The Cheval Blanc hotel collection has a new addition this summer following the opening of its fifth maison, Cheval Blanc St-Tropez. Formerly La Résidence de la Pinède, the iconic St. Tropez hotel was acquired by LVMH in 2016 and has since undergone a series of major changes inside and out. Architect and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte has created modern, homely interiors that capture the vivid colours of the Mediterranean in an airy blue and white palette, which flows through 30 gorgeous guestrooms.
Coffee tables, sculptures and drawings by the late ceramic artist Roger Capron celebrate the spirit of the Côte d’Azur, and natural building materials like wood stone reflect the hotel’s glorious beachfront setting in a shady grove of pine trees.
Local architect Francois Vieillecrozehas made minor changes to the picturesque exterior, where La Terrasse bistro serves Mediterranean fare and the hotel’s iconic infinity pool juts out over the sea, but guests can still arrive and depart by boat and spend their days lounging on Bouillabaisse beach: the only hotel beach in St. Tropez.
Cheval Blanc ‘Alchemists’ are on hand to curate bespoke guest itineraries, from racing car tours of the Riviera to more sedate foraging or shopping excursions, and Guerlain treatments are available in four luxurious treatment rooms at Cheval Blanc Spa. Frequent guests of La Résidence de la Pinède will be pleased to know that not everything has changed: chef Arnaud Donckele remains at the helm of La Vague d’Or, the hotel’s three Michelin starred restaurant, where locally sourced Provençal cuisine is almost as breathtaking as the views.