Tag Archives: St. Tropez

  • Understated Chic!

    September 8, 2012

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    St. Tropez, France…last day in this French playground! I decide to take a more laid back approach today to the beach in order to cap off my holiday on the Cote d’Azure…

    Instead of one of the swanky beach clubs, I choose Aqua Club. A simpler, less glitzy club along the same yacht filled beach. It’s situated next to yesterday’s Les Palmiers but it’s a world apart!

    I can sit on my lounger and watch people shuttled in from awaiting yachts on one side or I can view the nudist beach to my other side. But this club has no pretension, no class system, and no attitude! It’s a feet in the sand kind of place on the shore…

    Lunch is served simply…tables right on the beach. The list of daily specials sound great and I pick beef carpacio and fresh mussels, one of my favs! Of course, I don’t forget to accompany it with a heaping plate of French fries…I am holding out on my all time favorite, steak tartare for when I am in Paris later this month!
    Besides the laid back vibe, my day here costs half of what it did at the other chicer clubs.

    Its been a marvelous summer getting to spend time on all of Europe’s rivieras…each uniquely it’s own! This winter I’ll be itching for a trip to St Barths…it’s the closet thing we have to this riviera!

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  • Fabulous on a Budget!

    September 8, 2012

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    St. Tropez, France…this destination is beautiful but it can be harmful to your wallet! I have prided myself this trip on creating major wows on a fairly low budget! Usually, I live by a “Don’t worry, live it up…it’s vacation!” mentality when I travel. But when the trip is 4 months long, that policy needs to be re-examined!

    I knew the French Riviera would be my expense challenge! How can I play with the International elite without breaking the bank? Well, a lot of research and planning and I did very well by Cote d’Azure standards…

    The 5 star hotels like Hotel Sezz or Hotel Byblos start at $500 a night and more often hover around $1000 a night! I found a lovely French hotel, Hotel Mouillage, and by booking in advance secured a rate well under $200. I was worried, but it’s a lovely French style hotel…clean, air conditioned, and decorated in a Provencal style…I have an amazing room with large terrace overlooking their great pool and gardens! Plus, its walking distance to town which saves on overpriced taxis! A total Score!

    Now I needed to keep my spending in check…I decided to splurge on the beach clubs and lunch since that is the essence of life in St. Tropez! That splurge cost approx $150 a day between beach chairs and food! Of course, there are public parts of the beach which are free, but I am not a bare bones kind of guy! The hotel owner was so friendly and he matched me up daily with other guests so we could carpool together in a taxi to the beach! A huge savings…

    I stocked up on drinks and snacks at the grocery store and there are a plethora of take out places, gourmet shops, and little bakeries that have delicious delicacies for take out! I would do dinner on my private terrace for $10-15 and really have a lovely and relaxing time. Grazing on authentic cous-cous, rich salads, delicious sandwiches, or amazing French pizza!

    Then it was off to town nightly to enjoy the parade of yachts and the energy of the beautiful harbor!

    I wasn’t luxuriating on a yacht, rubbing elbows with celebrities, power shopping at Hermes, or indulging in bottles of champagne…but I created my own “lifestyles of the rich and famous” week in the home of Brigitte Bardot, St. Tropez!

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  • La Joie de Vivre!

    September 7, 2012

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    St.Tropez, France…another gorgeous summer day in the Cote d’Azure…I return to the beach but decide to try a newer beach club along the three mile Pampelonne Beach that was recommended to me; Club Les Palmiers. Awash in modernist designer white and with a younger vibe compared to yesterday’s Le Club 55.

    This feels like the Nouveau Riche version of yesterday’s more established old moneyed club. A D.J. blares Euro beats and the crowd looks straight out of the gym with their toned bodies! Of course, there are plenty of pretty young model wannabes with their wealthy older suitors. It seems this is the club of choice for the Hotel Byblos as I see guests with their blue striped hotel towels arriving.

    Life in these beach clubs doesn’t come cheap…a chaise, umbrella, and towel costs 46 euro for the day! I prefer these loungers as they are more comfortable than yesterday’s. But I like the feel of this club, sort of South Beach meets French Riviera…a variety of loungers and beds fill the beach and bold sculptures are scattered about. Flashy as only the French can do!

