WRITTEN BY
Libby Megson
CATEGORY
Destinations
READ TIME
6 min read
BEST VISITED
May – September
From St Tropez to Antibes, the French Riviera’s beach clubs are a world unto themselves – part restaurant, part theatre, part way of life. Here’s our guide to the best, and how to arrive in the style they deserve.
The French Riviera does many things beautifully, but perhaps none more so than the beach club. The great establishments of the Côte d’Azur have been perfecting the art of the coastal lunch since the 1920s, and they remain, a century later, among the most pleasurable places to spend an afternoon anywhere on earth.
The experience is heightened considerably by arriving on the water. Pulling up by tender, skipping the traffic, the parking, the queues is one of those small but genuine pleasures that makes a Riviera charter feel so different from any other kind of holiday.
Club 55, Saint-Tropez
No list of Riviera beach clubs would be complete without Club 55, and there is a reason it has been at the top of every such list for seven decades. Founded in 1955 on Pampelonne Beach, originally as a canteen for the crew of Brigitte Bardot’s film, it has since become one of the most storied institutions on the coast.
Pampelonne Beach, Saint-Tropez
The terrace at Club 55
The formula is deceptively simple: excellent rosé, outstanding grilled fish and Provençal cuisine, long tables dressed in white linen, and a clientele that includes a reliable cross-section of European aristocracy, international film stars, and regulars who have been coming here for thirty years. There is no music, no DJ – just the sound of the sea and civilised conversation.
Book well in advance. A table at Club 55 in July or August is not something you secure at the last minute but it’s always worth it.
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Arriving at Club 55 by tender, with Pampelonne Beach stretching out ahead of you, is one of those moments the Riviera was invented for.
Nikki Beach, Saint-Tropez
If Club 55 is the old guard, Nikki Beach is the other end of the spectrum and equally brilliant in its own way. The St Tropez outpost remains the flagship: a sprawling, glamorous, unashamedly hedonistic beach club where the champagne flows, the music is good, and the Sunday brunch is a fixture for anyone within sailing distance.
Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
The terrace and pool pavilion at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc is an experience no Riviera charter should miss. The hotel itself is the stuff of legend Fitzgerald wrote about it, Picasso painted by the pool and the jetty restaurant, perched on the rocks above the sea, is one of the most beautiful lunch settings on the coast.
Cap d’Antibes seen from the water – the Eden-Roc terrace sits at the tip of the peninsula
La Guérite, Île Sainte-Marguerite
For something completely different, the short sail from Cannes to Île Sainte-Marguerite brings you to La Guérite – a beach club on an island with no cars, no roads, and no way of arriving except by boat. The seafood is exceptional, and the fact that you’ve arrived on your own yacht while other guests came by water taxi lends the whole thing a particular satisfaction.
Ready to arrive at Club 55 by tender?
Get in touch and let’s build your French Riviera itinerary together.