Food & Dining, Top 10, Travel

The White Lotus Effect: Top 10 Best Luxury Hotels in the South of France

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL TO THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH EXPEDIA.CO.UK

It’s official! The White Lotus Season 4 is coming to France! So, if you’re like me and you are both a White Lotus fan and a South of France fan, we are all hoping it will be in the South of France!

The French Riviera is experiencing a full on revival post-pandemic with a slew of luxurious 5 star hotel and restaurant openings; many hotels have had facelifts and new restaurant openings have us salivating… Zuma and La Petite Maison in Cannes are putting it firmly on the map of jet-setters and Luigi’s, Bella and Salama brings a younger, more party vibe to Cannes. Hotels are upping their game to compete with Ibiza, Mykonos and Sardinia, and I have to admit, they are succeeding. Now that we know Season 4 of the White Lotus is taking place in France, I am obviously hoping it will be in the South of France. Here are my 10 Top ultra luxurious hotels in the South of France:

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Photo courtesy of the internet

1. Hotel du Cap Eden Roc:

Best for: the ultimate, once-in-a-lifetime luxurious hotel and to rub shoulders with superstars.

The Grande Dame of all the hotels in the South of France, none can really compare with the Hotel du Cap, Eden Roc. Always a favourite for celebs during the Cannes Film Festival and loved by Americans, this stalwart has never lost its appeal but now has added a lovely new restaurant to keep up with the times: Giovanni’s is a charming Italian under a pergola with a perfect Mediterranean backdrop, exclusively for guests

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Photo courtesy of the internet

2. Chateau de La Messardiere:

Best for: The ultimate luxury family holiday in Saint Tropez

Chateau de La Messardiere has definitely upped its game with its recent multi-million pound renovation making it an impossible-to-book hotel in St Tropez right now. It gets so many things right, it’s hard to find any faults. The lunch buffet is positively extravagant and delicious, the new kids club has its own bastide and private pool, and the hotel’s private beach club, Jardin Tropezina, is one of my favourites (the shuttle service is priceless). And let’s not forget Matsuhisa, the Japanese restaurant, has one of the best views in St Tropez. If you can afford it, it’s so good, you’ll never need to leave. It will soon become your kids’ favourite hotel too, and yours as well.

BOOK CHATEAU DE LA MESSARDIERE HERE

The Maybourne Riviera | Fine Hotels + Resorts | Amex Travel KR

Photo courtesy of the internet

3. The Maybourne Riviera:

Best For: Modern design for architecture aficionados

This hotel’s vertiginous views over Monaco are as stunning as the hotel itself; its clean, sleek, modern lines are for those who love a design hotel, but with top hospitality service to match it (it is part of the same hotel group as the Dorchester and the Berkeley). It is literally build in the rocks over Monaco and is an architectural masterpiece. It has quickly climbed the ranks as one of the top hotels in France.

BOOK THE MAYBOURNE RIVIERA HERE

Photo Courtesy of NHYM. Copyright 2025

4. Lily of the Valley:

Best for: Wellness holiday without starving

This new(ish) hotel designed by Philip Stark is not only aesthetically beautiful on a gorgeous spot along the coast, it also offers a weekly schedule of wellness activities from yoga, to hikes, to bike rides. Not only that, but you don’t need to starve and can eat a real steak for dinner! The bar next to the restaurant is one of the highlights with roaming musicians who will sing whatever song you ask them. Perfect for a couple’s weekend wellness retreat.

BOOK LILY OF THE VALLEY HERE

Photo courtesy of NHYM. 2025

5. Chateau Chevre d’Or:

Best for: Romance

This boutique hotel in Eze remains one of my all time favourites with the best views of the Cote d’Azur. The terrace lunch is divine, so even if you can’t stay, it’s worth the detour. The best place for young and old love. The winding medieval streets of Eze just adds to the romance; a perfect place for an engagement or honeymoon.

BOOK CHATEAU CHEVRE D’OR, EZE HERE

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6. Hotel du Couvent:

Best for: Historical hotel with minimalist interiors

Only just opened in 2024, it has started making Nice cool again. It is a beautiful hotel in an old convent with its own bakery and daily bread, a welcoming terrace to while the nights and days away. The decor is are bare and peaceful, it was a convent after all, but somehow manages to stay warm and inviting. The outdoor terrace in the courtyard is fantastic for a pre-dinner drink, and its private terraced swimming pools feels like Nice’s best kept secret. One to check out if in Nice!

BOOK HOTEL DU COUVENT HERE

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7. Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel:

Best For: Four Seasons Service

This is where the White Lotus Season 4 will likely take place, and I can assure you that the people-watching is better than the show. The management was taken over by the Four Seasons about 10 years ago, to match the sophistication of the hotel guests. Like all Four Seasons, it opened a fab kids club and offers swimming lessons in its pool. Great for families wanting a base in the South of France with all the Four Season trappings. I can’t wait for it to feature in The White Lotus Season 4!

BOOK GRAND HOTEL DU CAP FERRAT HERE

Photo Courtesy of NHYM. Copyright 2025

8. Les Roches Rouges:

For a boutique hotel experience with much more reasonable prices than the above properties, Les Roches Rouges opened a few years ago. It already has a Michelin star restaurant and a very cool pool dug into the rocks. It’s young and trendy against the Grandes Dames hotels above. For the design, cool crowd in media, the arts and tech. This year, they have added brand new rooms designed by ASL Architects.

