3. From St Tropez to Cassis
Where to stay La Suite, Cassis
hotel
born from the French dream of a German stylist, Herbert Hufnagel
The most striking thing about this
three-bedroom guest house, which opened in July 2009, is the stunning
geometrical mastery of indoor/outdoor space, designed to make the most of its
views of the sparkling Mediterranean sea and Cap Canaille, a monumental limestone
cliff that turns deep red at sunset. It’s no wonder that Herbert Hufnagel, a
German interior designer, fell in love with the site, redesigning what was once
a drab village house into a dazzling villa of glass, rock and stone. Each room
is unique, decorated with an eclectic mix of Hufnagel’s finds from Africa,
Indonesia, Mexico, Bali and Moroccan souks. Guests will always finds a quiet
corner on the immense white terrace, but each room also has a private patio.
After breakfast – an elegant array of fresh croissants, brown bread, mangoes,
figs, strawberries and homemade jams – take a dip from the town’s prettiest
pebble beach. La Plage du Bestouan, across the road.
Hôtel La Figuière, Ramatuelle
Hôtel
La Figuière, Ramatuelle
Off a leafy road midway between St Tropes
and the Pampelonne beaches, La Figuière is an unassuming, 41-bedroom country
hotel surrounded by vineyards. It is also one of the most affordable places to
stay in the area, even in high season, which is why chic Parisians book the
same room year after year for extended stays. A family affair, La Figuière is
run by Cécile Chaix and her mother Monique, both true-blue Tropezians. “My
grandfather bought this bastide in 1964 and built seven rooms,” says Cécile,
who has gradually added to the property. Drinks are served on the terrace, and
there’s a small pool house for snacks and breakfast; the landscaped garden is
ablaze with purple and pink bougainvillaea and white olender. Don’t be put off
by the run-down, grey exterior of the row of rooms at the back – the – no –
fuss style is as authentic as it gets: Souleiado print fabrics and
red-and-white tiled bathrooms. If you tired of the peace and quiet, the port,
boutiques and beaches of St Tropez are just a short troll away.
Le Mas
des Romarins Ile des Embiez
The
Ile des Embiez
The Ile
des Embiez-a tiny island off the coast of Six-Fours, near Bandol – is best
known as the fiefdom of Paul Ricard, the famed Marseillais entrepreneur who
invented Pastis in the 1930s. There’s no escaping his legacy, which includes an
Oceanography Institute and Museum, and the ubiquitous bottles of Pastis sold in
every shop on the island. Only a 12-minute ferry ride from the mainland, it’s a
popular destination with family day-trippers, but has begun to attract a more discerning
clientele since Le Mas des Tomarins opened in 2009. A five-bedroom
ProvenÇal-style guest house in a sprawling, two-storey farmhouse, it feels more
like a home that a B&B. The rooms are simple but comfortable, with taupe
linen bedspreads and rattan furnishings; the large bathrooms have tubs and
double sinks. There is a vast kitchen to whip up your own dinner (the island
has a grovery shop but foodies might prefer to bring a basket of goodies from
Bandol). A private gate opens onto a garden of sweet-smelling jasmine,
rosemary, magnolia and fig trees and a stone splash pool. If you ignore a
smattering of bungalows and caravans, the island is a car-less treasure trove
of wild inlets, limpid turquoise creeks, and is great for snorkeling or biking
under the umbrella pines.
Château de Valmer, La Croix-Valmer
Hotel Château de Valmer - La Croix-Valmer
The charming coastal town of La
Croix-Valmer, south-west of St Tropez, is surrounded by windswept umbrella
pines with not a designer shop in sight. Château de Valmer is a genuine,
42-bedroom bastide, owned by the Rocchietta family since 1949, set in
six-hectare grounds planted with ancient oaks and vines. A smart, low-key
retreat, it has lovely bright rooms, two terrific restaurants (one down at the
beach), home-grown organic wine, a glass-walled spa offering Carita and Cinq
Mondes treatments, an outdoor pool and a heated indoor pool. The hotel’s star
attractions are two re-cedar tree house overlooking the vineyards. Each has a
canopied bed, squirrel-themed knick-knacks, vintage furniture, a large porch,
plus a bathroom stocked with Cinq Mondes toiletries. Gigaro Beach, a curve of
white sand which is uncrowded even in high season, is just a 10-minute walk
down the palm-lined path.
Where to eat La Verdoyante, Gassin
La
Verdoyante, Gassin
You could easily mistake this pretty
farmhouse for a private family home. In fact it’s a temple to the regional terroir
cuisine long popular with locals. This is a place for a long leisurely meal on
the terrace. Young chef Laurent Mouret’s menu features ProvenÇcal classics with
a modern twist; scallops and avocado crumnle, foie gras with dates and
gingerbread; wild mushroom risotto with walnuts, tender beef stew with gnocchi.
Two neighbouring vineyards produce an elegant fruite rosé that’s de rigueur on
summer nights. The five-course menu is exceptionally good value.
La Rasteque, Bormes-les-Mimosas
La
Rasteque, Bormes-les-Mimosas
La Rasteque is at the foot of
Borme-les-Mimosas, an unspoiled village of narrow streets and flower-lined
squares ad fountains. Young chef Jerôme Masson (who trained at Michelin-starred
Villa Belrose with Thierry Thiercelin) dishes up delicious regional
specialities, guided by the best seasonal produce. The small, changing menu
starts with classics such as a brochette of grilled prawns and delicately
stuffed courgette flowers, just enough to tantalise your taste buds for main
dishes of warm lobster with ginger carrots, roast lamb with polenta, or pork
filet mignon drizzled with lemon-thyme juice.
Auberge de la Môle, St Tropez
Auberge
de la Môle, St Tropez
Formerly a 1960s roadside gas station, this
unpretentious, family-run restaurant has been serving a five-course fixed menu
of home-cooked, southwestern specialities for 50 years. The signature dish is a
plump and tender Tournedos Rossini – steak topped with a gargantuan slab of
foie gras – served with potato cakes with truffles. Then comes the enormous
cheese platter, followed by mousse au chocolat (other dessert include crème
caramel the way grandmère made it, and pears poached in wine).
Weather to go
The
region enjoys a warm summer
The region enjoys a warm summer, peaking in
August with temperatures reaching 28oC. August and September are
fine months to explore the secret side of the Côte d’Azur.
