Having holidayed in Greece with Mark Warner at the Levante Beach Resort, we were keen to see what the San Lucianu Beach Resort in Corsica had to offer. Situated on the east coast of the island, the San Lucianu Beach Resort is 3* and set among beautiful gardens with breathtaking mountains the backdrop.
Much as we did at Levante, we were keen to play tennis each morning while POD enjoyed various indoor and outdoor activities with Mini Club. Lunchtime and afternoons would be spent as a family although we were keen to try out more watersports and perhaps explore the local area a little too.
Getting there
The beauty of Mark Warner is that they organise the flights and transfers for you. We left Heathrow Terminal 5 on a chartered British Airways flight at a respectable 7:45am and arrived at Bastia Poretta Airport around 11am.
We were met by Mark Warner staff who helped with our bags and got us on a coach – the transfer to resort just 30 minutes. Having busied herself making a selection of monsters on the flight, POD was pretty tired at this point and had a well earned snooze en route!
Accommodation
We stayed in a bright and spacious superior room with a spectacular sea facing view. We had two sizeable twin beds and a single for POD although she did spend the majority of the week in with us!
The room had air conditioning, a flat screen television and a small fridge for our water supplies. The bathroom was well presented, of a high standard and included a walk-in shower which we made use of 2-3 times a day.
From the balcony we had the most fantastic views – you could see the adult pool, the children’s pool, the restaurant, the landscaped gardens plus of course the beach, the waterfront and the sea.
The resort
The welcome meeting took place on the day we arrived. This is when the team tell you all about San Lucianu and what’s happening over the course of the week. Despite being a smaller resort, San Lucianu offers all the activities you’d expect from a Mark Warner holiday from sailing, windsurfing and kayaking to tennis, cycling and fitness.
You can of course sit and chill too but we just can’t help getting involved. We’re huge tennis fans so that’s always a draw (even in thirty degree temperatures!) plus we love trying new activities as well.
Typically our days included a group tennis session in the morning while POD was having fun at Mini Club (more on the childcare below). We’d then have lunch and do something together in the afternoon. Whether it be spending time by the pool, sailing or joining in with some of the other activities on offer like volleyball and football. We also visited the stunning village of Cervione one afternoon (10 minutes in a taxi) and I swam in a nearby waterfall (one hour walk).
The grounds of the San Lucianu Beach Resort are just beautiful. Whether it was dropping POD off at the childcare centre or walking to the courts, I never tired of the palm trees and the mountains beyond. I’m sure I got distracted on court a couple of times because I was too busy gawping at the landscape! In the other direction, pathways led to the beach bar where you could sit with a nice cold drink and watch the goings on at the waterfront.
Such an incredibly peaceful place to be watching the sailors, the windsurfers and the paddle boarders. We always used to enjoy seeing the boats brought back up the beach too, certainly a sign it was time to start getting ready for dinner.
POD had a brilliant time in the pool at San Lucianu. Having insisted on going with with both arm bands and a rubber ring, her confidence grew over the week. So much so we got to see her swim for the very first time just in armbands from the middle of the pool to the edge. This is the face she made after she’d done it, utterly priceless!
She also developed a liking for one of the lifeguards as they shared the same name.
Food & drink
We upgraded to full board at San Lucianu. Breakfast is a buffet style affair with both continental and cooked options available. These include cuts of meat, cheese, fruit, cereals, jams and pastries. Cooked breakfast is traditional English with everything you’d expect and eggs cooked to order.
Lunch is also a buffet with wonderful wood fired pizzas on offer along with as much salad as you could possibly want. Hot options included chicken curry and sausages in gravy followed by fresh fruit and juicy watermelons for afters.
POD had the children’s supper most of the week so she could watch a DVD with her chums. This included more freshly cooked pizzas along with sausages, chips, pasta, fish in sauce, that kind of thing. Aside from a BBQ and buffet on a couple of evenings, we chose from an a la carte menu.
Starters included things like Chorizo and Red Pepper Bruschetta, Watermelon and Feta Salad and Thai Style Mussels. Mains were just as tasty with Warm Confit Duck Oriental Salad, Pan Fried Sea Bass and Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi. While dessert was Orange Posset, Assiette of Chocolat plus a selection of ice-creams and sorbets.
Read the What’s on the menu at San Lucianu? post to hear more.
