Where the Beautiful People Go: Summer in the French Riviera

The Riviera is a place that conjures up dreamy pictures of sun-drenched beaches and crystalline blue waters with scantily clad jetsetters downing glasses of rosé and planning rigorous afternoon activities like where to lunch and what to wear to go there. Truth be told, for Saint-Tropez, that’s not too far from the truth.

Saint-Tropez is indeed a place like no other. Located in the heart of the French Riviera, it is the crème de la crème of getaways along this stretch of the world known as the Cote d’Azur—or Azure Coast, so named because of its perfectly blue waters that have attracted vacationers from around the world since there were vessels that could take them there. A sleepy fishing port until the boom over the last 60 years, the village of Saint-Tropez is only a 41-mile drive from Nice International Airport and is within driving distance of equally luscious coastal towns like Cannes, Antibes and Grasse. Here you will find sensuality in abundance and the ultimate in European sophistication.

Getting to Saint-Tropez (or “St. Trop”, as those who frequent the town call it) is easy; how to dress and accessorize while there is another story entirely. La Ligne Latécoère is an elegant first step in the right direction. The line of luggage, jackets, and accessories has its roots, and inspiration, in the vision of Pierre-Georges Latécoère and his dreams for transcontinental air travel. Originally created in the 1920s as an airline linking Senegal, Spain and Morocco through Toulouse, La Ligne Latécoère captures the adventure, the romance, the style and the timelessness of the early Twentieth Century.

Once you’ve arrived, check in to one of the best hotels in the world – the Hotel Villa Belrose (La Grande Bastide, Boulevard des Crêtes, Saint-Tropez, 04 94 55 97 97.) Here, the sunsets are unforgettable as are the moments with friends while watching them. Situated in 7,000 square meters of luscious trees and landscaped gardens on the hills of Gassin and just five minutes from downtown Saint-Tropez, this gorgeous hotel is built in the style of a Florentine Villa, a perfect setting for a perfect stay. Facets of a five-star stay are found here too, such as a first-class beauty center, Michelin-starred restaurant and a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean from the magnificent terrace.

The Château Hôtel de la Messardière (Route de Tahiti, St. Tropez, 04 94 56 76 00) offers an equally calm, serene stay and exuded absolute luxury. The Mediterranean-style hotel abutting the fairy-tale like château, sits on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.  Each fabulous room boasts a balcony or terrace with a spectacular view. Deciding on accommodation when planning a trip to this resort town is, decidedly, not simple.

[highlight_text] Day quickly melts into night where the throngs who come here to party are only too happy to have the party start. [/highlight_text]

If having one’s own slice of heaven here is preferable to a four- or five-star hotel, villas for sale Saint-Tropez are easily had. This exceptional 700-square-meter villa built in a contemporary style offers one of the most majestic views of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez in its locale near the Club 55. The interior design and impeccable service, lounge, dining room opening onto the terrace, kitchen, and five bedrooms-all suites-are accommodations hard to beat. The home includes a 25-meter heated swimming pool set on 12 hectares of land—and all for a mere 20 million euro.

It’s easy to wile away the days in Saint-Tropez, and the prime place to do so is at Club 55 (Plage de Pampelonne Boulevard Patch, Ramatuelle, 04 94 55 55 55). Located on Pampelonne Beach, truly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Club 55 is best described as casual glam. A wooden slatted floor covered with sand forms the large dining room in which bikini and designer sunglass-wearing patrons come fresh off the beach for fish caught in the water 20 paces away and more rosé than they can stomach. The vineyards of Provence (the region of France in which Saint-Tropez lies) that produce the treasured pink summer wine are too numerous to mention, but one of the best is Bertaud Belieu. The historic vineyard lies on 62 hectares in Gassin and the Domaine under new management is turning out tremendous new crushes each year. This summer, the vineyard will make a huge splash when it issues a limited run of 20 Methuselah 6L (1.58 gallon) with numbered labels sculpted by Michel Audiard at a price of $10,000 dollars per bottle. Named Heracles, the Greek name of Saint-Tropez, the exceptional vintage will, needless to say, not only be stupendous but rare: only 4,000 liters worldwide of the best production 2010 rosé were bottled.

Everyone who’s anyone has stayed at the legendary Hotel Byblos (Avenue Paul Signac, St. Tropez, 04 94 56 68 00.) “The Byblos”, as it’s more often called, has been the choice of the rich and famous since it opened. The hotel is a stone’s throw from the center of town, and from the Place des Lices, where elderly gentlemen—year-round residents of the town—play bocce ball every day. Just down the street, on the Quai Jean-Jaurés, is the very French Sénéquier (15 Quai Suffren, Sur le Port, St. Tropez, 04 94 97 00 90,) the harbor-front café and pâtisserie where one’s view is often blocked by mega-yachts pulling in. When showing his new summer collection for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld chose the aisles of Sénéquier as his runway. It is the perfect place for anyone—world-famous fashion designer or not—to read the morning newspaper, with coffee and croissant and contemplate the day.

Day quickly melts into night where the throngs who come here to party are only too happy to have the party start. Villa Romana restaurant (Chemin des Coquettes, St. Tropez, 04 94 97 15 50,) a mecca of Saint-Tropez nightlife, is where everything begins.  The elite who flock here every season know this is the place to meet, and has been for the past two decades. Tip back a glass of Moët and keep your eye cocked for George Clooney making way to his table. The raucous dining room and revved-up crowd prove that Villa Romana is not for the faint of spirit.

But it is the Caves du Roy (Avenue Paul Signac, St. Tropez, 04 94 56 68 00) that is the place to party in Saint-Tropez. The disco, on the second level of the Hotel Byblos, keeps the party going until the sun comes up.  House DJ, Jack E, has been spinning at the club every summer for a more than a decade. The hilarious and exuberant music man attracts the likes of Bono, Beyoncé and Jay-Z to the dance floor along with the minions who are all too familiar with his hypnotic work.