La Reserve, Ramatuelle
If you want to experience the glitz of St Tropez, while also being able to escape the chaos, this is the hotel for you. This hotel and spa is situated in a private reserve in the hills above the Mediterranean. It is the perfect place for a relaxing break after a few days in the bright lights of St Tropez.
How they rate it
This place is a treat for people "looking for calm, peace and quiet", says Samantha Lyster in The Times. Its star attraction is the spa clinic, which specialises in wellbeing treatments. The rooms are "large and minimalist in decor" with walk-in showers and private terraces, and some have clear views of the Mediterranean. It feels like "checking into my own private members' club", says Lyster. "After just two days, I felt relaxed and actually very reluctant to leave."
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The menu
To tie in with the spa's focus on wellbeing, the hotel restaurant serves healthy, low-calorie food: there's lots of salads and fish dishes on the menu. If you want to indulge there are some temptations, including a "divine chocolate trifle".
The cost
Double rooms cost from €400 including breakfast. To find out more, visit lareserve-ramatuelle.com, or call 00 33 4 94 44 94 44.
Kon Tiki Village
As the playground for the stupidly rich, St Tropez isn't cheap. So if you want to save your money for the restaurants, bars and shops, consider staying at Kon Tiki Village. This upscale caravan park, where Ferraris and Maseratis can be seen parked throughout the summer, looks out over the famous Pampelonne Beach.
How they rate it
This is "the world's poshest caravan park", according to Ian Belcher in The Guardian. "People from Monaco rent out their houses and come to stay," says the manager, Alexandre Sommereisen. The "artfully disguised mobile homes" look like Tiki Huts and the ones at the front have doors that "open directly on to the sand, something that, unless you're camping, is a rare Riviera luxury". Guests receive linen and towels, deluxe mattresses and you can pay extra for a regular maid service. The park even has its own helicopter drop zone.
The menu
The park has plenty of cheap food options. If you want to splash out, the famous Club 55 is a few hundred yards down the beach. The food's good but expensive; a melon starter is €17.
The cost
A beach-front hut costs from €110 per night. Visit tiki-hutte.com, or call 00 33 04 94 55 96 96.
My dream holiday: Sara Cox
If you are looking for a family-friendly break, try the Boca Raton Resort in Florida, says Sara Cox in The Daily Telegraph. The attentive staff helped make Cox's stay "bliss". "It had a brilliant kids' club so I was able to spend a few hours undisturbed relaxing by the pool with a book." She recommends checking in to recuperate after a trip to nearby Disney World.
What the travel writers are saying
For a holiday with a twist, try combining a luxurious hotel with improving your culinery skills. The Independent has rounded up the best hotel cookery courses.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxford is home to Raymond Blanc's two Michelin-starred restaurant. "What better place, then, to learn the basics of classic dishes and wine pairing." The residential food and wine course teaches students how to create dishes such as coq au vin and moules marinire. The course costs £990 per person, including lunch, dinner and B&B. Or try Rick Stein's Seafood School in Cornwall. Courses cost from £185, with B&B a further £135 a night.
Alain Ducasse has three restaurants across Europe, with three Michelin stars each. He also owns L'Andana in Tuscany, a 16th-century palazzo situated in the Maremma landscape, which is full of vineyards and olive groves. At L'Andana you can learn how to make Tuscany's "renowned cuisine, using the freshest ingredients and accompanied by Tuscan wines". And you'll be taught by chefs from the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant. Classes cost €170 and rooms are priced from €550, room only.
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