The perfect day in St Tropez

Rediscovering the quieter charm that first drew artists, actors and playboys to its shores.

Words by: Harry Jarman
Photography: Adam Fussell
Styling: Benedict Browne
Grooming: Nicola Harrowell using Dior Beauty
Models: Harry Gozette and O’Shea Robertson

We generally recommend staying well away from Saint-Tropez in July and August. During peak summer, the once-charming fishing town can become overwhelmed by crowds, megayachts and the sort of champagne-spraying theatrics best left elsewhere on the Riviera. Yet, for all its excess, Saint-Tropez still retains moments of extraordinary beauty, if you know where to look.

And so, should a summer trip prove unavoidable, we wanted to show you how to do Saint-Tropez properly: escaping the crowds, dressing with effortless Riviera elegance and rediscovering the quieter charm that first drew artists, actors and playboys to its shores.

From relaxed linen shirts and softly tailored separates worthy of Alain Delon, to drifting around town in a Mini Moke or escaping the harbour entirely via speedboat around Cap de Saint-Tropez, this is our guide to spending the perfect day on the Côte d’Azur’s most iconic peninsula.

Getting to the beach – Port Grimaud

If you are not lucky enough to own one of the shinny super yachts in the harbour then the chance are you will have to drive to the beach for lunch. During August driving to the beach, in fact driving anywhere is best avoided. The best and most stylish way is to go by boat, however this is St Tropez and therefore it is not cheap to do this. It can be much better to do your research before hand and rent a small boat from Port Grimaud, which is the next port along. Then again, this depends on where your Villa is located and most good hotels will have their own boat Taxi services. The main benefit from departing from Port Grimaud, is there is a lot less traffic on the roads and in the harbour. wajer.com

Lunch at the beach – Club 55

Club 55 is by no means the quietest of the beach clubs, however it has to be said that it is still the classiest and the most discreet. Like Café Senequier, over the last few years it has seen its fair share of famous faces, Michael Douglas, Sir Elton and Kate Moss to name a few. The key is to book ahead and be prepared to spend a bit of money to really enjoy your lunch. Owned and run by the son of the original owner, Patrice de Colmont, Club 55 is more of a Theatre than beach bar, where the world’s rich and famous enjoy bottles of Pampelonne Rosé and the opulent Crudités. Toward the afternoon the crowds die down and this is the perfect time to sip cold rosé with family and friends. club55.fr

The Sunset – Hotel Sube

This is St Tropez best kept secret (until now). Located above the trendy bar du port you will find the the Hotel Sube bar, the beauty of this bar is firstly no one knows about it, and secondly and more importantly, it has the smallest balcony overlooking the port. I believe it is in fact the only bar that over looks the port, and therefore, is the ideal place to have a beer with some olives and watch the sun descend behind the mountains. hotelsube.net