    I reserve a table at the second seating of lunch at 3:30. The prices are just as insane as the rest of St Tropez’s inflated prices! Truly feeling sticker shock! Models do a fashion show and glide around tables in order to show off their over-the-top wares and the crowd gets up dancing away at their tables as the music blares! Girls in their bikinis gyrate on tables on the beach…it’s September and it’s crazy, I can only imagine what August must be like! Its a day in euro trash glory, albeit very wealthy euro trash…

    Economic slowdown? Money woes? Rising unemployment? Not on the radar here! It’s like a fantasy land of excesses! Just let reality go and live like the French do!

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  • What a View!

    September 6, 2012

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    St. Tropez, France…the way to end a perfect day on the beach is with an enchanting stroll in town along the harbor at dusk…the sleek yachts are pulling in, people are relaxing over cocktails, and the sunset is a sight you won’t soon forget!

    There is something about the light here…it’s magical…it’s hypnotic…you can understand why artists would be drawn to such a place! The fiery orange sky lulls you into a certain state of awe…

    I love this time of day…everyone seems so relaxed! A cone of glacé in hand and a view that I can savor…

    It’s nice to spend some chill time in this town known for it’s wealthy excesses and it’s all night parties! Right now it’s just a calm refuge that is totally beguiling!

    Reality of home seems like a distant memory…boy, will it be shocking when this journey ends!

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  • Clubbin’ It!

    September 6, 2012

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    St.Tropez, France…summer has returned to the south of France! The sun is shining and the skies are blue…a perfect beach day!

    So, it’s swanky beach club “Le Club 55” today for a taste of the good life! I get my over-priced lounger and umbrella on the sand and settle in for some fun people watching! I ask to be farther from the water, shocking my beach boy, as this is not as “chic”; but I rather be further back to take it all in! I see Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas cavorting on the beach and figure it’s gonna be a fun day!

    After some sun, I settle into my table at 55 for a serious lunch of who’s who! It’s September, so most of the “Fabulous” have already left for the season…the true celebs come in July before the tourist hordes descend in August!

    It may be Fashion Week back home in NYC but this crowd is doing their own runway right here on Pampelonne Beach! The style here is decidedly French and certainly eccentric and ostentatious…More is better to this crowd! The shoes can’t be high enough, the bling not showy enough, and the tan not dark enough! The must-have accessory is your pooch!

    It’s essential to make reservations at 55, which I did and I am swiftly shown to my Provencal blue and white decked out table! Yachts pull along the water front and Club 55 sends their small dingy boat to bring them ashore for lunch…how fantastic! The menu is a feast of French favorites and the prices are “sticker-shock” stunners!
    A rich goat cheese and tomato salad and Sole Meneuire makes a perfect French lunch for me! Yet, everyone orders the huge Crudités plate to share, but being solo I pass! Is this the best French food you will have, no! All for a small price of 100 euro for one (US $125)…But definitely it’s the most fun afternoon feeling part of the International jet set you can experience!

    Oh la la, life on the French Riviera!

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  • Through Artist’s Eyes!

    September 5, 2012

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    St. Tropez, France…the harbor is lined with artists showing off their craft. It is amazing how we all look at the same thing but see it so differently! I was taken by how each artist interpreted the beauty of this place with such a distinctly different point of view.

    I love creativity and it goes to show there are many ways to look at this world! We each have a different filter…that’s why we each can experience the same place in our own unique way!

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  • Retail Therapy!

    September 5, 2012

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    St.Tropez, France…Mother Nature is not being kind to my visit to the Cote d’Azure! Clouds are stopping the sun from shining and dampening everyone’s spirits! But regardless, the yachts are still lined up in Saint Tropez’s harbor and the beautiful people won’t let summer slip away that easily!

    I did a quick boat tour of St. Tropez, admiring the houses that dot the waterfront. These mega rich digs are vacation homes for the Fayeds, the Hiltons, the Loreal Company, and numerous other billionaires and international elite!

    They love the paparazzi here and star spotting is a major sport! The boat is decked out with shots of celebrities in St. Tropez and they pass around a photo book that documents the who’s who that came to town this summer! Rihana, Zac Efron, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Magic Johnson to name a few!

    Since today isn’t a beach day…the next best thing to do here is to SHOP! It’s like being in Paris, except at the beach…the shops are housed in the most magnificent settings and it’s fun going from designer to designer!

    Oh la la…I am tempted but gotta have some self control! There are some Lanvin high tops calling my name!

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