Short Stay | A Seaside Break from Nice (or Marseille or Paris)
Hi all and welcome to the next edition of Short Stay, our new-ish getaway vertical on Shortlisted.
Short Stay features one-off, highly-recommended properties that I love + think you would love too. Less formal review, these are formatted in the way I would describe a property to a (very) inquisitive friend who cares about f&b, a comfortable bed, excellent service, a good massage and so on. Basically these are properties that are So. Good. you won’t want to leave (for at least a night or two).
Our previous Short Stay was an onsen weekend away from Kyoto or Tokyo. This time, we’re heading on a warm weather getaway in the south of France for a stay that is home to one of my favorite pools in the world. It is a particularly excellent weekend trip from Nice (Nice, Shortlisted here) or the Luberon (Luberon, Shortlisted here) though I would and have taken the train from Marseille or Paris for a few nights here in a heartbeat as well.
Finally, should you need summer holiday packing inspiration, find my warm weather travel edit here.
Thank you so much and I’ll see you later this month for our next city list (hint hint)!
Rebekah
[Les Roches Rouges | Saint-Raphaël | France]
In Short | An ideal weekend trip from Nice, Les Roches Rouges is a stay I dream about regularly and return to again and again. It’s the ideal spot to book when all you want to do is wake up by the sea, dip in and out of one of the two dreamy pools and/or the sea, drink a cold glass of rosé, read a good book, maybe take a nap…on repeat for a few perfect days.
Rooms | Perhaps my second favorite thing about LRR (first is the natural saltwater pool carved out of the rocks — see above!) is that the rooms are (nearly) all sea-facing meaning you wake up, slide open the curtains and / or doors and gain immediate and stunning sea views + sea air. The property opened in a renovated 1950s building in 2017 (design is modernist and inspired by Villa E-1027 by Eileen Gray + Le Corbusier’s Cabanon). Last season, they opened an expansion of the property: 25 new rooms designed by Atelier Saint-Lazare in a neighboring building which also includes a fully equipped fitness area + a big terrace for yoga/pilates/stretching. All rooms include either a balcony or terrace and the color palette takes inspiration from the surrounding landscape: blues, ochres, bright white with pops of sunny yellow.
On my most recent trip, I stayed in a Deluxe Room Sea View room in the new building and from the (v. comfortable king bed with all white bedding) to the floor-to-ceiling windows and wrap around terrace to the Grown Alchemist bathroom amenities, it was, as always here, a stunning stay. They have a straw basket in the room that you can use during your stay (though I still love using one of mine). This month the hotel is unveiling a new Riviera Suite, which looks like an absolute dream if you’re looking for more of an apartment vibe with two bedrooms (+ two bathrooms) and a private terrace avec pool
Wellness | The spa has three treatment rooms (+ one relaxation room for you to enjoy post-treatment) and they worked with Oh My Cream to curate a selection of bespoke options. I highly recommend the bespoke facial created by French facialist Aurélia Del Sol or the insanely relaxing soin jardin d’herbes that incorporates local herbs into the full body (including face!) massage. You can also sign up for yoga / pilates / meditation classes (or a private fitness class if that’s your thing). I took a wonderful group yoga class one morning on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean garden + sea and it was an easeful entry into a day of doing not much else. That said, should *you* want to do something else, say, take a mountain bike or kayak or paddleboard out for a bit, you can get them directly from the hotel. The fitness room has Technogym equipment though, should you want to go on a long walk/hike, the Chemin des Douaniers coastal path and the trails of Le Massif de l'Estérel are nearby. There’s also a pétanque court on property which I highly recommend trying with a glass of pastis in hand (for authenticity!)
F&B | Breakfast is buffet style and included in your stay. One friend who also goes back to the property regularly waxes poetic about their morning fruit/berry selection. You order a coffee with the team and sit on the large stone terrace and look out over the sea and sometimes on very windy days you’ll be doused with a light (sometimes not light) spray of salt water hitting the terrace. IMO lunch should be taken horizontally at your lounge chair by the pool or at nearby La Chicoula (the bar by the pool). I especially like the salade niçoise paired with a glass/bottle of rosé (the wine list does have some natural / organic bottles on it if you look carefully). If you’re into pastis or want to get into pastis, order the Henri Bardouin pastis for an apéritif. Restaurant-wise, in addition to La Chicoula, there is Estelo for casual lunch + dinner though if I’m being very honest with you, I rarely eat dinners “out” when staying at Les Roches Rouges.
Here’s why: the point of a stay here for me is to rest and rest for me means spending the day reading a book seaside then heading back to my room to eat a snack dinner in bed or on the balcony of my room and an early bedtime. So with that in mind, I show up with a suitcase equipped with a few key things in: good cheese, good charcuterie, good crackers, a few bags or a bucket of chips, something pickled and a couple bottles of natural wine. This, to me, is the entire point of this particular stay and it’s also why I usually sandwich it between busier days on a longer trip (if you’re doing the same and coming from Nice, I suggest stocking up on cheese at Fromagerie Métin and wine from La Part des Anges. From Marseille, go wild at Épicerie L’ideal). I also pack a little picnic knife and a small cutting board and ask for plates and napkins when I call down to reception for the ice bucket. Finally, I travel with a tin of flaky salt in my suitcase (I love these from Jacobsen) and, if I remember, there’s a bottle of hot sauce in there too. That said, if you do decide to enjoy one of the restaurants led by Chef Alexandre Baule, they lean heavily local + Provençal flavors (my recommendation is to get whatever local fish is on the menu / anything with aïoli!)
Extras | If you need a market to stock up at: Saint-Raphaël market is every Monday morning + Fréjus plage is every Sunday morning and the old town Fréjus marché is on Wednesdays and Saturdays (+ they have night markets in July + August). If you’re looking for a sand beach, go to Plage de Camp Long. There’s also Tortù Plage but more people know about it aka it’s going to be busier. If you’re looking for a vibe, the hotel offers live music on select nights from May - September
Logistics | The property is right on the Mediterranean coast in Saint-Raphaël between Saint-Tropez and Cannes, about an hour drive or train ride from Nice (the drive is STUNNING). From Marseille by train it’s a little under 2 hours; from Paris it’s 4.5 to 5.5 hours. If you have a car, they have parking on site for a daily fee | Book a stay here