Childcare
POD loved Mini Club (for 3 to 5 year olds) at Levante so we were far more relaxed at San Lucianu and had an idea of what to expect. We’d not put POD in childcare on holiday before that. We like to think of a family holiday being exactly that but POD being in Mini Club for a few hours in the morning was brilliant. It meant we could get back into tennis and she could do things she’d never normally get to do – like sailing, windsurfing and kayaking.
She loved spending time with her new friends and it meant they could play together outside Mini Club too. The British qualified nannies were excellent and she was really well looked after. We were particularly impressed when they were at the waterfront as the sea stung POD’s eczema so much but they ensured she didn’t miss out on anything.
San Lucianu has several childcare clubs which are age appropriate in terms of the activities they offer. There’s Baby Club (4 to 11 months), Toddler Club (1 to 2 years), Mini Club (3 to 5 years), Junior Club (6 to 9 years), Kidz Club (10-13 years) and Indy Club (14 to 17 years). Read the Mark Warner childcare by POD aged 4½ post to hear POD’s view on the childcare at San Lucianu.
Tennis
Knowing that we’d want to play tennis, we signed up for the classic course before we left the UK. This costs £80 per person and provides 4 x 1 hour mornings of tennis tuition by single coach Blake. We’ve previously played in San Agostino, Lakitira and Levante where there are more courts and three coaches.
The course was great and it was brilliant to build on what we’d learnt a couple of months earlier. We used to play a lot but that was before POD was born so we were decidedly rusty! I also booked a serve clinic which was excellent and provided me with some much needed confidence. The POD Father joined social tennis on some days too.
We took POD along to the Mini Tennis Drop In (€15) one morning before Mini Club. It was less successful than it had been in Levante but only because she had to share the class with other children! We were at Levante in the first week of the season so she’d been spoiled and had a coach all to herself! Read the Tennis at San Lucianu post to find out more.
Watersports
There are a number of watersports on offer at San Lucianu that suit beginners right through to seasoned professionals. Group clinics are available and the more experienced can free sail. First-class tuition is also offered by RYA trained instructors.
We booked a parent and child sail while we were at San Lucianu, this means you can enjoy all the benefits of sailing but with an experienced member of the team. It was really calm the day we went out so we got to enjoy bobbing around on the water while taking in the magnificent scenery.
As well as sailing, the conditions at San Lucianu are just as good for windsurfing. Mornings tend to be calmer with the afternoons providing good conditions for the more experienced.
Group tuition, private instruction and RYA windsurfing courses are available for all standards. Other watersport activities on offer include kayaking, paddleboarding and jetskiing. Read the Watersports at the San Lucianu Beach Resort post to find out more.
Other activities
While our focus was mostly on the tennis and the watersports, there were numerous activities to get involved with. With such a wonderful community feel at San Lucianu, it was hard not to.
The POD Father for example loved joining the afternoon volleyball and football matches which were played by both guests and staff alike. They were great to watch too although we had to relocate from the beach bar one afternoon when the sand spray became too much!
We didn’t get to participate in the cycling but we heard it was excellent. You can cycle as part of team or of your own accord. The landscape around the resort really is beautiful so I can imagine it’s an absolute treat. If aerobics is more your bag, there is a fitness programme available on resort too. Fellow blogger Mama Owl wrote a great post about maintaining diet and fitness while at the San Lucianu Beach Resort. There is of course a spa at San Lucianu too with a range of treatments available if you’re in need of some relaxation.
Entertainment
There were a number of entertainment options at San Lucianu – the staff laid on something almost every night. We fell into a routine of dinner while the children watched a DVD and drinks at the beach bar before bedtime. The evening childcare started at 7.30pm with the latest pick up at 11pm. There was a group of us on the resort at the same time so we got to utilise this service all week. The kids all loved it and we got to spend some time together as well.
The verdict
We had the best week at the San Lucianu Beach Resort. It had a great sense of community and we got to meet a number of fabulous people in addition to the awesome group of bloggers we were away with. The resort offers everything you’d expect from a Mark Warner Holiday and we were thrilled we managed to squeeze so much into our week. We had the best time.
If you’d like to read a first timers experience of the San Lucianu Resort, check out this post by the Ana Mum Diary. Do also check out these posts about other Mark Warner resorts:
Our holiday to Mark Warner: Lemnos Beach Resort by Sorry About The Mess
A Peachy Life: Mark Warner Resort, Rhodes by the Pigeon Pair and Me
Easter Skiing in Val D’Isere with Mark Warner by Actually Mummy
Disclaimer: Mark Warner covered the flights, transfer and half-board accommodation at the San Lucianu Beach Resort. Opinions are our own.
