You’re really spoiling her, Nicolas: ‘Man of the people’ Sarkozy takes model wife Carla to stay in a £24,000 a week shepherd’s hut 

  • Nicolas Sarkozy spoilt his wife with a £24,000-a-week luxury hut in Corsica
  • The former French president stayed in a retreat with his model wife Carla
  • He's struggled to rebuild image after being branded a 'bling bling president'
  • The luxurious ‘shepherd’s hut’ sits on a 2,500-hectare private beachside

By Alisha Rouse For The Daily Mail

Published: 23:29 EST, 5 August 2015 | Updated: 10:48 EST, 6 August 2015

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing a backlash for his indulgent holiday in a £24,000-a-week luxury hut in Corsica.

Sarkozy, who has struggled to rebuild his image after being branded a ‘bling bling president’, stayed in the beachfront retreat with his model wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and their daughter Giulia.

The luxurious ‘shepherd’s hut’ is one of 19 wooden and stone cabins sitting on a 2,500-hectare private beachside.

'Bling bling' image: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing a backlash for his indulgent holiday in a £24,000-a-week luxury hut in Corsica. He stayed in the beachfront retreat with his model wife Carla (pictured)

'Bling bling' image: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing a backlash for his indulgent holiday in a £24,000-a-week luxury hut in Corsica. He stayed in the beachfront retreat with his model wife Carla (pictured)

Boasting private pools, saunas and steam baths, the elite resort sits in one of the Mediterranean island’s biggest agricultural areas and comes with 65 staff.

The leader of France’s centre-right opposition party, Sarcozy first earned his big-spending reputation after hosting his 2007 presidential victory party in a glamorous restaurant on the Champs-Elysées.

He later borrowed a private jet and mega-yacht from a billionaire friend to go on a cruise.

But he had hoped to throw off his ‘bling bling’ image and re-invent himself after his losing his re-election bid to Socialist Party leader François Hollande in 2012.

Fancy: The luxurious ‘shepherd’s hut’ is one of 19 wooden and stone cabins sitting on a 2,500-hectare private beachside in Corsica, France (pictured)

Fancy: The luxurious ‘shepherd’s hut’ is one of 19 wooden and stone cabins sitting on a 2,500-hectare private beachside in Corsica, France (pictured)

The resort’s owner Paul Canarelli has come to the defence of his guests, and said the dwelling ‘is the opposite to the descriptions in the media’.

He said: ‘They chose to spend their holidays in an authentic place far from the ‘bling-bling’ and the superficial nature of many holiday venues in mainland France, whose rates are often ten times higher than those at Murtoli.’

In August, a week in one of the beachfront huts costs up to €34,200 (£24,000), while the ones in a nearby valley go up to €28,500 (£20,000).

Comments (13)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now