BOOK HOTEL LES ROCHES ROUGES HERE

Hôtel & Spa Belle Plage ★★★★★, Cannes - VeryChic

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9. Hotel Belle Plage, Cannes:

Best for: A young, trendy vibe in Cannes without breaking the bank.

This new, well designed hotel in Cannes is a winner with its sea views, great spa, a rooftop restaurant by Eyal Shani and rooms designed by Raphael Navot. Bella, the rooftop restaurant, has a delicious Mediterranean menu with fresh fish and meats on the menu. With reasonable prices, it is a great choice for a style conscious crowd in Cannes.

BOOK HOTEL BELLE PLAGE HERE

Photo courtesy of the internet

Regent Hotels & Resorts

InterContinental Carlton Cannes, in Cannes (French Riviera), 5 stars ...

10. The Carlton, A Regent Hotel, Cannes

Best for: The ultimate Cannes Experience

For one of the oldest ‘Grande Dame’ hotels in the South of France, the Carton Cannes still reigns supreme. Just recently given a two year facelift, it still attracts the rich and famous during the Cannes Film Festival and houses all the top supremos during all the conference weeks in Cannes. A word of advice: don’t go in August, but at any other time of year, try it out. It oozes history with Obama and Hitchcock connections and its inner courtyard is a secret garden to give you a break from the busy Croisette.

BOOK THE CARLTON, CANNES HERE

This list was very difficult to compile with plenty of charming, updated hotels and new openings like Le Chateau de Theoule, the Mondrian in Cannes, Le Mas de Candille, Anantara Plaza Nice, and La Reserve de Ramatuelle, but these top 10 are ones that bring something slightly different to the others along the coast and are changing the face of the French Riviera.

What are you waiting for? Go and enjoy before The White Lotus fans take over!

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

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Photos, Top 10, Travel

Top 10: Best Mediterranean-Sea-View Boutique Hotels


Looking for something to do this summer? For a little Pre-Summer Travel-Lust, check out these lesser known Top 10 Best Mediterranean-Sea-View Boutique Hotels.

(All Photos of the Hotels Courtesy of the Internet)

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1. Cap Estel, Cote d’Azur, France. In an absolutely gorgeous setting, this feels more like visiting someone’s private villa, except with Theo Walcott and his WAG lounging next to you. Kids Allowed.

BOOK CAP ESTEL HERE

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2. U Capu Biancu, Bonifacio, Corsica. This lovely Boutique Hotel is in a wonderful location at the tip of Corsica with amazing views and has loads of charm. It is surprisingly kid friendly, with well behaved children swimming in the pool, playing with the house donkeys, and dining next to you without feeling the need to iPad them (lending the kids an iPad to shut them up during an ‘adults dinner.)’

BOOK CAPU BIANCU HERE

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3. Santa Caterina, Amalfi Coast, Italy. With the freshest, most deliciously prepared pasta made at the downstairs restaurant and the cliff-top sea views, Santa Caterina won our hearts ten times over. Close call choosing this one vs. the Sirenuse at Positano, another firm favourite.

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4. Il Pellicano, Porto Ercole, Italy. Just an hour away from Rome exists a legendary Italian hotel, with its swimming pool famously captured by Slim Aarons, Juergen Teller and John Swope. (Il Pellicano was just mentioned in this weekend’s FT How To Spend It). Amazingly delicious 2* star Michelin restaurant makes the stay all the better.

BOOK HERE

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5. Hotel des Pecheurs, Cavallo, Corsica. There is only one hotel on this island so the hotel can afford not to have the grandest for what you pay, but the location, location, location is spectacular. Italy meets France on this island, where the Italians have become French and the French have become Italian, and for once it is a happy marriage.

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6. Gecko Club, Formentera. Another top spot for location. Formentera makes you feel like you are in the Carribean waters and the Gecko is the only Boutique hotel on it. Let’s not forget the easy access to Juan y Andrea restaurant where you will see half of London during the August Bank Holiday and won’t need to fight for a yacht parking space.

BOOK HERE

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7. Bill & Coo, Mykonos, Greece. This one is for the foodies. The restaurant at Bill & Coo has already received endless accolades, so much so, that their Head Chef successfully brought Modern Greek food to Notting Hill’s MAZI, one of NYHM local hangouts. Kids Allowed.

BOOK BILL & COO HERE

mystique-santorini

8. Mystique Oia Santorini, Greece. This one is for your 5th anniversary of ‘Life with Kids.’ Find anyone to look after your children while you pretend to be on your first trip away together and re-enact the scene in Girls when Hannah pretends to meet Adam for the first time in Series 3 (except that everything goes smoothly during your re-enactment).

BOOK HERE

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9. La Casitta, Santa Maria, Sardegna. This private island doesn’t have any hotels, so this isn’t so much a hotel rather than a luxury guest house, but it is in a stunning location for those wanting complete privacy and who can’t stand the glitzy bling of the Costa Smeralda. Let the sun do the shining here.

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10. La Pinede Plage, La Croix Valmer. Literally right on the beach, this charming boutique has everything you can ask for: beach club, breakfast on the beach and close to all the St Tropez glitz and glamour.

xx

NHYM

http://www.nottinghillyummymummy.com

(The below photos of Cap Estel were taken by NHYM, therefore belong to NHYM. Copyright 2014).

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