Hôtel Château de Valmer

The house has deep family roots. The Rocchietta-Montloin family has owned the property since the 1940s, and the former family guest house has gradually become a luxury hotel. Relais & Châteaux, which lists Château de Valmer among its properties, credits the family with a lifetime spent cultivating the art of hospitality.

Inside, the MICHELIN Guide describes the rooms as classic farmhouse in style rather than high-design, yet contemporary all the same, and judges the comforts quite up to date. The same guide has awarded the hotel One MICHELIN Key, a distinction it describes as "a very special stay", and sums up its character as low-key Provençal charm with a touch of contemporary luxury.

The MICHELIN Guide calls La Croix-Valmer a sleepier seaside resort, one that draws less of the spotlight than some of the Côte d'Azur's more famous towns. The hotel stands in green hills just outside the village, at 81 Boulevard de Gigaro, within its own vineyards and gardens yet within walking distance of both the town and the beach. Saint-Tropez, which the hotel presents as unmissable for its lively beaches, marina and vibrant nightlife, is 16 km away, about 25 minutes.

Gigaro is the seaside quarter of La Croix-Valmer, a coastline the hotel describes as a run of golden sand beaches, majestic capes and preserved coves on the Mediterranean. The area is protected by the Conservatoire du littoral and spreads across more than 300 hectares of wild maquis, a natural sanctuary which, the hotel says, is home to exceptionally rich flora and fauna.

The double rooms begin with the Chambre Classique: 23 m², with a king bed, a shower room and a view of the countryside or patio. The Chambre Supérieure Balcon ou Terrasse adds space at 25 m², also with a king bed, and looks over the pool or the vegetable garden, with a shower or bathtub. The Chambre Deluxe, at 38 m², brings a seating area and a bathtub; it is on the first floor without a balcony, and its view is partial, across the palm grove and the restaurant roofs.

Couples wanting more room have two suite options. The Suite Junior ranges from 35 to 40 m² on the upper floor, with a double bedroom, a seating area and a palm-grove view, but no balcony. The Suite Junior Duplex Balcon, at 37 m², splits across two levels, with the seating area on a mezzanine, a bathtub and a view of the pool.

Families have their own categories. The Chambre Familiale 3 pers. (29 to 38 m²) pairs a double bedroom with a cosy space for a child, and the Chambre Familiale 4 pers. measures 35 to 42 m²; both look onto the patio or the parking side. The Chambre Familiale Supérieure 4 pers. (50 m²) has two double bedrooms and a dressing room, facing the patio and parking. The Chambre Familiale Supérieure Vue Mer 4 pers. is the one to request for sea views: 45 m², two bright double bedrooms, bathtub and shower. The Chambre Familiale Duplex Balcon (37 m²) combines a double bedroom with a balcony and a mezzanine with bunk beds or two separate beds, and the Suite Familiale, at 69 m², sleeps six with a living room, a double bedroom, a mezzanine, an adjoining bedroom and a private balcony over the palm grove and pool.

Two treehouses and a house complete the choice. The Cabane des Ecureuils is a 15 m² treehouse for two in a centenary oak, with a queen bed, a shower room and a terrace over the vines and countryside. The Cabane des Lapins, 36 m², sleeps four in an oak, with a living room, a double bedroom, a children's bedroom with bunk beds and a large terrace. Le Cabanon is a 70 m² house in the style of a Provençal mas, with a spacious living and dining room, a fully equipped kitchen, two double bedrooms, a dressing room, a bathroom with bathtub and shower, and its own terrace and garden shaded by fig trees.

Dinner is served in one of two restaurants, both set in a centenary palm grove. La Palmeraie is the headline: chef Thomas Pezeril's restaurant holds one Michelin star as of 2026, and the hotel describes his cooking as sincere and contemporary, guided by the seasons and the produce of the region, with each plate showcasing the estate's vegetable garden. The wine list features the estate's own wines, among them a rosé hand-harvested in the surrounding vineyards, and the details of the dining room run from creations by the ceramicist Sylvie Gélis to pairings devised by its staff. Both the vegetable garden and the vines are organic.

La Bastide is the easier-going alternative, a Provençal bistro that generously revisits Mediterranean classics. At midday the action moves to Le Jardin, open for lunch only, set between the vines and the pool beneath acacias and horse chestnut trees and serving light, seasonal cooking.

Breakfast is a buffet on the terrace facing the palm grove, laid with pastries, homemade jams, seasonal fruit, fine charcuterie and aged cheese. For drinks there are two bars: one by the pool, and one indoors with a terrace overlooking the park and palm grove.

The Spa by Clarins occupies 500 m² at the centre of the park. It holds five treatment cabins, a jacuzzi, a heated indoor pool, a sauna, a hammam, a fitness room and a nail bar. The spa is reserved for adults, and its team receives guests every day. Outside the spa, the hotel also has an outdoor pool.

Château de Valmer has a sister hotel 500 metres away, La Pinède Plage, and a stay at the château brings all of its services too. The MICHELIN Guide places La Pinède Plage's beach club half a kilometre from the château. Back in the grounds, there is a petanque court.