U Capu Biancu Bonifacio

U Capu Biancu opens its doors and the soul of an island is revealed: an island they call Corsica. Or Corse. Or even Kallistê, the very beautiful. An island rising up like a bright frontier facing the world. An ardent land, raw and wild, where life is dreamt and where life is breathed in deeply.

A country whose impetuous character is reflected, just as fiery, in the men and women who inhabit it. A nature that forged temperaments, modeling them after the proud and arrogant mountains, after the chaotic thrusts of the coastline, after the sea by turns serene and tormented.

An island whose beauty has always enticed covetousness, all the more for her place at the heart of the Mediterranean. Today still Corsica resists: a piece of paradise, a heritage to protect. In another age, you might have dared to call U Capu Biancu a bastard child: born of the meeting of earth and sky, of sea and winds.

Today that might seem presumptuous. And yet… U Capu Biancu is a luxurious hotel, boasting a spirit as free, complex and authentic as the nature which gave it birth. It draws from that nature its gentleness and its sincerity, its riches and its humility.

We, Sylvia and Jean-Louis Limongi, raised it like a father and mother. We passed on our DNA, like a father and mother. The DNA of a loving family, for we love this house! It’s the fruit of our efforts, of our passions, of our commitments.

Today the child has grown up. It’s become a 4 star hotel in southern Corsica, where you experience a discrete luxury, felt but not seen. Where you taste authenticity, felt but not on display. Flowered, pungent and heady like the land from which it comes, you breathe and you live U Capu Biancu. Simply.

A VACATION HOME IN BONIFACIO
Yes, a delightful vacation home: elegant and colourful, rich yet discrete. One that you long for when winter pales the landscape, and dream of from the first breath of spring. Distanced from hustle and bustle by a “long asphalt drive”, hidden away in the flowery, sweet-scented maquis.

Built above the sea whose gentle rocking it watches, full and tender. A dwelling place that gladly opens its doors to travellers in search of serenity and of reminiscence. Yes, a vacation home where we meet, where we connect, where we live and let live. Where we find the joy of shared moments, and where we create new memories: warm, peaceful and playful.

By immersing oneself in the heart of a sincere, pure and bewitching nature, humility is rediscovered. Truth becomes evident. Restraint supersedes ostentation. Yes, much more than a luxury Corsican hotel or a seaside hotel, we have invented a vacation home. Only for you. And to be honest…perhaps a bit for ourselves as well.

A TEAM, HOSTS, A FAMILY
Do we dare to call the hosts who welcome you here in this vacation home a family? With no hesitation, yes! For a family is not determined only by blood: it is born too of fundamental values, intertwined values that embrace and harmonise with each other.

These go hand in hand: humour and hard work, respect and honesty, perseverance and sincerity. All values governed by a high standard: a daily demand, one for lived vacations and not only the dream of a vacation. True, we choose the members of our family.

Almost religiously. For we expect them to embrace these values. Because experience is not the only measure of competence. We know that, understand it deeply. We, Sylvie and Jean-Louis, the happy owners of this home, but also.

RESPONSIBLE LUXURY 
U Capu Biancu is, first, a place. A bit of land. A tip of the world. It’s the wild energy that the island of Corsica distills into each vein of our welcoming home. This energy is our luxury: a responsible luxury made of salty and herbal scents, of authentic colours, of incisive aromas and of comforting silences.

A luxury made of space, of expanses where you fill your lungs with unbridled breaths. Free, conscious of what nature offers us. This natural luxury, this freedom to live has always moved and motivated us. And since its 1992 opening, we’ve always thought of U Capu Biancu hotel as the extension of this life philosophy. From its roots to its organization.

Disregarding the setbacks, even derision from those who thought it but a passing phase. Au contraire: it never was. And we have undertaken each action we can to protect the environment which has granted us this exceptional place.

Out of conviction, not out of thrift or trend following. No, we vindicate our actions, now more than ever, fully and passionately. Waging battle against bad habits, trying to invent much better ones, keeping open to new ideas.

In choosing U Capu Biancu, you too are adopting this ideology. And with it, a meaningful vacation. In choosing U Capu Biancu, you too are joining the Rispettu program and its ecological definition of luxury.

For we’ve always known this: luxury is responsible when it is natural. We are convinced of this, for here we all breathe in and breathe out Corsica with deep respect. Here, we shelter from the elements while vibrating to their rhythm. Here, we are. Plainly and simply.

VILLAS IN THE MAQUIS
Corsican hospitality begins here! Advice, assistance, let’s choose together the best villa for you, always at the best price! A villa in Corsica. A villa in the heart of the Corsican maquis. A villa about 3½ kilometers (just over 2 miles) from U Capu Biancu.

