A quiet spot 40 minutes away, on the Cargèse road, where you go hunting for Saint Lucia's eyes
Chuni appears on no list of the finest beaches in Corsica, and that is exactly the point. It is a more discreet spot, on the road to Cargèse, where you come for the quiet — and to hunt for Saint Lucia's eyes.
This is what makes Chuni particular. “Saint Lucia's eyes” are the pearly opercula of a small sea snail: tiny spiral discs, white on one side, orange on the other. In Corsica they are traditionally worn as lucky charms, set as a pendant or simply slipped into a pocket. Looking for them keeps children busy for hours, and the souvenir costs nothing.
No water sports base, no queue of cars: Chuni is a beach where you come to lay down a towel and do nothing. It is the option to keep for the day the beaches of the gulf are full, or simply when you would rather hear the sea than the beach.
Chuni lies just before Cargèse coming from Porto. The village is worth the stop: founded in the 18th century by Greeks from the Mani, it has kept two churches facing each other, one Latin and one Greek — a pairing that exists nowhere else in Corsica.
Forty minutes from the hotel, along the Cargèse road. Do it on the day you head south, or when you want a beach without crowds. Ask us before you leave — depending on the day's wind, we will tell you whether the trip is worth it.
A huge stretch of fine sand and turquoise water, often ranked among the finest beaches in Corsica. Cliff jumping on the left for the adventurous, three restaurants — and the road from Piana, high above the sea, is worth the trip on its own.
See the beach
A fishermen's cove tucked below the village of Piana, with rare water clarity, framed by the red cliffs of the Calanques. You have to earn it: thirty-seven minutes on a narrow road we would not take a campervan down, very limited parking, then a walk down.
See the beach
The closest to the hotel, at the foot of the Genoese tower: magnificent for photographs, picnics and sunsets. Supervised, with an access mat to the water usable in a wheelchair — but the waves are powerful and the bottom drops away fast, so swimming is better elsewhere.
See the beachPhotos : Jean-Pol Grandmont, CC BY 3.0
Hôtel Le Vaïta welcomes you in Porto-Ota, between the beaches of the gulf and the road to Cargèse. 26 air-conditioned rooms, best rate guaranteed when you book direct.
