La Reserve Ramatuelle France

OFFER 5 NIGHTS, BREAKFAST from £1295 per person

We Love: Extraordinary beauty and luxury, but 'unlike at most hotels' the spa is no mere adjunct; its total integration offers a real opportunity to detox, and so informally that guests are free to wander the gardens in spa gowns.

A mere 10 kilometers from St Tropez and 2 kilometers from the beach, this 1950s building on the private La Réserve estate was recently rebuilt as a hotel-spa. Each guest room has its own large south-facing private terrace or garden and fabulous views of the Mediterranean. Décor is coolly contemporary with an outside-inside twist: the white of the soaking tubs and rain showers in the slick bathrooms is allied to beach colours of soft beige, sand and pink in the living areas. Dining, courtesy of the discreet French and Italian staff, is relaxed (particularly under the terrace's softly-rippling canopies) but features regional greats such as grilled sea bass and local roast lamb raised to an exquisite level, and can be had in concert with the spa to provide a menu attuned to your body's biorhythms. But 'full-service' doesn't do justice to the 10,700 sq ft spa's 13 treatment rooms, indoor pool with jet lane, outdoor pool with pool house, Turkish bath, and customised programs including hydrotherapy and fangotherapy, exclusive energetic treatment, body treatments and relaxation sessions.

Accommodation: 34 Guest Rooms, Suites and Villas