In Croatia, in the Elaphites archipelago
At Dubrovnik airport, a car is waiting for you to drive up the Dalmatian coast for 40 km to the port of Brsecine, where boarding by speed boat to the island of Lopud takes place. Of the three inhabited islands of the Elaphite archipelago (which has 13), Lopud is the most interesting. Endowed with sandy beaches, adorned with elegant bourgeois villas built at the beginning of the 20th century, flanked by churches and old buildings, covered with lush subtropical vegetation, this pebble of less than 5 km2 posed on the Adriatic Sea is a gem.
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One of the five suites at Lopud 1483. Lopud / Photo press
Located north of Lopud Bay, its Franciscan monastery dating from 1483 has just been converted into a luxury hotel, called Lopud 1483. The original 13 cells have been transformed into 5 suites decorated with Renaissance furniture, works of art by the private collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza family and custom pieces created by Italian designer Paola Lenti.
Today, the entire site - the monastery, the fortress and the gardens - can be privatized for a family, a group of friends, a seminar or an event. In this contemplative place, a host of activities punctuate the days: yoga, massage, paddleboarding, swimming, meditation, excursions… Like a Liturgy of the Hours.
Club Faune Voyages (01.42.88.31.32; Club-faune.com ) offers a 4-night stay at Lopud 1483, with Paris-Dubrovnik flights, transfers to Lopud, all meals and drinks as well as numerous activities sporting and cultural. From € 4,900 per person (based on 10 people).
In Greece, a refuge with sea view in Santorini
Vora's private suites with swimming pool overlook the Imerovigli Caldera. SP Vora villas
Like a suspended balcony facing the Aegean, Vora contemplates the caldera. Carved in the rock and nestled in the natural cavities of the village of Imerovigli, the hotel consists of 3 private suites with swimming pool. Designed by the architects of K-Studio (authors of the Kaplankaya marina, the Mykonos airport, the Casa Cook resort in Chania or the surprising Dexamenes hotel in Kourouta), these “villas” play the card of the refined Cycladic style, chic, contemporary and connected. Without fault, but without risk. A soothing refuge, a delicious base, 5 minutes walk from the village of Firostefani.
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Vora (00.30.228.602.5287; Voravillas.com ). 705 € per night for 2 people. Breakfast served in suite. Cocktails. Private dinner.
In Corsica, in a convent in Brando
The Convent of Pozzo welcomed Capuchin monks from the 16th
century to the French Revolution. press service Convent of Pozzo
Perched 300 meters above the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Convent of Pozzo was home to Capuchin monks from the 16th century to the French Revolution. Then acquired by a wealthy Bastiais, this property has been in the same family for 7 generations. Emmanuelle opened it to the public with 4 guest rooms. Enthusiastic about the idea of forging tangible links with the secular history of this house, she wishes to "restore its spiritual nobility". The atmosphere is Zen but warm. Sweet and simple. Its motto: "Share with love our magnificent place".
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Convent of Pozzo (04.95.60.39.11; Conventdepozzo.com ). From 160 € per room (off season). Corsican guest table, seminars, privatization ...