Villa Marie

For anyone despairing of the big noise of the St. Tropez scene, there’s hope, in the form of Villa Marie. It’s the work of Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet, the team behind La Bastide de Marie and Les Fermes de Marie, and like its sisters, the Villa Marie is a winning combination: a stellar location, a peaceful, classic atmosphere, and elegant, photo-friendly interiors, the Sibuet trademark.

The location is not quite St. Tropez, but it’s this very not-quiteness that makes it so perfect. Villa Marie makes its home just over the hill in sleepy Ramatuelle, ten minutes’ drive from St. Tropez proper, and from Pampelonne Bay’s famous beaches — close enough to get a taste of the action if you want it, but far enough for a little honest rest and relaxation.

Of course, many more hotels like this one, and Ramatuelle would be the next big thing. Of Villa Marie’s immaculate interiors little needs be said that doesn’t come across in the pictures — add to that a full-service spa, an excellent Mediterranean restaurant, a striking Celadon swimming pool carved from the hillside’s rock, and generally pervasive atmosphere of effortless laid-back cool, and it’s hard to see why anyone bothers dressing up for St. Tropez at all.

Please note: Villa Marie is a seasonal hotel and is open each year from early May thru early October.