Lily of the Valley

Why book?

To really, really look after yourself, within a space Babylonian in design and futuristic in practice, where calorie control feels suspiciously good and exercise means sunsoaked treks along ridiculously sceney coastlines overlooking sparkling Riviera seas.

Set the scene

Despite the name, the hotel lies not in a valley but on a sunbathed hilltop – although you’d not necessarily know it. Illustrious French architect Phillipe Starck designed the mineral buildings just so as to blend entirely into the landscapes; when viewed from sea level, the hotel vanishes from sight entirely. A loafer-clad, blazer-wearing crowd leaves the Lambo in the driveway and enters a utopia spilling over with tumbling greenery, bright blue pools and richly-textured bohemian interiors for pick-me-ups of the highest order. Most come for one of the four signature health plans, drawn in by the promise of good food, daily movement programmes, and swish treatments, emerging a week later a better, glowier version of themselves.

The backstory

The one-time small hotel with a privileged location quickly became destined for bigger things when media tycoon Alain Weill discovered it on a family trip in 2016. He scooped it up, along with the land and half the nearby beach, before bringing in Philippe Starck (“the only architect I considered”) to rustle up the resultant neoclassical-meets-rustic-modernist vision it is now (the designer claims the idea came to him in a dream). It opened in 2019 and has remained entirely independent since, adding an equally divine beach club a short shuttle ride away in 2021.

The rooms

Rustic luxury. Wicker, rattan, raffia and marble make comfortable bedfellows, and all rooms have terraces with huge daybeds for languorous post-pilates reading sessions in the sun. There are plenty of luxe touches such as bespoke light switches, massive beds and pouches of hand-blended tea, plus an iPad for booking additional treatments and training sessions. Families will like the pool suites, which have the same rich tonal sensibilities and lush interiors but more space to roam unfettered. There are no dud rooms by any stretch, but for the most lascivious stay, the new villas for 2025 are somehow even lovelier – for a POA, of course.

The food and drink

Rustic restaurant Vista serves up aesthetic sea views and a menu by Alain Ducasse alumnus Vincent Maillard, developed with nutritionist Jacques Fricker to help guests achieve any weight goals without depriving themselves of the pleasure of food. It is an emphatic success. Suspiciously flavourful dishes arrive from the open kitchen, all which would’ve drawn raised eyebrows, if not for my full trust in the process. At Lily of the Valley, lobster salad with edible flowers, soft pink veal, and caviar-topped scrambled eggs are diet dishes. The belt loosens a little more at terrace restaurant Brigantine, which has a concise, elegant menu of Provençal classics that are a little more lavish – daily-changing pastas, whole lobster, zesty ceviche, roast sea bass, and vibrant plates of antipasti.

The spa

Next level and techy without a clinical medspa feel. There’s a machine for every ill (you must try the cryotherapy), two saunas, steam room and snow shower with a pail of essential oil-scented milk for drizzling lavishly upon your person. Treatments are Côte d'Azur lasciviousness with views over idyllic gardens – massages are two hour affairs with ankle weights, lavender-scented eye masks and thick heated duvets, in which iced metal globes are spun across skin, poultices applied to aching joints, and limbs painstakingly stretched and pulled back to life. To describe it as a backrub would be a crime.

The area

The hotel is perched on Cap Lardier, known as the green lung of La Croix Valmer, cosseting the hotel in verdant greenery with panoramic views over the sea below. Saint-Tropez, popularised by Bridgitte Bardot in the 1950s and beloved by the jet set ever since, is just 15 minutes away, with its well-heeled crowd, designer shops and mega yachts. The nearby town of La Croix Valmer is a slower-paced affair, with seven unspoilt golden beaches and a scattering of fruit and vegetable shops. A free shuttle will whisk you from LOTV to Gigaro beach, where you’ll find the hotel’s own superstar beach club.

The service

Pre-emptive but not intrusive, with bags of French charm. In the spa, my therapist remembered a couple of my preferences and idiosyncrasies from one treatment to the next. The trainers couldn’t have been more supportive, offering private sessions on key areas of concern where it was clear I needed it. At every turn I felt genuinely cared for, to a touching degree.

For families

Dedicated facilities for children are lacking, but kids are welcome in the main outdoor pool, and nearby Gigaro beach is a great spot for tots to play with its beach club and family-friendly sailing club.

Eco effort

Good. Toiletries are refillable, plastic water bottles are gone, paper, cardboard and glass are recycled and organic waste is composted in-house. Disposable spa flip-flops have been swapped for washable sandals and paper usage is being phased out as the hotel becomes more digitised. The hotel also runs training on recycling and repurposing, with the aim of achieving zero waste in the future. Linens are washed with chemical-free detergents and the hotel is cleaned with dry steam to limit use of potentially hazardous cleaning products. Staff use electric vehicles as shuttles. Lily of the Valley has also been awarded the French “Esprit Parc National” label, which is given to establishments in France that respect the national parks in which they are located.

Accessibility

The main restaurant, several bedrooms and one treatment room in the spa are accessible for guests with additional needs.

Anything left to mention?

Unusually for the seasonal Côte d'Azur, this hotel is open year-round, allowing for on demand body tuneups whenever the mood strikes, swapping poolside lounging in summer for cosy fireside chats in restaurant Vista in chillier climes.