About this Guide
This guide is for those who demand the ultimate in luxury. It was written by a UHNW Monte-Carlo resident who personally frequents everything mentioned below, and continues to edit and update the guide regularly.
Here’s how to experience the world’s most famous resort area, the right way.
Getting to Saint-Tropez
If you have a driver, get them to go to Saint-Tropez by car while you charter a yacht and go by boat (assuming the weather is good). This way you can skip the traffic, which can get very congested closer to St-Tropez, when several roads merge into one local road (the drive time can range from 1 hour to 3 hours from Cannes to St-Tropez, based on traffic).
Make sure to read our detailed guide to the beach clubs of Pampellone, so you’re prepared.
Where to Stay
The newly-renovated (in all white and blue) Cheval Blanc is seaside with its own private beach, a 10-minute walk from town. Here’s a review from CN Traveller.
If you’re okay with being inland (but with incredible sea views), Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere is a robust luxury resort with several restaurants. Set in a 19th-century chateau on 10 lush hectares, this refined, Mediterranean-style resort is a 30 minute walk or 5 minute cab ride into town. They have adults-only areas and a huge ‘Kid’s Club‘, so both parents and non-parents will be able to relax without the noise of children.
If you’re looking for something a bit bohemian, stay at Épi 1959, tucked behind the dunes of Pampelonne beach. The hotel offers 10 intimate cabana-style rooms decorated with white paneled walls and vintage furniture, facing their two swimming pools. The hotel has two restaurants (a typical Med seafood grill and a Japanese restaurant with a sake bar). There is also a pétanque court, clay tennis courts, a fitness room, a yoga pavilion, a spa, and an outdoor cinema. We love that you can step out of your bungalow right to the pool and then walk straight to the beach clubs.
We thought it’s worth mentioning that you should avoid Lily of the Valley hotel, as it has a lot of service issues and is so far from Saint-Tropez, Pampelonne beach, and everything else out here that it becomes a hassle to get anywhere (we wrote more about this at the end of this guide).
Much like in the Hamptons, when visiting St-Tropez, many people also opt to rent a villa in Ramatuelle with a private chef. There are many services available to help arrange this. We recommend you do not use any of the agencies that also sell villas, as they often rent villas that are for sale and then do showings while they are rented (sometimes without the renters knowing). If you’re going this route, make sure to read our guide about how to avoid villa rental scams.
Where to Eat
Saint-Tropez
- Dior des Lices is great for lunch — and breakfast.
- Le Petite Plage is open all day.
- Byblos Hotel has a poolside lounge bar, and two restaurants: Cucina Byblos (which is romantic in the evening, when the lanterns in the trees light up) and the poolside Arcadia, which is in an interior courtyard.
- Want something casual? Have a pizza at Nano .
- Salama is Mediterranean with a Moroccan twist, and has a great cocktail menu.
- The spectacular 3-Michelin-star La Vague d’Or at the Cheval Blanc is a memorable (albeit very expensive) treat.
- In the courtyard of the Yaca hotel, Italian restaurant Le Yaca is a casual place to have a cocktail or dinner.
- You’ll be happy at any of the restaurants at Airelles Chateau de la Messardiere (ask for a sea-view table).
- Le Tigrr Ermitage is a sexy spot for dinner.
Ramatuelle
Pampellone
- You’re spoiled for choice with all the beach clubs.
- If you’re in the mood for a less beachy vibe, Matoba is an excellent sushi restaurant.
What to Do
- Ramatuelle: Do organic winery tour (with a driver) in Ramatuelle and have lunch at Fondugues Pradugues (say hi to Stephen & Laurent, the owners).
- Medieval towns: Visit Port Grimaud and the old towns of Ramatuelle, Grimaud , and Gassin . Have lunch or dinner in Gassin at Bello Visto (for lunch, ask for a table with a view, at the edge of their terrace.)
- Pampellone beach: Spend a day or two at the famous beach clubs.
- St Tropez: Go to the Saint-Tropez market early in the morning, stroll through the old town, taste a Saint-Tropez tart and have an espresso or aperitif on the terrace of the famous Café Sénéquier , overlooking the port. Wander around and go shopping.
- The islands: Charter a yacht and go to the Porquerolles islands and the Calanques .
- Cassis: Day trip (or, better yet, overnight) to Cassis. Eat & stay at hotel Les Roches Blanches .
- Sports: Go horseback riding or attend a polo tournament at the Saint Tropez Polo Club . There’s a real atmosphere of glamour and pomp on the tournament days held on Sundays during summer; dress up and order a glass of champagne. Play tennis or go paddleboarding at EPI 1959 . The spot between Cap Camarat and Cap Taillat is ideal for snorkelling or paddleboarding. Take a walk along the coastal path, which belongs to the Port-Cros National Park.
- Party: If you’re looking for a party, visit the famous nightclub Les Caves du Roy , which is a popular choice for celebrities like Leo DiCaprio, P-Diddy, Beyoncé and many more. You’ll need to bribe the bouncers to skip the long lines.
Wellness Reboot
Now would be a good time for a mid-trip detox and wellness reboot at a resort that perfectly blends being on the coast with the countryside of the Ramatuelle wine country.
La Reserve Ramatuelle is an incredible detox, fitness, health & wellness-focused resort (here’s a detailed review) with 3 restaurants, on the coast a 10-minute drive from Pampellone’s beach clubs. They offer 3 or 6-day bootcamp wellness programs. You can get your own private villa, and their spa uses only organic products. Naturally.
Avoid: Lily of the Valley is a small luxury detox & wellness-focused resort. It’s inland, about 30 minutes (each direction!) from St-Tropez or Pampellone. They have one large restaurant, a tiny café (that is sometimes closed), and a beach club about a 15-minute drive away. They claim that the dishes made with produce from local farms and their own vegetable gardens, but in reality only a small portion of it is (their club sandwich, for example, uses cheap grocery deli meat). The decor is stellar, but the food and service could definitely be improved. Their concierge staff are possibly the worst on the entire Riviera. Check your bills to make sure they don’t add extra items to it (as happened to us, twice). Many rooms are overlooking the pool or a rooftop, so if you do stay here, insist on a room with an unobstructed nature view, and know that the ‘villas’ are quite dark inside and require driving to the main hotel for breakfast. It’s a popular wedding venue, so if the restaurant is booked up, know that it’s very far from other decent restaurants. They have a small spa and exercise classes.