A villa a stone’s throw from a Corsican beach. A beguiling thought, is it not? And if you only knew… If you knew how just how much more beguiling it is in person! Fivefold more! For there are five of them, five houses scattered in the holm oak and olive tree shade, amidst a shady, enclosed park.

Five houses tucked away far from curious eyes, hidden behind Bonifacian dry stone walls. Five vacation homes sitting there, near the Canetto beach, near heady vineyards. Rumour has it that these villas bear a strange resemblance to U Capu Biancu hotel…that they’ve soaked up its ambiance, its decor, its charm.

Yes it’s true! They are inspired by U Capu Biancu, and inherited its sobriety, calm, warmth: discrete luxury, savvy and plush design. All while keeping a strong independent streak, a desire for autonomy. Open to the outdoors, each has a private heated pool. And a summer kitchen too. And a near-endless natural space which makes them the perfect haven for families…or for lovers.

SEA VIEW SUITE
It could be imaginary, a fantasy, however it exists, it is real. A few months of work have been necessary for the construction of this splendid suite. A new suite with its own private heated pool offering a breathtaking view on the Gulf of Santa Manza.

The Saveria Suite and its 45sqm will captivate you with its architecture and its beautiful mediterranean decoration where many artisans have worked to create a truly extraordinary suite, in perfect harmony with the spirit of our beautiful hotel. This suite exclusively reserved for couples becomes undoubtedly the most prestigious of Capu Biancu.

JUNIOR SUITE
Their names are Alba, Catalina, Marina, Colomba, Valentina, Lesia, Joséphine, Amaratta, Serena, Stella and Amanza. “Mute islands. Still islands. Unforgettable islands,”* each with a beautiful terrace facing the sea, they take you on a journey like no other.

Some calm the soul with their delicate hues. Others, decked out in warm and colourful shades, lead your imagination to distant borders. Each detail, each material chosen, each sumptuously candid and naturally elegant décor imparts a subtle and original character.

SUPERIOR SEA VIEW ROOM
Seven original rooms, born of the union of audacity and restraint. Each nuanced with the softest of hues, each with a terrace facing the sea. Eight rooms, each different from the next with its unique décor inspiration: hunting, fishing, cooking, travel, chickens.

STANDARD ROOM
These 5 rooms are surely magic! Light tumbles in to them, radiant and reassuring, seeming to come straight out of the maquis and the gardens spread out just there before you. Light inundates each vast terrace then comes inside, clinging to the walls until nightfall.

DINING
U Capu Biancu’s cuisine is its “spirit and image”! Like the hotel, it is committed: sustainably committed, committed to sustainability. Our cuisine innovates to the rhythm of the seasons, of the markets, of the fisherman’s catch. It adapts to our garden, to our hens, to the daily harvest. Come evening, our cuisine is by reservation only, avoiding excess and food waste.

Spontaneous, it branches into ephemeral menus: each day, three different starters, three main courses and three desserts preserve the fresh essence of Corsican flavours and titillate gourmand appetites. U Capu Biancu’s cuisine is just like the hotel itself: alive!

It lives Corsican-style: at breakfast, homemade specialties made in our kitchen from fresh ingredients like breads, buttery brioches, sweet and savoury cakes, fruit salads, compotes, omelets, yoghurts and preserves join forces with island products like AOC honeys, charcuterie and cheeses.

It lives Mediterranean-style, bathing in olive oil, in wild marjoram or wild thyme, dressing in crunchy, colourful fruits and vegetables, soaking up Corsican sun and Mediterranean salt.

It lives in chic and simple style at the paillotte, an exceptional place where generations mix. Where artists, businesspeople, artisans and the retired intermingle with the same laid-back spirit. Where notoriety rubs elbows with anonymity.

A place for everyone, whether staying at the hotel or not, reached by land or by sea. Where you sip coffee savouring the rising sun and delight in dishes each lighter and fresher than the next. Where you treat yourself to a barbecue evening with family, among friends and with zero pretention, or which you take over for a special event.

In short, THE place for people who love gourmet simplicity. It lives in “secret” mode, in the cool of the cellar where the best regional vintages (largely from biodynamic vineyards) nestle against a few grands crus from abroad.

Yes, the cellar…the heart whose beat moves the restaurant, the bar, the paillotte and the tastings. A discrete and no less eminent artery pumping U Capu Biancu’s locavore philosophy. Tasting U Capu Biancu’s cuisine means tasting the fruit of Corsica’s farmers, gardeners and other producers.

