And God Created Saint-Tropez
Since yesterday, Saint Tropez has been bustling with revellers again as the annual rendezvous of fancy yachts for the prestigious Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. regatta got under way. More than 300 classic and modern sailing boats up to 50 metres long congregate here for this unique maritime event that has traditionally marked the end of the season and the culmination of the regatta series of ocean-going yachts in the Mediterranean.
The week-long event is not just a highlight for skippers and yacht enthusiasts but also a feast for the eyes of design aficionados and those of us who simply love Saint-Tropez. If you need to get away from the drone of helicopters overhead for a while after a luscious lunch at Le Club 55 or after roaring good times at an on-board party, you should do so in style by staying at the Villa Marie near Ramatuelle.
This small and fancy 5-star hotel consists of a lavish garden complex studded with cypresses and citrus, and bordering on a forest of stone pines. The elegant parlours and boudoir-like rooms are decorated in the colours of the surrounding landscape. If you crave plenty of privacy and prefer new accommodations you will find the small annex, where two rooms and suites were created in the style of the 1950s and 1960s, the perfect place for a blissful time out.
No matter how many stars shine above a given hotel, it is bound to have nice and not-so-nice rooms.
Our room recommendations for Villa Marie:
Prestige Room No. 45 “Pampelonne” – for that unspoiled fashion feeling! This colourful room (40 sqm) is decorated in Missoni fabrics, and features a desk and a cosy chaiselounge. You have a lovely view of the sea from the private loggia. The spacious bathroom, equipped with tub and shower and filled with natural light, will cause any woman's heart to skip a beat.
Suite No. 47 “Cap Taillat” – This is the prettiest of the suites (50 sqm), decorated in hues of turquoise and grey. A sliding door lets you separate the living room from the sleeping area. Coup de coeur: the private patio catches the morning sun, and affords a magnificent view of the sea and Cap Taillat – which is the southern tip of the bay of Pampelonne.
Once in bed, the chirping crickets will sing you to sleep, and the helicopters circling over Saint-Tropez will seem miles away. Coming here will let you enter a carefully groomed Provençal world.
Ready for more? We have selected the addresses of 19 hotels and restaurants along the Côte d’Azur for you on pillowandpepper.com – each one of them tested in person, on location.
We hope you have a great time planning the perfect trip, and a perfectly terrific time in Saint-Tropez!