Villa La Tosca

Tucked away in a quiet cove off the Atlantic, half an hour west of Bordeaux, the nine-room Villa La Tosca is the sort of place that makes you wish you’d been born elsewhere — and perhaps to better circumstances. It’s like a vision of aristocratic leisure, translated for the 21st century and set in a tiny coastal town in southwestern France. The gardens are well-kept, the views of the sea expansive, and the breezy verandahs plentiful. In short it’s a taste of the good life, a low-key seaside hideaway at just the right distance from the more heavily touristed sections of the wine country.

As the name implies, the building bears something of an Italian influence. It’s considered one of the finer examples of Arcachon architecture, whose practitioners took the best of Italian villa living and gave it a subtle French twist. Today the interiors are perfectly contemporary, full of light and space, and sprinkled with Asian antiques and objets d’art.

Coziness rather than extravagance is the order of the day. Most of the rooms are somewhat on the small side, though smart design choices do open them up a bit. Up the scale, however, the accommodations are positively sprawling, with expansive sea and garden views to match. And at every level, handmade TRECA mattresses with fine Egyptian cotton bedding make it easy to get a good night’s sleep.

As for dining — an important element of any hotel stay in this part of France — the meals are casual affairs. There’s no restaurant per se, but let the staff know in advance that you’d like to eat at the hotel and their private chefs (one of whom has a Michelin star) will gladly go to work for you. The settings are casual — open-air verandahs, a fireside dining room, a sunny spot in the garden — but the food, which utilizes the best local ingredients in a region where that really means something, turns out to be quite accomplished. And needless to say, with Bordeaux just up the road a ways, you won’t be lacking for good wine to pair with it.

Please note: Villa La Tosca is a small property with only 9 rooms. Book early as rooms sell out quick.