It means trying out a Capu experience, like an intimate apérosé. It means respecting resources, preserving the environment and a healthy balance. Yes, U Capu Biancu’s food is, like the hotel itself, fully committed!

CHEF PORTRAIT – GADIO EL HADJI
Gadio’s cuisine? It is a country in itself, nothing more and nothing less! A country that is neither his native Senegal, nor France where he came to the top of his art. Nor even Corsica in truth, though he has lived here for more than twenty years. No, it’s an unknown country, the product of a heady cross-fertilization of flavours. It is the world!

The only recipe he follows is born of instinct and of heart, which infallibly guide his flavor pairings and proportions and lead him to experiment, to innovate, to create. Of course, this recipe draws on experience: the experience, first, of a child who loved to linger clinging to his mother’s robes as she bustled about the kitchen. Then that of a student trained first in Dakar, then in Paris.

And of a kitchen help, learning from his peers and chefs as one learns from a father, enthralled by the slightest gesture, the smallest experimentation. And finally that of a chef who came into his own in our 4-star hotel kitchen in Bonifacio.

Though it was no mean feat, nineteen years ago, to convince him to take up the reins of our gourmet restaurant and to don the chef’s hat! “I was too young,” he admits, “too young to give up partying, going out and my buddies. Too young to take on such a responsibility, even though I knew how to manage a team and a kitchen!” Yet take it on he did, quite naturally.

And today our kitchens waft with the scents of exotic spices and exceptional flavours: here are born the precious, refined dishes which all our guests savour, be they in the restaurant or the paillote: each with Gadio El Hadji’s unmistakable identity.

NOMADIC EXPERIENCES 
Freedom is a vocation here. We scatter that liberty throughout U Capu Biancu’s grounds. So that when you are within the U Capu Biancu fold, you remain travellers, nomads, free human beings. We reinvented some of our offers into nomadic versions.

So you can choose a corner of the beach or a corner of the maquis for your picnic. Or to taste our “apérosé” made up of delicious savoury and sweet homemade “Corsicatapas”, a bottle of Corsican wine, waters, coffees and homemade myrtle liqueur.

Or you can set out in Capu Love style, a basket on your arm filled with Champagne, some nibbles and a blanket, looking for the perfect niche to (re-)declare your love for your beloved. At U Capu Biancu hotel, travellers are free. You are free. So it made perfect sense to offer you these nomadic experiences.

FRESHNESS MEETS SIMPLICITY
The paillote expresses U Capu Biancu’s chic and simple cuisine. Here, in this spot exceptionally open to the Mediterranean, generations mix. Here, with the same laid-back spirit, intermingle artists, businesspeople, retired people and artisans. Here notoriety rubs elbows with anonymity.

Open to all, whether staying at the hotel or not, the paillotte is accessible by land and by sea. Here you sip coffees and savour the rising sun, you delight in dishes each lighter and fresher than the last.

Here you treat yourself to a barbecue evening with family, among friends and with zero pretension, or you take it over for a special event. Yes, U Capu Biancu’s paillotte is THE place for lovers of gourmet simplicity.

TRUE LUXURY
Cultivate farniente: the art of doing nothing. Pamper laziness. Give in to letting go. Slow the flow of your thoughts, forget worldly hassles. What a delicious fantasy. Or only a fantasy? Perhaps. Unless… Yes, until you push open the door of our hotel-spa here in southern Corsica.

Until you set down your bags and take a well-deserved intermission from it all. Plunge into laziness like a religious convert, with passion and devotion. Of course, like any cult, this one requires unwavering will and belief: belief in your own capacity to just observe the hours pass.

A belief in the existence, here and now, of a peaceful and soothing universe. A belief too in the sacrosanct siesta. Requirements which are only good for you – aspirations wholly indispensable for the health of your body and soul.

THE NATURAL BEACHES 
Follow the sea. Just a bit farther. Voilà! Here you are, at the foot of U Capu Biancu hotel. In the heart of Santa Manza gulf in Bonifacio, where the Mediterranean drew three subtly charming beaches. One furnished with gazebos, moorings (by reservation) and a pontoon, launching point for water activities.

Yes…three little shorelines to savour authenticity and tranquility. Here you’ll reconnect with nature’s simple pleasures: sand, sun, and sea. Here you’ll choose how to experience your encounter with our shore.

Before stepping onto the sand, you could cloister yourself in a gazebo and unwind on one of the canopy beds. Tempted by a nap or a cool drink as close as possible to the sea? Our beach attendant will help you to set up one of the mattresses and parasols stowed there on a corner of the beach.

