Villa les Lauriers in France

Sixty kilometers south of Ajaccio in the seaside village of Propriano, Corsica, FRANCE, my wife, Christine, and I stayed in a wonderful apartment owned and operated by Marie-Francoise and Jean-Pierre Dereani, Villa les Lauriers (20110 Propriano, Corse du Sud, Corsica, France; phone/fax 00 39 04-95-76-29-60 or visit www.dereani.com).

We rented this 2-bedroom, ocean-view, fully equipped apartment in September ’05 for €450 ($525) per week. This included all fees except for €35 ($41) to cover apartment cleaning at the end of the rental period.

I hesitate to call this property a rental. It is so well maintained and equipped that it feels more like a home. The location is excellent for enjoying water sports and island touring of the southern areas in both the mountains and the coast with its wonderful sandy beaches and crystal-clear water.

It’s close to interesting villages: Bonifacio, Satene, Ajaccio and Porto-Vecchio, and sightseeing opportunities abound, including 17th-century Genoese bridges and prehistoric sites. Good hiking and photographic opportunities exist also.

The Dereanis are very gracious and work very hard to please their guests.

MICHAEL DRESSER
Anaheim, CA