Steal My Vacation: Fanny Bourdette-Donon

"This place is really dreamy. It’s right on the water, and it’s been owned by the same family since it opened in 1951. We have a family house in Hyères, but I love to stay at this hotel even if we have friends coming to visit."

"Have breakfast at the hotel early. For me, it’s usually a croissant, coffee, and a little orange juice, but they have a huge buffet. Then leave right after to explore some of the little islands that are part of Hyères: Île de Porquerolles and Île de Port-Cros. They’re both protected national parks and absolutely stunning. The water is turquoise."

"You can visit both islands during the same day or spend the night on Île de Port-Cros, which is lesser known and tinier. Stay at Hotel Le Manoir or on a boat, which is what I recommend. If you stay at Hotel Le Manoir, you have to book months in advance because it’s the only hotel there."

"Once you dock on to Porquerolles, rent a bike from one of the many vendors at the seaport along Rue de la Douane, and ride it around the island. You want to explore the beaches — like Plage Notre-Dame and Plage D’Argent — they’re all along the north side of the island. Spend all day in the blue water, this is why I recommend leaving so early. You can have a picnic on a beach."

"I like to stay and have a nice dinner of grilled fish at Le Mas du Langoustier."

"On Île de Port-Cros, go bird-watching in Port-Cros National Park. Kestrels live there; so do peregrine falcons, yellow-legged gulls, and leggy pink flamingos."

"On your way back to Hyères, there’s a restaurant you can access by boat called Pradeau Plage. It’s a super-tiny fish restaurant that people come to from Cannes and Saint-Tropez. It’s to die for because your table is right by the water, and you’ll see the most beautiful sunset."

"Visit Villa Noailles, a modernist villa built by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens for art patrons Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles in the hills above Hyères. They have exhibitions and artists in residence, and you see the entire city from the roof. In the back, there’s a Cubist-inspired garden."

"If you want more of an adventure, go to Almanarre beach, which is really windy and popular for kitesurfing and all kinds of water sports. That’s super fun."

"I’m not really into water sports, to be honest, but my boyfriend is, so I’ll grab a book and stay on the beach or go to a little restaurant, Le Robinson, which has a private beach, and wait for him with a glass of rosé. That’s really lovely. The food is not the best, but you’re in Provence, so you have literally the best rosé in the world."

"There’s a really cute restaurant in Place Massillon called La Table that specializes in mussels. You have fresh mussels with French fries and white wine. It’s a fun way to spend the night, with a late dinner, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones."

"After breakfast at the hotel, go wine tasting! This is the region for rosé, and there’s such beautiful wine right all over. Château Malherbe is owned by the Ferrari family and is right on the water. They take you on trails through the vines, and along the sea on little bikes."