Arev Saint Tropez

I arrived in Saint-Tropez at the end of a September journey along the Côte d’Azur, determined to cling to the last of summer. The Riviera obliged with glorious heat and a sea that glittered all the way from the Giens Peninsula to Porquerolles and the almost Caribbean-blue waters of Plage de l’Estagnol. 

Saint-Tropez was our final stop: a return to the glamour, beautiful-people-watching and enduring legacy of Brigitte Bardot, less than a year after her death. In Place Blanqui, a gilded statue by Milo Manara reimagines Bardot as Botticelli’s Venus. We waited beneath her for Arev’s bright-red shuttle, which proved invaluable during our stay, whisking us between the hotel, town and beach without the headache of navigating the legendary traffic or finding somewhere to park. 

At Arev, immaculately dressed staff appeared almost before the car stopped. The arrival sets the tone: slick but smiling, theatrical without being stuffy. Madrid-based designer Luis Bustamante has created a polished, playful vision of Riviera glamour, using the French tricolore of red, white and blue throughout. Stripes, white shutters, lacquered surfaces, fabric-lined walls and ceilings, and a fabulous canopied bar make the hotel feel a little like an exceptionally glamorous superyacht moored in the Hamptons. 

With only 41 rooms, Arev is relatively intimate, and there is no cavernous corporate lobby. Instead, the entrance flows into the bar and restaurant, lending it the atmosphere of an extravagant private house. 

Our light-filled junior suite had windows on two sides, overlooking the large pool and beautifully landscaped gardens. The television was so enormous that even the most committed Saint-Tropez socialite might be tempted to stay in for a blockbuster. There was also a Japanese loo — still a novelty to most British travellers — and, best of all, an enormous bed that felt like a welcome hug. Silky sateen sheets and cloud-like bedding provided precisely the cocooning luxury one hopes for at this price. 

The gardens may be Arev’s loveliest surprise. Fragrant herbs and Mediterranean planting release their scent as you brush past them on the way to the padel court; and terraces shaded by old olive trees offer quieter corners away from the pool — which is generously sized and surrounded by striped parasols, loungers and another boldly decorated bar. Pick the right angle and the words ‘A Rêve in the Sun’, laid into its floor, shimmer beneath the water. 

The hotel’s sense of fun is epitomised by a bright-red telephone beside the pool. Press its single button and you are connected to the French Fry Butler, who duly arrives wearing white gloves and bearing a basket of hot French fries. Naturally, this being Saint-Tropez, they can be embellished with anything from truffle to caviar. It is ridiculous, delicious and extremely Instagrammable — as well as, one suspects, an ingenious little earner. 

Dinner at the revived Strand restaurant was a highlight. Beneath festoon lights in the garden, the mood was romantic and almost ethereal, but never pompous. My sole meunière was one of the best fish dishes I ate in France: delicate, beautifully cooked and drenched in just the right amount of nutty butter. The extensive wine list should keep serious oenophiles happily occupied, and cocktails are available in almost bewildering variety. 

Breakfast is served on the terrace, with everything from excellent eggs Benedict to lighter fruit and yoghurt options. Fuelled accordingly, we walked to Saint-Tropez’s famous market at Place des Lices in under 10 minutes. The old fishing quarter of La Ponche and the boutiques and cafés around the port are similarly close; Pampelonne Beach is an easy shuttle ride away. 

Service throughout our stay was warm and impressively accommodating. Friends who were in town joined us for coffee with a baby and toddler, and were welcomed with genuine delight rather than the faint alarm children can inspire at polished five-star hotels. The concierge team, conveniently reachable by WhatsApp, booked lunch for us at Les Salins and arranged our transport, removing two of the more tiresome pieces of Saint-Tropez logistics. 

There is also a well-equipped 24-hour gym, a spa and a wonderfully restorative steam room. Those with greater sporting ambitions can play padel; those whose ambitions extending only as far as the next sunlounger will be equally content. 

Arev is undeniably expensive, and its glossy exuberance will appeal more to maximalists than minimalists. But it offers something clever: a modern, mischievous take on old Riviera glamour in a peaceful setting just moments from the action. You can spend the morning nosing around the market, have lunch beside the sands of Pampelonne, stroll through La Ponche at dusk and then retreat behind Arev’s gates to scented gardens, buttery sole and caviar-topped French fries. It places you right in the midst of Saint-Tropez while providing a calm, beautifully cosseting escape from it — which may be the greatest luxury of all.