSicily, ItalyStay for seven nights at HotelCapotaormina and save up to £149 perperson. The hotel is in a dramatic spoton a headland with a private beachoverlooking the Bay of Naxos, plus acliff-top pool. Rooms are spacious andmodern. The hotel has three restaurantsand three bars, and is close to thehistoric town of Taormina.Details A seven-night B&B stay costsfrom £750pp, including return flights toCatania and private transfers, for travelfrom September 4 to October 24; youmust book by June 30 (020 7838 5892,wexas.com)

MaltaThere are some great deals in Malta thissummer, particularly from the specialisttour operator Malta Direct. Some of thebest are to be had at the Qawra resort,by St Paul’s Bay, staying at the four-starSantana Hotel, which is 300m from thebeach. The hotel has a rooftop pool,indoor pool, and a spa with a sauna.Rooms have a simple, elegant style. It’sclose to restaurants, bars and shops.

Details A seven-night B&B staycosts from £417pp departing fromGatwick on July 15, with transfersincluded (0845 6040035,maltadirect.com)

Lanzarote, Canary IslandsSeven nights’ all-inclusive for less than£550 in July at a sporty hotel with threepools, and a wellness centre with asauna and hot tub sounds tempting.That’s the latest offer at BarcelóLanzarote Resort hotel in the CostaTeguise area of Lanzarote. The family-friendly hotel also has a climbing wall,water slides and a mini golf course. Theprice in July is £270 per couple off therate published in the brochure.Details Seven-nights’ all-inclusive costsfrom £542pp departing from Gatwick onJuly 14, with transfers included (08712007799, firstchoice.co.uk)

Kladesholmen, SwedenKladesholmen is a small islandconnected to mainland Swedenby a road bridge. It’s a peaceful placewith a rather unusual hotel, the Salt &

Sill, which floats on pontoons. The hotelis made up of six two-storey houseswith compact, modern rooms. TheScandinavian specialist Taber Holidayshas put together a fly-drive packagethat includes four nights on the islandand three in the city of Gothenburg.Details A week’s B&B with four nights atSalt & Sill on Kladesholmen and three inGothenburg is from £1,095pp withflights from Heathrow and car hire forfive days, for travel up to August 31(01274 875199, taberhols.co.uk)

Kefalonia, GreeceRelax on the picturesque island ofKefalonia staying at the Lourdas BeachApartments on its southern shore. The 12apartments are set around a big infinitypool facing the sea. They are close to abeach and several tavernas, if you wanta break from cooking for yourself.Details A week’s self-catering costs from£489pp, 23 per cent off the usual price,departing on July 11 from Gatwick,including transfers (020 8758 4758,sunvil.co.uk)Tom Chesshyre




Beyoncé, left, and Alicia Keys




t

5 miles

CORSICA

SARDINIA

Cavallo

TyrrhenianSea

Bonifacio

PortoVecchio




lty

One of the bays on the island of Cavallo,above; a patio and a bedroom at theHotel & Spa des Pêcheurs, right

welcome to thea-listers secret island

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