Marina Di Sorbo

Marina di Sorbo is in Haute-Corse, in the commune of Sorbo-Ocagnano, about a 30-minute drive from the port of Bastia, with Poretta airport very close by. The campsite village, rated 2 stars, consists mainly of chalets for 5 to 7 people; the website mentions 157 units, and also offers hotel rooms and a suite. It is aimed at families or groups of friends looking for a quiet spot with a beach a few steps away.

The chalets come in several models: the Club 4 and Club 5, with a double bedroom and a room sleeping three, and the more spacious Atlantis, for up to 7 people with a sofa bed and a semi-covered terrace. Chalets adapted for people with reduced mobility are close to reception and the services. All have a kitchenette, a shower, WC and constant hot water.

The website gives no opening dates, but its price list covers the whole year: a week in a Club 4 costs 420 € from 1 January to 31 March and from 1 September to 31 December, 440 € from April to June, 742 € in July and 805 € in August. The chalets can therefore also be booked in winter and autumn. Exact arrival dates, heating and the services open during this period should be confirmed with the campsite.

The east coast also offers the Castagniccia, with its hill villages, and the sites of Aléria, at a distance that allows day trips.

The campsite’s facilities are deliberately simple. A snack bar, a petanque court and a laundry room are on site, and a reception desk, which also speaks Italian, advises on gastronomic routes, village festivals, excursions and the beaches not to be missed. Children have play areas in a setting described as safe and quiet.

Each chalet has a kitchen with ceramic hob (two rings in the Club, four in the Atlantis, with extractor hood), a fridge, a table with chairs, a bathroom and a terrace. A set of crockery for five or seven people is provided. Rates include water and electricity as well as the initial clean; the final clean costs 45 € in the Club and 55 € in the Atlantis.

Paid extras include a pair of sheets at 12 € per week or per change, towels, a baby cot at 10 € for the stay, an internet connection and laundry, with prices displayed at the office. Hotel rooms can be rented for 90 € a night for three people and the suite for 160 € for six people. A 50 € supplement applies for a dog for the whole stay. The campsite has no announced swimming pool: swimming is at Marina di Sorbo beach, very close by. The website does not specify which services are open in winter.

Here the sea remains the main activity: the beach is close enough that families with young children can go in the cooler hours and come back for lunch at the chalet. The petanque court and play areas fill the rest of the time on site.

The surroundings lend themselves well to days of discovery. The archaeological sites of Aléria, the villages of Moriani, Folelli, Casinca and Cervione, or Bastia can be visited as day trips. The campsite also recommends trekking and long walks in the countryside, as well as the winding roads of the Castagniccia, popular with motorcyclists, which climb into the hills close to the sea.

For the more adventurous, the west coast is within reach: Calvi and L’Île-Rousse offer other landscapes and an important part of Corsica’s history. Food is part of the journey: charcuterie from semi-wild pigs, brocciu, island wines, olive oil, honey, fish and seafood such as Centuri spiny lobster or oysters from the Diane and Urbino lagoons. The team is happy to point out the season’s village festivals. The website gives no specific programme for autumn and winter.