france · May — September
The village in May, the village in August — two different cities, both ours. Five palaces at the top, three new tables, the courts at Beauvallon resurfaced, and the Pampelonne beach map redrawn for 2026.
Where to begin
The addresses I would send to a friend on the first visit. The full guide is below.
Palace · 5★The LVMH operation on the quai, now in its seventh year and the most polished room in the village.
3★ MichelinArnaud Donckèle's three-star room inside Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez — the most ambitious dining room on the Mediterranean coast.
Half-day · Full-dayThe half-day to the Îles d'Or, the full-day to Pampelonne and back — the boat is the only correct way to lunch at Club 55.
Palace · 5★The hill, the pines, the second pool that no one talks about, and the only true family palace in the area.
Spa · Tata HarperThe only Tata Harper spa in Europe, inside Lou Pinet — Vermont-grown botanicals, four treatment rooms, and a serious facial protocol.
August · ShoppingThe August village shopping ritual — three days when the rue Gambetta and the place des Lices open the cellars and the new collection at the same time.
Palace · 5★The original Saint-Tropez palace, opened 1967, still the address Caves du Roy points to at one in the morning.
1★ MichelinPhilippe Colinet's Mediterranean room at Hôtel Sezz — the most reliable one-star within the village perimeter.
20 min · Heli Securité · MonacairTwenty minutes from Nice Airport to La Môle — the only correct transfer in July and August. Heli Securité, Monacair, Blade.
Hotels
Book the room.
5★ · Maisons ParienteThe Pariente operation — calm, garden, the largest pool in the village, and Tata Harper for the spa.
5★ · WellnessPhilippe Starck's hilltop wellness resort above La Croix-Valmer, the serious option for a week of sleep and treatment.
5★ · DesignThe Christophe Pillet design hotel on Route des Salins, with Colette (1★ Michelin) and a long pool in the pines.
5★ · Old townThe oldest hotel in Saint-Tropez, reopened by the new ownership in 2022 and the only true village address that still feels lived-in.
Festive · clubs, line-ups, long lunches
Reserve the table for the night out.
Club · IconicThe basement of the Byblos — the Saint-Tropez club that has not needed to update its proposition in fifty years.
Beach restaurantThe Bagatelle Group's romantic Pampelonne table, currently supervised by Gucci — playful, chic, and unmistakably IT-spot.
Beach restaurantThe Pampelonne beach extension of La Réserve Ramatuelle, with Jean-Michel Wilmotte's understated wood and Eric Canino's kitchen.
Authentic · the quiet rooms
Reserve the quiet dinner.
Beach restaurantThe Carluccio brothers' green-and-white operation on Pampelonne, with Julien Lee (ex-Ducasse) holding the kitchen since opening.
Local · SeafoodThe Bonne Terrasse fish shack at the far end of Pampelonne — the bouillabaisse address that has nothing else on the menu.
Village classicThe Belaïch family Provençal courtyard in the village — open since 1942, the most consistent dinner inside the walls.
Beaches & beach clubs
Reserve the cabana.
Beach clubThe Greek-leaning beach club on Tahiti — Mediterranean grill, soft music until late afternoon, and the smartest sunbed layout on the strip.
Beach clubThe quietest serious option on Pampelonne — family-run since 1959, no DJ, no parade, just a clean lunch and a long afternoon.
InstitutionThe original Pampelonne address, opened 1955 — still the lunch reservation that confers status without needing to.
Beach clubThe Bagatelle Group beach — fifteen sister addresses globally, the reliable Pampelonne option for the long-second-service crowd.
Sport · tennis, padel, polo, golf
Book the court · the green · the chukkers.
Polo · summer seasonSixty-five hectares of clay-floor fields a fifteen-minute drive inland from the gulf, the home of the international cup each July and August.
Tennis · MembersSix clay courts in the pines fifteen minutes from the village, the most serious tennis option in the Gulf.
Golf · 18 holesEighteen holes on a headland above the gulf, sea on three sides, the round with the view that the inland course does not offer.
Padel · Tennis · MembersThe century-old racquet club on the village edge, with the only proper padel courts inside the Saint-Tropez perimeter.
Golf · 18 holesEighteen holes in the pines on the inland side of the Gulf, the only serious round in the immediate Saint-Tropez area.
Boats · charters & day trips
Charter the boat.
Classic · 33 ftThe wooden icon of the Riviera — restored mahogany, chrome cleats, half-day on the gulf with a captain who knows the anchorages.
Sport · 30 ftThe Prado day-boat for a beach-club loop of Pampelonne — fast, dry, the right hull for the chop after the mistral.
80m+ · Benetti · LürssenThe week aboard a 80-metre — Saint-Tropez to Portofino, Corsica, the Aeolian Islands. Crew of twenty, chef, tender garage.
Transfer · 15 minThe fifteen-minute hop from the Vieux Port to the beach club — Zodiac, two crew, no waiting for the tender.
Private aviation · jets
Charter a jet · point to point.
VistaJet · NetJets · FlexjetDirect to La Môle (LFTZ, 10 minutes from the village) or Cannes-Mandelieu — VistaJet, NetJets, Flexjet on demand.
Helicopter transfers
Book the transfer · airport, peak, port.
15 min · point to pointFifteen minutes from La Môle to Monaco heliport — the right way to do the Grand Prix Sunday or the Friday night at Jimmy'z.
Spas & wellness
Book the treatment.
Spa · GuerlainThe Guerlain-operated spa inside Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez — discreet, technical, the most consistent treatment protocol in town.
Events · what's on this season
Book the experience.
Enchères · Gassin · AnnuelLa vente de voitures de collection annuelle au Golf Club de Gassin — une centaine de lots, le clubhouse en orangerie, le public qui vient aussi pour le déjeuner sur le fairway.
Musique · Citadelle · JuilletDeux soirées de musique électronique à la Citadelle de Saint-Tropez, fondées en hommage à Isabelle Murray — une programmation internationale dans les remparts, avec vue sur le golfe.