If you’d rather soak up the sand’s heat, you can make your way from one shore to the next or wind your way through the maquis to the next cove, more secret and secluded, where Queen Elizabeth set foot during a Mediterranean cruise. Yes, on these shores you can choose how to reconnect with Corsica’s nature.

SPA & WELLNESS
And to once more find harmony with your body. Melt into a one-of-a-kind universe, like ours at the U Capu Biancu hotel spa in Bonifacio: a universe entirely crafted of wood, intimate and exclusive.

A cocoon designed to welcome only one of you or a couple at a time. Here you abandon yourself wholly to the expert hands of our masseuse. You breathe in the island scents that perfume our oils, creams and balms.

The remarkably authentic treatments of the Crena Care Cosmetics® line plunge you into the heart of the maquis, exploring the natural qualities of a fertile land and of a generous natural heritage. And for the ultimate in refinement, there’s nothing quite like a donkey milk bath: a haze of sweetness and escape for a moment of utter relaxation.

SEA OUTINGS
The Mediterranean: Corsica’s salt-tinged breath, her blue lung. It sharpens her silhouette and polished her curves, creates her shores and draws her little bays, scattering them with grains of sand and shells.

Long feared for its sudden, uncontrollable fits of rage, this sea has little by little allowed itself to be tamed…just enough for you to sail and dive. Here at the hotel, we invite you to soak up the Med’s vital energy.

Set out aboard a Boston Whaler Outrage 370 with a 3 x 350 horsepower engine to discover the Lavezzi islands or Bonifacio’s caves. Navigate in search of dolphins on a smaller craft, or get dropped off at one of the fabulous nearby beaches with a taxi boat.

FITNESS
Kinesis, treadmill, power plate, elliptical trainer: perhaps not synonymous with a dream vacation for everyone. But for active travellers, a good workout with a fabulous sea view can be just that. An energizing, fortifying moment, a good sweat to release all trace of stress. And since it feels good to sweat, no need to seek out air conditioning!

YOGA
Plenitude. A state of fullness, completeness, being at peace; the goal of yoga. The serene smile illuminating our yogi Jean Pierre’s face conveys all the pleasures that yoga brings. If you too seek that magic feeling of mind-body unity, join us twice a week for a yogic interlude. Above all, keep your eyes open! You’ll see how precious this marine world is.

WEDDINGS
Engagement parties, weddings (or proposals), vow renewal ceremonies, birthdays, bachelor(ette) parties, christenings, baptisms…so many festive and happy events which cannot be relegated to mere episodes.

On the contrary, these are the moments which joyfully punctuate life, bring it beauty, transcend it. They are the wellsprings to which we return with delectation and nostalgia when our morale falters or fatigue overtakes us.

They are the peals of laughter turned to diamonds, kisses and comforting hugs, words and images anchored to our deepest selves. And know this: they are the heart of our profession; they give us the impetus for our work. Which is why we take such great care of them: preciously, minutely.

Preparing them with you; composing even the tiniest of notes, infusing the slightest breath, drawing the smallest of details, writing a part or the whole of the partition. And if we give this much passion to it, it’s because we know that the final work can only be a masterpiece.

A SEMINAR IN CORSICA 
To think about business, to talk shop in a four-star hotel beside the sea…the very idea might seem absurd. And yet it is self-evident. Above all because of the setting: calm and perfectly suited for concentration.

And because we’ve created a studious space, as serious as it is welcoming, and designed it so that your business event – seminar, workshop, retreat, meeting, team-building, incentive reward – be as useful as it is impactful.

No chance of finding a cold, impersonal seminar room – far from it! First by opening it to everyone, whether or not a guest at the hotel. And by designing it like a workshop: the warmth of wood, iron for hard work, and high-tech equipment for convenience and ease.

Here and there leather chairs, covered with sheep pelts for comfort; books to fuel the imagination, dictionaries for knowledge, tomes revealing the mysteries of Corsican flora and fauna, legends and savoir-faire – to share their history.

A coffee corner for breaks: espressos, teas, fresh drinks, frappe fritters and organic lemon canistrelli biscuits to sooth and revive busy minds. Behind a glazed window, the wine and cheese cellar might just lure the less-focused: best they turn their backs to it lest they drool in distraction !

AL FRESCO MEETINGS
The outdoors as a workspace? Now there’s an idea! An idea whose time has come, far from the daily grind. Brainstorming or co-working meetings can move to the lawn, to the shade of a tree, to the edge of the pool: a natural and unconventional setting will stoke your curiosity and gets colleagues’ creative juices flowing. And will certainly air foggy brains.

