Summer is here – and what better way to soak up the sun than a day at a beach club. Here’s five to book now.
Maybourne La Plage
Nestling right on the Italian border, by the tip of Roquebrune-Cap Martin, Maybourne La Plage is a glorious outdoor annex to the striking modernism of the Maybourne Riviera hotel behind it. Inspired by the golden age of the French Riviera, the venue has now opened for its second summer, following glowing reviews for what it brought to the region’s glitzy beach club scene in its inaugural summer.
Mooring up to the dedicated wooden pontoon, visitors can look forward to a casual seasonal menu, from which grilled lobster and octopus proved to be firm favourites last year. The genius behind it is Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco, whose unique spin on the tarte tropezienne, aka “la tarte de Saint-Tropez”, is set to become a hero dish during the summer months here.
Byblos Saint Tropez
Pampelonne Beach is as crucial to the Riviera’s ’50s and ’60s history as Carnaby Street is to London’s, with the Brigitte Bardot movie And God Created Woman (mentioned in this guide more than once, inevitably and unapologetically) being a major factor in the iconic status it still enjoys today. Byblos’s wide wooden sun beds are among many of our favourite spots from which to soak in its ultra-glam ambience, surrounded by contemporary, nautically-tinged design (the sun shade arrangement in the dining area, for example, resembles the billowing brilliance of sailing yachts).
An extension of Hotel Byblos, the club’s eco-responsible gastronomy (nearby market gardens, farms and fisheries act as the kitchen’s larder) is typified by the incredible mezze Mediterranean and caviar royal calvisius with blinis and creme fraiche.
Loulou Ramatuelle
Dinner here—catch of the day with flavour-packed legumes, sea bream carpaccio or linguine al dente with vongole—at dusk is one of the most edifying ways to round off a sun-drenched portion day spent on the Riviera. Executive chef Benoit Dargere (whose work regular visitors to Monsieur Bleu and Girafe in Paris are blissfully aware of ) has created a family-friendly menu which also includes antipasti, salads, pizzas and pasta, grilled meats and fish (if French-Italian fusion were a “thing”, this place would surely be its beating heart).
In homage to the Riviera’s haute bohemia of decades past, and enhancing the art de vivre so vibrant in these parts with a more upmarket vibe, this is the kind of establishment that spurred Fred Prysquel into launching Vilebrequin in the summer of 1971 while holidaying in Saint-Tropez, with a view to designing shorts that befitted the chic local beach eateries (while also wooing the woman of his dreams).
The club has been designed by Officine D’Architecture, which normally means an abundance of pale woods and crisp white fabrics. Last summer, however, to coincide with the reopening of the Gucci boutique, Loulou’s umbrellas, sun loungers, towels and upholstery were emblazoned with the Italian brand’s signature colours and branding. Given all this, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the Riviera outpost of Loulou’s restaurant at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris (overlooking the Louvre, no less) is destined to be one of this summer’s hotspots.
Gigi Ramatuelle
Entering its third season, already with huge acclaim for the first two, Gigi—ensconced within a coastal pine forest to which you’re transported to via golf buggy—is the place to enjoy a long, lazy lunch consisting of northern Italian dishes which in summers past has included vitello tonnato, linguini alle vongole, grilled octopus and veal cutlet Milanese.
Helmed by Parisian hospitality guru Laurent de Gourcuff (who is also behind Paris’s Monsieur Bleu, Girafe, and Mūn), its other draws include fetching aesthetic flourishes (from the rustic rattan chairs to the stunning floral porcelain and table linen), well-executed cocktails at the Bellini Bar, a gorgeous pool for a post-prandial dip and the gusto with which it lives up to its slogan, “Alla Grande”.
Shellona, Saint Tropez
One of the clubbier offerings when it comes to Riviera dining accompanied by the feel of soft sand on bare feet, this establishment was created on a stretch of Pampellone Beach in 2017, in the slipstream of its owners’ success with a yacht-charter attraction in Saint-Barthelemy. Since then, this hip, Ibiza-ish take on beach culture has drawn not only a wealth of well-to-do local devotees, but also impressed Dior enough for the French fashion house to lend its identity to the deckchairs, sun loungers, cushions and parasols last year.
Live music, of both the instrumental and turntable variety, takes its cues from the latest trends unfolding in the Balearics and Mykonos, while “healthy, tasty and generous” is the club’s stated aim in regard to its grilled and marinaded food, executed with aplomb by Greek executive chef Yiannis Kioroglou. Partaking in all this under the magnificent pergola should be another addition to your bucket-list of Riviera experiences—as if the entries weren’t already endless.
For more beach club suggestions, pick up the Riviera Summer edition of Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur
