U Santa Maria — Restaurant in Sartène

The hotel is a small character hotel with only a few rooms. I was in the biggest double room, although even this was quite small. There was nothing fancy, but it had all mod cons - shower, tv, etc.||||The great thing about this hotel is the location and the fact that you can immerse yourself in the traditional Corsican life. Most people in the village speak Corse (a Genoan dialect similar to Italian) as well as the official language, French. If you're looking for a quiet break, or you're in need of a stopover whilst exporing the beautiful Corsican countryside then this is the place for you. The views are stunning.||||The staff at the hotel are very friendly, especially the receptionist Audrey who was absolutely fantastic throughout my stay. Incidentally, Audrey speaks excellent english, but unfortunately is the only one!||||Also, the restaurant 'Chez Mimi' is quite famous throughout the region and I can't fault it. The food was delicious, especially the selection of charcuterie which is a speciality of the region.||||The nearest town is Propriano, which you can see below you from Olmeto. Its only 10 minutes by car, but beware a taxi cost me €40! Great beach and restaurants here, and another great beach at Olmeto Plage which is also very close.||||Transport links aren't great with only one or two buses a day passing through to Ajaccio or Bonifacio.||||All in all, a fantastic stay. Although because I don't drive, next time I will stay somewhere with...

We arrived at 9.30 p.m. to find the hotel in darkness. The door to reception was open but there was no-one around. There was a room key in a basket on the counter - and the room was empty – so we left our luggage and went elsewhere to eat. On our return, there was still no-one around, so we went to bed.||In the morning, we found the manager, who spoke no English but managed to explain via Google translate that she had been to a family funeral. She was very apologetic and gave us a bigger room with a balcony. However, we didn’t see her again (or any other staff) for the rest of the week. Some days the room was tidied and the bed made, sometimes not.||The restaurant was closed, which was a pity as locals told us it was the best food in town. ||Despite all this, I still it’s a lovely little hotel if, like us, you prefer small family run places to big soulless establishments – it’s just that we found the (lack of) service a bit bizarre. It’s probably fine in high season.||Olmeto is a charming village in the foothills of the mountains (on the T40 road from Ajaccio to Bonifaccio). People are very friendly and there is a strong sense of community. There are good restaurants (Chez Antoine, La Source), shops and a couple of bars where you can drink with the locals. It’s a good centre for walking but you need a car to...

We arrived at 9.30 p.m. to find the hotel in darkness. The door to reception was open but there was no-one around. There was a room key in a basket on the counter - and the room was empty – so we left our luggage and went elsewhere to eat. On our return, there was still no-one around, so we went to bed.||In the morning, we found the manager, who spoke no English but managed to explain via Google translate that she had been to a family funeral. She was very apologetic and gave us a bigger room with a balcony. However, we didn’t see her again (or any other staff) for the rest of the week. Some days the room was tidied and the bed made, sometimes not.||The restaurant was closed, which was a pity as locals told us it was the best food in town. ||Despite all this, I still it’s a lovely little hotel if, like us, you prefer small family run places to big soulless establishments – it’s just that we found the (lack of) service a bit bizarre. It’s probably fine in high season.||Olmeto is a charming village in the foothills of the mountains (on the T40 road from Ajaccio to Bonifaccio). People are very friendly and there is a strong sense of community. There are good restaurants (Chez Antoine, La Source), shops and a couple of bars where you can drink with the locals. It’s a good centre for walking but you need a car to...