The famous pool of Hotel du Cap
(Picture: Jessica Benjamin)The South of France is a holiday destination I wanted to roll my eyes at.
Yachts, celebrities and the super-rich? I’d rather have the real France and backpack across the Dordogne, thanks very much — I like my holidays authentic. Then, I went to the South of France… and everything changed. Charles Trenet’s ‘La Mer’ began playing on loop in my head as I took in, well, la mer, and soon living in the lap of luxury didn’t seem so eye-roll worthy.
As it turns out, the French Riviera is famous for a reason. Aside from its sparkling scenery, dazzling history of visitors (Queen Victoria was quite the fan) and all-round opulence, it holds two hotel gems: the Oetker Collection-owned Château Saint-Martin and its sister, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. If you’ve heard of the Cannes Film Festival, you’ll have heard of the Hotel du Cap and its star-studded film reel of guests. Château Saint-Martin, hidden away on a hillside in Vence and boasting the remnants of a 12th-century Knights Templar outpost, remains slightly more elusive yet equally as luxurious.
Arriving at Château Saint-Martin was like entering a realm where responsibilities no longer exist: my unread emails, WhatsApp notifications and missed calls floated away as I trundled my suitcase along the vine-covered walkway up to the foyer. It was almost too easy to relax: one bubble bath, cheese plate and large glass of red wine later and I’d changed into the kind of person who turns up fashionably late to pre-dinner cocktails; a far cry from my usual organised-to-the-minute, G-Calendar lifestyle. Dinner and drinks were equally fabulous: a Bellini at bar Le Rossini segued nicely into dinner at the Michelin-starred Le Saint-Martin restaurant (I’d highly recommend the black cod).
The nearby St Paul de Vence is just as gorgeous, if you can bear to tear yourself away from the château’s poolside. Winding cobbled streets lead to tucked-away boutique shops, while a game of boules takes place on the central square and chic groups of friends clink glasses of chilled rosé. For the art-inclined, the Agnes Sandahl Atelier (which supplies ceramics to royal families around the world) is a short drive away in Vallauris. Piles of abstract plates line the floors of her workshop, while the artist herself works away upstairs to a thumping soundtrack of Måneskin and Aime Simone.
Plump with wine and truffle croque monsieur from Restaurant Le Tilleul, ceramic swag swinging in hand, I waddled a further 20 minutes south to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc to truly amplify the hedonism. And boy, did it get amped up when I arrived at the brand new (and entirely private) Villa Sainte-Anne that sits opposite the main hotel. Every corner of the iconic destination is filled with touches that genuinely make you feel like you could be royalty. Private cabana to lounge by the sea? Check. Butler to cook you perfectly fluffed pancakes on a whim? Check. Separate annex for your staff to stay? Check. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
Reclining by the hotel’s famous Slim Aarons-depicted pool before diving off its famous board to swim out to its famous floating pontoons, and then sitting in its famous restaurant to eat plate after plate of tuna tartare, I felt… famous. Luckily for everyone who knows me, my ego was soon kept in check — I was eventually forced to check out and head back to London, where my emails, WhatsApps and missed calls were spitefully waiting. Thank you, South of France. If I ever need a slice of hedonistic freedom again, I know where to go.
