NUMBER OF ROOMS: 21 rooms, including 5 suites
ANNUAL CLOSURE: Open all year round
THE STORY: Longing for some blazing sunshine, salty skin and overexposed memories? Head to the ostentatious Saint-Tropez for a decent, yet subtle dose of bling-bling! Located in the center of town across from a tiny, isolated beach, the Hôtel La Ponche has been passed from family to family for eight decades now. Currently run by Nicolas and Hubert Saltiel, with the backing of investor Georges Saier, the legendary building has undergone a French-Riviera-style facelift by architect Fabrizio Casiraghi. Inside these historic walls? Twenty-one stunning rooms (ivory walls, lacquered American walnut furniture, golden fittings…) adorned with Picasso lithographs, Jacques Cordier paintings and Elvira Solana murals. And since nothing is ever too beautiful in Saint-Trop’, there’s a veranda on the ground floor, a magnificent green terrace and an opulent bar – where Boris Vian used to spend his time. All for the price of elegant frivolity. Double rooms starting at €350 a night.
TOILETRIES: Hermès body wash, shampoo and conditioner.
INTERNET: Wifi.
BREAKFAST: €30 with coffee or tea, freshly squeezed fruit juice, breads and viennoiseries, jams and wildflower honey, fresh fruit salad…
LITTLE LUXURY: Booking room number 8 (where Romy Schneider and Daniel Biasini both stayed), whose terrace, as big as the bed, offers a sublime view of the bell tower, the citadel and the sea…
