Saint-Tropez? Everyone thinks they know it. The port, the yachts, the parties, and the summer crowds. And then there's the other side, the one tucked away in the hills, kept for oneself. Leave the ribbon of beaches behind, climb amongst the umbrella pines, push open a discreet gate at the end of the Val Rian path. Three hectares of pine forest open up, scented with citrus fruits and roses. An ochre building watches over the Bay of Pampelonne, shutters closed against the heat. Welcome to Villa Marie.
A 5-star bohemian gem in the heights of Pampelonne
Perched in a private 3-hectare pine forest, just 3 kilometers from the village and 4 kilometers from the Pampelonne beaches, Villa Marie offers a different vision of Saint-Tropez: slower, gentler, and set apart from the hustle and bustle. This 5-star boutique hotel belongs to the Sibuet family, who have made it the Mediterranean link in a collection shared between Megève, the Luberon and Saint Barth. One comes here as a nostalgic aesthete, a lover of idleness, or simply for this address that overlooks the sea without ever mingling with the crowd.
An Italian villa on the Riviera
Crossing the threshold is like changing countries. The golden ochre facades of this Hotel in Saint-Tropez Setting the tone, literally: inside, mandarins, turquoises, and pastel-softened peonies reign, along with 18th-century furniture sourced from Italy, seashell frescoes, chaise longues, and hand-painted faience tiles. Nothing is subdued; everything is embraced. The gardens unfurl their citrus trees, palm trees, aromatic herbs, and rose gardens down to the rocks. The rooms are tucked away in this recreated Tuscan villa setting, and the sea reappears through every opening in the pines, never far, never completely central. This is the house's deliberate choice: to turn its back on the port in order to better contemplate it from a distance.
Each room has its own style, from the turret to the open sea
None resemble their neighbor. The 45 rooms and suites share the same taste for the mismatched and the same vocabulary: gilded wooden headboards, canopy beds draped with linen gauze, shell-bordered mirrors, French ceilings, and Pure Altitude products in the bathroom. All open onto a terrace, a balcony, or an Italian loggia. The most intimate, starting at 26 sqm, are located on the patio side or in the turret, like the Colombier with its small attic living room overlooking the pine forest. The largest extend up to 60 sqm and frame the Pampelonne bay, facing the open sea, with a lounge area overlooking the horizon. Families and groups opt for connecting rooms and the Family Junior Suite, while couples treat themselves to a suite facing the open sea.
Our favorite? The Pampelonne, 40 m², in powder pink and fuchsia, facing south over the bay, for its couture look. For a grander view, a 50 to 60 m² Suite opens its lounge area directly onto the Mediterranean Sea: a view you'll never want to leave.
Sweet Life, the South on a plate
In the evening, we dine under the pine trees at Dolce Vita, the house's table. The chef there follows the day's catch and the vegetable garden: fish, citrus fruits, sun-ripened vegetables, herbs, and a glass of rosé from Domaine de Marie (the vineyard the Sibuets cultivate in the Luberon) placed on the tablecloth. At the bar, signature cocktails extend the evening. In the morning, the homemade breakfast offers Eggs Benedict, avocado toast, smoked salmon, pancakes, and pastries, to be savored on the bedroom terrace or in the courtyard, before the cicadas get louder. For those with a taste for experience, the "A Taste of St. Tropez" package adds a private tasting of the estate's wines and a day at sea, picnic basket and rosé included.
The Pure Altitude Spa and the rock-hewn swimming pool
Carved into the natural rock overlooking the sea, in the shade of pine trees, the heated lagoon pool encapsulates everything you've come for: a deckchair, a cocktail, the song of cicadas. Nearby, the Pure Altitude Spa brings the Sibuet brand's mountain plant-based treatments down to sea level. We recommend the Mediterranean Ritual, a monoi and edelweiss massage designed for sun-kissed skin, or the Energetic Ritual of Provence with its linen pouches filled with Himalayan salts, lavender, and pine. For facial treatments, choose between cryotherapy, Kobido, Gua Sha, and gold leaf. The fitness room, opening onto the pine trees, completes the picture: WaterRower rowing machine, non-motorized Sprintbok treadmill, NohrD bicycle.
The Other Saint-Tropez
Villa Marie isn't the most ostentatious hotel in Saint-Tropez, and that's precisely its strength. It's the dolce vita, pine forest edition: a bohemian decor taken to the last shell, a pool carved into the rock, a mountain spa set by the water, and the village you can reach with the hotel shuttle, whenever you decide. The address for those who love Saint-Tropez without necessarily wanting to sleep there.
Around
- To stroll Place des Lices A Tuesday or Saturday morning, market day; ;
- Read on coastal path from La Ponche to the wild coves; ;
- Spend a day on the Pampelonne beaches, four kilometers away; ;
- See the Signacs and Bonnards from the Museum of the Annunciation, on the port; ;
- Climb to the perched village of Ramatuelle and along the vines of the peninsula.
Villa Marie Saint-Tropez
1100 Val Rian Road, 83350 Ramatuelle / Saint-Tropez
Official site