WATER ACTIVITIES
Sometimes you just have to jump in: to strengthen your body and use up your energy while having a blast, to destroy all traces of nervous fatigue. Our advice? Let yourself be tempted by one of the hotel’s water activities:

• Canoe (available only from mid june to mid september-depending on weather conditions)
• SUP (stand-up paddleboard) (available only from mid june to mid september-depending on weather conditions)

And if your thirst for distraction is unquenched or you are looking for stronger sensations, find the answer to your wishes at one of our nearby partners:

• Hiking with Stephane Rogliano
• Excursion with 4 x 4 Rangers with Corsica
• Ranger Jet Ski and Quad outings with Pirate Aventure
• Kitesurf with Corsica Kiteboarding
• Scuba Diving wit Scuba Libre
• Catamaran Tour with Voiles de Bonifacio Canyoning & Via Ferrata with Xtreme Sud
• Boat Rental with Bonifactio Yachting and Nautic Aventures

NATURE SERVING CULTURE 
“Nature can do all, and does all” as Montaigne said: how true that is for the island of Corsica! Here nature has been at work for thousands of years, shaping the land to its whims. Creating people, villages and cities; using some to defend her rights, and others to show off her creative talents.

In the far south, Bonifacio is a striking example: white, towering and proud, she scornfully eyes the world, firmly camped atop cliffs whose every mote she married. Facing her across the strait, the polished rocks of the Lavezzi islands emerge, true marine creations.

Everywhere on this land, mountainous and ringed with welcoming beaches, nature has begotten…culture! Giving different accents to a tongue more song than speech. Inspiring painters, writers, chefs and filmmakers. A culture carefully preserved in museums, sheltered in many religious monuments, savoured at excellent tables, and proudly evident in the people you meet.

HIKES & PICNICS IN SOUTHERN CORSICA
“To walk through a beautiful country in fine weather, without being obliged to hurry, and with a pleasant prospect at the end, is of all kinds of life the one most suited to my taste.” We don’t know what Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s pleasant prospect was, but we think – with good reason! – that yours could be the orri

On Monaccia d’Aullène’s trail, or Bonifacio’s Madonetta or Pertusato lighthouses. Reaching them means passing through exceptional scenery and sites, and facing spectacular panoramas. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll discover the secrets of an enchanting place.

A delicious, scented, full-bodied land, a land you will savour over your picnic of cheese, cured meats and other island fare. Orii are rock shelters, sheltering humans here since prehistoric times. They have served as grain silos and even as tombs. But above all they have fed the imagination, inspiring stories and legends.

TRAVELLING BOOKS
At U Capu Biancu, books have broken free. Travelling books, they wander from their bookshelves, ignoring their entertaining neighbours in the leisure area (billiards, foosball, checkers, chess and other card and board games).

They move along from one reader to another: laze in a bedroom, loiter by the pool, dawdle on the corner of a table. Letting themselves be devoured or flipped through, they open doors to unknown world, they tell tales in many tongues of incredible lives, they sketch out faces and landscapes.

Here and there are stories penned by Corsican authors: reading them, you can feel the island’s very pulse. Moved to scribble some words of your own, you can slip them between the pages to share your feelings and impressions with the next readers. The book becomes a relay, an instrument of freedom and sharing.

BOTANICAL DISCOVERIES 
He is a botanist, a horticulturist, and a nose. Who deeply smells plants, breathes them in – even more, who listens to them, caresses them, perhaps even speaks to them. And above all, loves and raises them: both for what they are, “unique living beings”, and for what they tell us, “a story, their own and that of humankind.” Stéphane Rogliano gladly shares his passion.

For over 20 years he’s roamed the island roads to seek out the vegetal world. And of course we strongly encourage you to follow his footsteps through the heart of the maquis or along the mountain slopes, to discover with him an unsuspected universe. A universe that stirs each of your senses.

BONIFACIO
Bonifacio…an ancient city whose beauty has only grown with time’s indignities over troubled centuries. More appealing than ever. Pious Bonifacio, whose walls abound with religious monuments, whose centuries-old streets, once riotous with public criers, water bearers and pedlars of all stripes, are thick with fantastic adventures.

Bonifacio, whose history goes well beyond its bastion – a history brought alive by one of our guides, who will make you shiver at the great plague of 1526, at the incessant sieges (especially the most terrible siege of the Pirate Dragut), and at the dramatic 1855 shipwreck of the Sémillante. A history that reveals the grandeur of the Bonifacian soul

Rooms: 41

Price: from 378 EUR per night

Source: www.ucapubiancu.com