17 Best Hotels in the South of France

"It’s the dazzling light that strikes guests the moment they step inside this stylishly revamped Fifties waterfront retreat. The brainchild of boutique group Beaumier, which teamed up with Paris-based design firm Festen for its first Côte d’Azur property, the concept is refreshingly straightforward: an easy-going hotel, right on the water, inspired by the colors of the shimmering cobalt Mediterranean and rusty orange rocks. Near-identical rooms all have whitewashed walls, polished-concrete floors, minimalist furniture and balconies with canvas butterfly chairs. But the real star attraction is the saltwater pool carved out of the rock, which spills over right into the sea. The freshwater lap pool is surrounded by sunbeds and waiters bearing trays of Rinquinquin, the local peach apéritif. There are two restaurants serving everything Provençal, from pissaladière (onion tart) to steamed cod with garlic mayonnaise and vegetables or roast lamb with rosemary. Teas of cream-filled tarte Tropézienne can be balanced with paddleboarding and kayaking. In each room there are also walking-sticks for hikes along the pebble beach, or a less strenuous wander to the Institut Esthederm spa for a mineral-packed tan-boosting treatment. Afterwards, laze in a hammock with a copy of Tender is the Night (F Scott Fitzgerald’s former digs are close by). —Lanie Goodman" - Lanie Goodman, Sarah James