After a long year of renovating our house, there was no better place to celebrate and unwind than in the South of France.
Èze
Hope you like a switchback, because the drive up to the medieval village of Èze is an intense one, but worth it. With sky high views of the Mediterranean this is the perfectly peaceful little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Riviera. The village is walking only, and you better like to walk because everything is on an incline.
Recommendations: Les Ramparts at La Chèvre d’Or for drinks overlooking the sea and dinner at Le Aid d’Aigie at the base of Le Garden Exotique.
Le Club 55
If there is one beach club you do, it MUST be Le Club 55. Made famous by Bridgette Bardot, since 1955 it’s been a heaven to celebrities to lounge around splashing in the sea and drinking rose. If your lucky, you might just spot the likes of Kate Moss, Leonardo di Caprio, and Angelina Jolie.
We enjoyed our daybed under the thatched roof reading, napping, and of course… drinking rose. Then after a quick dip in the sea to cool off we had lunch at the infamous restaurant.
We had beautiful bottle of sparkling rose with a jamon and melon salad, green salad, frites, and a seafood platter.
Markets
One of our favorite things to do this trip was to stop into all of the little villages for their weekly markets. All of the vegetables are so beautiful, but the tables of cured meats and cheese get me every time. It’s also a great place to buy gifts like little soaps and tea towels. I’d also highly recommend buying a French market basket to carry around all of your goodies.
Hotel Le Yaca
By recommendation of a friend, we chose to stay at Hotel Le Yaca, a luxury boutique hotel in the center of St. Tropez. Although staying 15 minutes away over on the beach is a fantastic alternative, we wanted to be able to walk out the door in the morning in search of croissants or meander the side streets for little bistros.
A handful of recommendations…
- Beef Bar at Hotel Lou Penit
- Rotisserie Chicken in Places de Lices
- Boulangerie Aux Deux Fréres for croissants
- Lunch at Senequier
- Dinner at Manko
- Lunch at Lou Lou
- Le Club 55
- Gigi
- Le TIGrr
- Rent a Moke and drive over to the beach clubs
- Gelato at the port
- Casual lunch at Le Schpountz
Beach Clubs
If you’re looking for a club that is a little more lively then check out Byblos Beach. We enjoyed a huge lobster for lunch, more rose, and another nap on the beach.
I would also highly recommend:
- Loulou
- Gigi
- La Reserve
- Jardin Tropeziana
Provence
After several days in busy St. Tropez, we hopped in the car and drove into Northern Provence in search of rest, relaxation, and rose!
We stayed in Gordes for our home base, and I would highly recommend it. Not only is it beautiful, but it has a nice sized town to wonder around and is centrally located to bounce around.
Our daily routine was waking up to an espresso outside on our terrace. Jumping in the car and roaming around a new village, then stopping by some wineries on the way back, followed by dinner in town.
Villages to Vist: Lourmarin, Ménerbes, Roussillon, L’Isle-Sur-la Sargue, and St. Remy de Provence.
We ended our trip in St. Remy de Provence, one of our Top 3 places from our year abroad in 2020. It was so fun to recreate this picture at our favorite coffee shop and walk around reminiscing about how crazy and amazing that experience was. 2020 vs. 2023 “Your hair is longer, and mine is grayer” – Dave
From Abroad With Love – AG
