This splendid hotel in the countryside just outside St-Tropez. From the moment of your arrival, this discreet hostellerie is surrounded by pine-dotted gardens feels more like a private villa than a hotel. It has 39 rooms, nearly every room has a private terrace, and suites have views of the distant Mediterranean. Note, too, that there's a decent restaurant serving a modern Mediterranean menu for those who don't want the hassle of heading into town.

When to go: May to late September through October; owing to catastrophic traffic, St-Tropez is all but unnavigable during the intervening summer months!!!!