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Overview
Some might say an uncredited star of the French New Wave, iconic hideaway Hôtel La Ponche played a significant role in making St Tropez the elite hotspot it is today. From the 1950s onwards it went from serving coming-ashore fishermen to starring as a backdrop in And God Created Woman and La Piscine and became the hangout for France's A-list. It hosted the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Roger Vadim, Romy Schnieder and other French literati – some of whom stayed ‘faithful only to their room number’ (the walls might whisper) – and sometimes writer Boris Vian would jump behind the bar to serve his friends (Sartre, Picasso – NBD). Now designer Fabrizio Casiraghi has readied it for the starriest to stay after an elegant makeover, revealing a slice of Riviera life that felt lost, and once again setting this legend's name alight.
Highlights:
If these walls could talk
Sparkling seaside setting
Old-school intimacy
Smith extra
A signature cocktail each on arrival
In the know
Also need to know:
Clock the hotel walls: Picasso donated lithographs to owner Simone Duckstein, which accompany paintings by her acclaimed-artist husband Jacques Cordier.Take advantage of the sun-kissed privacy of your suite with an in-room massage.
Packing tips:
Throw all your vintage threads in your suitcase: off-the-shoulder peasant blouses, dirndl skirts, flirty capris, high-waisted bikinis, tailored shorts and tasteful tiki shirts. And something more smouldering for after dark.
Dress code:
From dazzling to dishevelled in the space of an evening.
Mr and Mrs Smith reviews
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this just say yé-yé hotel in St Tropez and unpacked their sunglasses big enough to hide behind and shown off their newly sun-gilded limbs, a full account of their relax and rewind break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Hôtel La Ponche on the French Riviera…
Before St Tropez was St Tropez – A-list bastion of the rich and beautiful – the harbour full of ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ yachts bobbed with fishing boats, the sunlit serenity drew in pointilists and impressionists, and this pocket of Provençal paradise was enjoyed by locals. And, when it was built in 1948, Hôtel La Ponche was a small caboulot (restaurant with rooms) that fed and watered hungry fisherman coming into port after their shifts. Life on the Riviera was simple, full of beach-y beauty and, we’re sure, a fair bit cheaper; and then Roger Vadim chose the La Ponche neighbourhood as the setting for his lusty tale of ménage à trois (or quatre, at times), dangerous passions and wanton women, And God Created Women, and set one of its louchest scenes in the hotel’s piano bar, where Brigitte Bardot dances the men into a frenzy. Naturally, renown followed and the hip young things of the ensuing New Wave and a famous French creative crowd occupied the suites and propped up the bar, sometimes not leaving for weeks, or at all, choosing to settle in one of the villas nearby. Former owner and now ambassador Simone Duckstein witnessed all the bed-hopping between starlets, directors, artists and writers; lock-ins with the likes of Picasso and Sartre; and the real-life love triangle of Bardot, director Roger Vadim and leading man Jean-Louis Trintignant (the ultimate victor) – and she could have plenty of stories to share over a pastis, plus lithographs bestowed by Picasso. But, it’s no museum; Milanese designer Fabrizio Casiraghi has refined the suites, bar and restaurant in a fittingly retro style that doesn’t give too much due to St Tropez’s flash, and so Hôtel La Ponche is once again ready to play.
Accommodation details
Address:
5 Rue des Remparts, 83990, Saint-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Saint Tropez
France
Check-in Details:
Normal Check-in: 16:00
Normal Check-out: 12:00
Location:
43.1 mi / 69.5 km from city centre
General facilities
- Onsite laundry
- Spa
- Valet parking
- Exercise gym
- On-Site parking
- Internet services
- Restaurant
- Lounges/bars
- Room service
Dining information
Restaurant:
When the ingredients taste this good, you need little culinary embellishment; chef Thomas Danigo has his pick of Provence in crafting a menu that hops and skips about the Med. Gazpacho with fresh mint, basil and countryside goat’s cheese; entrecôte with market-garden vegetables; bluefin tuna with watermelon: its southern cuisine at its simple best. Even the crockery it’s served on – painted with dainty flowers – nods to a meal that comes from the hearth. Since this is France, the desserts are assuredly seductive: roasted apricots with pine-nut crumble and lavender ice-cream, chocolate and hazelnut mousses and berries in a marigold syrup with fennel meringue.
Top Table:
Muse on la mer from the terrace.
Last Orders:
Breakfast is from 7.30am to 10am, lunch from 12 noon to 2pm, and dinner from 7.30pm to 10.30pm. The bar pours till midnight.
Room Service:
No need to re-coif those bed-heads or don more than a robe to dine – room service (croques, club sandwiches, chocolate fondant with orange-blossom custard) is served 24 hours a day, with a limited menu at night.
Hotel Bar:
La Ponche’s drinking den also rose from humble beginnings, when writer Boris Vian secured a neighbouring barn to set up the Saint-Germain-des-Prés-la Ponche piano bar. Years later, Brigitte Bardot’s orphaned Juliette would dance with abandon across the checkerboard floor in And God Created Woman, and a who’s who that includes Picasso, Jack Nicholson, Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, and more leading lights would prop up the burnished counter – so you never know who’ll you’ll find yourself drinking by today. The ivories are still deftly tinkled and there are deep armchairs for guests to sit in and backgammon sets to play, set by a fireplace. Classic cocktails are shaken and stirred as standard, but the star turns are the signature cocktails named after the former guests. Say, La Piscine de Romy Schneider with champagne, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lime juice and cucumber syrup; or the Tu Veux ou Tu Veux Pas de Brigitte Bardot, with tequila and Cointreau, watermelon and lime juices and a fiery twist of hot red pepper.
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