Hotel La Ponche

Though it’s perhaps more quiet and more discreet than some of its neighbors, Hôtel La Ponche is a significant fixture on the St. Tropez hotel scene. Its small size — just 21 rooms and suites and three apartments — helps it keep its low profile, but in the middle of the last century it hosted everyone from Sartre and Picasso to Roger Vadim and Brigitte Bardot.

Today, a thorough renovation by Fabrizio Casiraghi returns it to its former glory, and while it’s no period piece, it is possessed of a low-key glamour that’s by no means common, even in this part of the world. The accommodations are classically chic, with only subtle nods to modernity; the most desirable ones look out to sea, some via spacious terraces.

Massages and spa treatments are available, as are yoga and Pilates sessions against the backdrop of the sea. And the restaurant and bar sustains Hôtel La Ponche’s social life, from breakfast on through to last call, with a cocktail menu inspired by the hotel’s most famous former guests.