Product reviews

A huge and gorgeous (self-catering) villa, perched panoramically on the hills above the beautiful, sweeping bay of St Florent in sunny, northern Corsica.

Our boys (10, 9 and 5) couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the size of the place, with its light-flooded, cool-floored, open-plan living room, perky red kitchen, outside dining terrace, pretty decking-framed pool and five (count' em!) enormous bedrooms, three with ensuite bathrooms.

It's brilliantly equipped for families, with cots, highchairs, balcony rails, pool alarm, dishwasher, microwave, washing machine, DVD player, coolbox, parasols, even buckets and spades - although the stone steps leading down to the lower floors might not suit young persons of the just-crawling or just-cruising variety.

But best of all is stunning location, with glorious views over the sea on one side and the maquis-covered mountains on the other.

If you can tear yourself away from the sun-drenched terrace (and prise the kids away from the pool), there's loads to do and see (and eat) in the surrounding area.

You could head for the fab, child-friendly beach in St Florent, where your kids can wade out for ages before the warm, clear water even gets waist-deep. Or you could mosey round the port of St Florent itself - a smaller, gentler cousin of St Tropez (with added Genoese citadel) - and gape at the blingiest yachts in the marina.

For edge-of-your-seat thrills, pile into your hire car and venture up the vertiginous Cap Corse coast road, counting off the Genoese towers on the headland as you go, towards the famously black beach below the pretty, slate-roofed village of Nonza. Or head, equally steep and twistily, inland to artsy-crafty Oletta and the "funny, stripey church" (© my five-year-old) at Murato.

Once you've made it in one piece back down the mountain, you might need a recuperative visit to one of the vineyards on the "wine trail" just outside St Florent.

If the self-catering gets too much, there are good local restaurants nearby - serving everything from pizzas to full-on five-course finery. And, as Corsica is part of France (despite what the locals say!), there are baguette-stocked boulangeries aplenty. Top foodie-treat of all is the ice-cream place behind St Florent village square, where, every afternoon and evening, they serve (with a huge smile) the most gobsmacking range of freshly-made ices and sorbets.

We had the most wonderful family holiday here. The warmth of the Corsican sun - and the warmth of the Corsican people we met - took our breath away.