There is so much to love about Saint Tropez. From the beautiful white sandy beaches of the Plage de Pampelonne to the azure blue water of the Mediterranean. From the divine hotels dotted along the French Riviera to the uber chic jet setters sipping Domaine Ott in one of the many fabulous beach clubs or restaurants. Saint Tropez is a town as famous for its divine food and quaint cobblestoned streets, as it is for its international party scene.
We have been travelling to this heavenly part of the world for many years, and I don’t think I will ever tire of those crazy Saturday markets filled with vintage Louis Vuitton bags, or the divinely delicious food at Club 55. It’s a travel must, in my opinion, and I plan to return there for many more years to come.
Accommodation
My absolute favourite place to stay in Saint Tropez is at The Byblos Hotel, which is situated with-in the town. It is probably the most ‘famous’ hotel in the area and was opened in 1967, so it has seen its fair share of fabulous people and parties. The rooms are lovely, the pool is great, the steam room and spa are very good, and the scene around the pool on a summer evening is nothing short of fabulous. If you are there in peak season, you will need to book early as the Byblos books out very early in the season.
Other options for accommodation in and around Saint Tropez include ;
Le Yaca – also in the town – very beautiful, traditional French hotel – divine!
Chateau de la Messardiere – very glamorous hotel , out of town near the beach, beautiful views of the water, quiet and very ‘grown up’
La Residence de la Pinede – very glamorous and a short walk to town, on the ocean near the port, has its own beach, fabulous restaurant
La Reserve at Ramatuelle – close to the beach / out of town, very chic and one of my absolute favourites
Pan Dei Palais – in the centre of town , small but very lovely – great restaurant
La Bastide de Saint Tropez – a good option out of town
Hotel Ermitage – next to the Byblos. A great option if you book last minute – uber grunge, chic but no pool – less expensive
Beach Clubs
The beach clubs define what Saint Tropez is all about. The most famous beach is Pampelonne beach and this is home to the better known beach clubs. In peak season you will need to book ahead as these become very busy.
Picture a selection of some of the worlds largest and most magnificent boats, beautiful blue water, a long stretch of sandy white beach and you almost have the image. Now add in a huge number of the worlds rich and famous, a selection of scantily clad models, some seriously deep beats, and bottles of Domaine Ott too large to lift and you are getting closer to the mark!!!
As I write this blog, I am reminded that major changes were afoot on our last visit to Saint Tropez in August 2018. For a multitude of reasons, many of the beach clubs were being closed down. Several however, were to be allowed to remain at Pampelonne. I’m hopeful my favourites are still there when we return in July 2019.
Some of my absolute favourite beach clubs include :
* Les Palmiers – very chic and white / outstanding food/ can be very busy / deep beats from late afternoon on a busy day
* Club 55 – this is the most famous beach club. It’s terribly hard to get a table. Patrice runs the restaurant and is just as happy to make royalty wait as anyone else!!! The food here is superb ( order the pampelonne salad, the artichoke, the crudités, the moules, the whole sea bass “Loup”, the veal Milanese and the club 55 Rose). The shop on the beach is worth a peek too!
* Nikki Beach – this is known to be the party beach club and is quite crowded and crazy in the late afternoons with a DJ mixing tunes at full vol, especially over the week ends. It actually does a great lunch, but if you are looking for a relaxing and chilled vibe, this is not for you!
* Tahiti Beach – this is calm and chilled and has a lovely beach set up for lounging pre-lunch. Great food and the beach wear / “abroard-robe” shop is great too
Restaurants
* Residence de la Pinede, “La Vague d’Or” – 3 Michelin stars – exquisite – divine courtyard setting by water
* Auberge de la Mole – this is the heptathalon of fois gras consumption served in a gas station at La Mole (25 mins from St Tropez). Avoid eating for 12 hrs before!!!
* Le Grand Joseph – beautiful , just behind the port. The grown up member of the Joseph family of restaurants , including Quay & L’escale
* Le Girelier – traditional local seafood on the port in St Tropez – very good
* La Petite Plage – glamorous restaurant at the port with beautiful seafood
*Le Yaca – divine Italian restaurant within a beautiful St Tropez citadelle. Absolutely delicious – the truffle pasta in the parmesan wheel is to die for.
* Pan Dei – gorgeous garden setting in the Pan Dei Palais / fusion of French , Indian, and Asian flavours
* La Messardiere – called L’Acacia / beautiful setting on a panoramic terrace
* Villa Belrose – gourmet restaurant / 1 Michelin star / beautiful garden setting
* La Tarte Tropezienne – gorgeous deli / cafe near the town square in St Tropez
* Villa romana – great Italian food / pretty crazy on a Friday night in summer / DJ, table dancing, customers dressing up in crazy costumes etc
Night Life
The most famous night club on the riviera is called Les Caves du Roy. This is underneath the Byblos hotel and usually kicks into action at about midnight. The DJ is called Jacki-E and he is almost as famous as the club itself, as he mixes tunes and shouts into the microphone”WELCOME TO ST TROPEZ!!!” .
This is the home of beautiful people, super high stilettos and micro-short skirts. It’s a must, but you will need to be very friendly to Johnnie who runs the door or you could be in for a long night, lining up!!
There are a few other clubs. VIP is down near the port. If you find yourself here as the sun is coming up, it’s probably a sign that you need to go home!!!!
Markets
Every Tuesday and Saturday there is an open air market in the Place des Lices ( the town square). It starts early and closes at about 1pm. It is wonderful, but very crowded so you need to go early.
The stalls sell everything from linen and cashmere, to fruits and cheeses, to jewellery and hats, divine foods, and gorgeous antiques.
Check out the vintage luggage from Louis Vuitton. Take cash as most of the stalls will not accept credit cards.
Travel To & From During Your Stay
Saint Tropez is approximately a two hour drive from Nice, but often the traffic can make this trip take anywhere up to 4 hours. A great way to get to Saint Tropez is via helicopter from either Nice, Monaco or Cannes. Nice to Saint Tropez takes about 20 mins in a chopper, and the views along the riviera are spectacular. Although this sounds frightfully expensive, it is nothing short of amazing, and well worth considering if you are planning to hire a driver and clock up many hours in traffic.
We usually use HeliSecurite , but there are a few companies who do this. Book well in advance in peak season as there are regulations as to the number of helicopters they let into St Tropez for noise control.
A Typical Day in St Tropez
A typical Saint Tropez day ( for us anyway!!), starts late with a lazy breakfast at the Byblos, followed by either a visit to the markets or a wander around the town. Then it’s time to soak up the sun, poolside with a great book.
Lunch is usually at one of the beach clubs starting at about 2.30 or 3pm. Lunch may develop into drinks at Nikki beach or drinks back at the Byblos pool. Then it’s shower and change, dinner somewhere in town usually at around 10 pm, and then it’s ……..
Shopping
The shopping in Saint Tropez is superb. There are a few main shopping streets with all the big names, but also some cool little local shops spread around as well. Grab a coffee or a champagne in the Dior cafe if you are out shopping – its a gorgeous garden setting and the shop is set in a divine old chateau. Most of the shops close between 1 pm and 4 pm, but they stay open late in the evening.
Getting Around
The only tricky part of Saint Tropez is that the beaches and lunch spots are about ten mins by car from the town.If you stay in the town you can easily walk to almost all spots in town and the port, but if you go to the beaches you will need to drive. In peak season with traffic, the drive can take about 20 mins. Most hotels offer a shuttle service. Or you can hire a car and drive but this is no fun when it comes to driving back after a long ‘boozy’ lunch.
