The South Of France - This Side of Paradise...... Found!

This March, in my whirlwind trip, 3 week trip across France, I had the good fortune to be in the South of France and to stay at La Reserve Ramatuelle near Saint-Tropez., Its in a gated community east of St Tropez ( actually the famous beaches of St Tropez are really in Ramatuelle,) it's a true retreat nestled among hundreds of pines and a view of the sea that is to die for. The plus for me here, was the fact that even though it was close to the action of celeb central Saint-Tropez ( in the summer – its season is from June to August and- it attracts hundreds of thousands of people a day) and the pretty medieval village of Ramatuelle, (up the hill) yet it felt a world apart from the tourist crowds with only 23 rooms perched over the Mediterranean. The resort was masterminded by French designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte who focused on creating airy, light-filled spaces that were still very luxurious, the perfect aesthetic for a place where the focus should be on the view. The rooms (all with a fantastic view) are large, and when I mean large; its large!, my room ( #50) could have held a USC football team and yet still had plenty of room left over. The walk in shower was huge on top of that!

The hotel also has a spa, Some European "beauty centers," while they look good are a little lightweight on treatments, but the spa at La Reserve Ramatuelle was a standout. It was obvious that my technician (Isabelle) was just as concerned with my alignment as making sure I was relaxed as I was. And I loved the spa's internal pool, the counterpoint to the huge outdoor swimming pool that also seems to hang above the sea. It was hard to leave my room, but I did manage to make a couple of stops into Ramatuelle for the market and also to Saint-Tropez to admire the über-yachts (if the economy is bad, these seafarers didn’t seem to have gotten the memo). Even in March it was a mad house. So if you are heading to the South of France you'll want to make La Reserve a part of the itinerary.
The staff is phenomenal, from Nicolas VINCENT (the GM),to Lionel, the Matre D to Isabelle, my masseuse. The food is spa cuisine, but not the insipid spa cuisine you find in the United States, after all this is France! Everything is weighted, but its so good and so French, you can hardly call it Spa Cuisine ( but it is). The joke is they hide the croissants in the morning, but if you want some, they will gladly give them to you.
The resort is not for everyone; it’s quite, restful and relaxing and its not cheap, but what is anymore that is luxurious. You’ll need a car to get to the beaches (about 8 minutes away).