Summer in St Tropez

St Tropez
St Tropez is a sleepy fishing village in winter with a glut of expensive shops that decamp in winter to the ski resorts such as Courchevelle.
The population of St Tropez is a few thousands but this trebles in summer when the holiday homes are opened up and during the season it is inundated by people visiting for the day from the many camp sites in the area.
The summer brings the super yachts which back into the marina so that the owners/guests can dine, on the back deck, in full view of the passers bye.
There are lots of restaurants and bars along the front and it is an ideal place to people watch, and there is plenty to look at. I would suggest you wear sunglasses so that your spouse does not get upset.
Behind the front there are lots of little side streets full of shops and restaurants and at the very back is the Place des Lices, which has a market Tuesday and Saturday morning and for the rest of the time is beautifully shaded place to watch the locals play boules.
The life during the day is some kilometers behind St Tropez at the Pampellone beach. This beach, which goes on for miles, is the home of dozens of beach clubs with access to the beach. The most famous are Club 55 and Niki Beach and the most notorious Voile Rouge which has a reputation for its Russian blondes who seem to accompany much older men.
The character of St Tropez changes at night when many of the people who were on Pampellone or in their private villas during the day go clubbing.
The scene does not start until about 11 p.m. ( past my bedtime!) but I am told by my daughter that everything kicks off around then and does not finish until morning.
The most famous club is The Bybylos, which is near impossible to get into, however there are many more that are more accessible if you are prepared to get badly fleeced.
St Tropez was a small, inaccessible-by-road fishing village in the 1880s and today it remains inaccessible by road because of the sheer volume of traffic on the route from La Foux. Once you get into town, head for the Vieux Port where the tourist office on quai Jean-Jaurès (04 94 97 45 21) is situated. They may be able to help if you need to reserve a room, but it is much more sensible to book months ahead of your visit as rooms are scarce between April and September. The most intimate four-star hotel in town is La Ponche on place du Révelin (04 94 97 30 04) where hosts of celebs will have stayed in your €150+ room before you. Then there is Le Baron at 23 rue d l'Alioli (04 94 97 06 57) with rooms overlooking the citadel for €70-85. Relatively good value accommodation can be found at Lou Troupelen (04 94 97 44 88) on Chemin des Vendanges, a few minutes' walk from the centre.
The verb frimer, meaning "to parade about wearing the latest fashions in overpriced, ostentatious resorts", was coined with St Tropez in mind. Around the Vieux Port people 'frime' between the cafés and their huge yachts, and one of the most worthwhile pastimes in St Trop (as connoisseurs call it, pronounced 'San Trope') is watching them. If you tire of the town, head up to the citadel and walk around the ramparts, taking in the view of the town, which is much nicer from afar than up close.
You can eat a decent meal on places des Lices and rue Georges-Clemenceau, and if you want to haunt the Café des Arts or Bistrot des Lices you can easily part with €40 over dinner.
My tip is to park in St Maxime and get the Bateau Vert ( water taxi) over to the centre of St Tropez. A great service that goes every 30 minutes until late.
Mr. L July 2009