Les Roches Rouges, NHYM 2026. All photos copyright of NHYM.

Les Roches Rouges, a 5 Star Hotel in the French Riviera *****

90 Bd de la 36ème division du Texas,
83700 Saint-Raphaël, France

Tel : +33 (0)4 89 81 40 78

When I was approached by Les Roches Rouges for a ‘collab,’ as Amanda from AmandaLand would say, I said ‘yes’ before they could finish the word ‘collaboration.’ This 5 star hotel in the French Riviera has been one of my favourite hotels in the South of France and I had already placed it into my Top 10 Best Hotels in the South of France, so I couldn’t think of a better hotel to work with.

Seaviews. NHYM 2026

About an hour’s drive from Nice Airport, Les Roches Rouges is a five star seafront hotel by the Beaumier French hospitality group. It used to be another hotel called Sole Mar built in the 50s, but was taken over and renovated into a trendy, retro 50/60s chic hotel. The vibe here is ‘luxe chic et decontractee,’ which means chic and laid back luxury, so for those looking for the bling of Cannes or party life in St Tropez, this isn’t it. Here, it is about disconnecting (no TVs in the rooms! Gasp!), pared back decor, neutral colours (think white rooms, with splashes of blue), and a stunning salt-water rock pool that really blends into the Mediterranean sea in the backgroud.

New building added in 2025

Location, Location, Location

What makes this hotel special is really its location: it is half-way between Nice and St.Tropez in St Raphael (which most people have never heard of) in Le Massif de L’esterel. Here, there are red volcanic stone, which gave the hotel its name. And all around the hotel are jutting sea rock formations, which take you back to a neolithic age and create sea pools around it, bringing you closer to nature. There isn’t that much around St Raphael in terms of shopping/partying/eating, but that’s really the point. Those who come here want a relaxing escape, away from the crowds of Cannes, Nice and St. Trop.

L’Ile D’Or. NHYM 2026

On the left side of the hotels lies L’Ile D’or, which inspired Tintin’s Black Island. It’s definitely worth a kayak or paddle to it.

ROOMS

Room view. NHYM 2026

One of my favourite sounds in the world is of waves crashing against rocks in the morning to wake me up (and no, meditation crashing waves apps don’t count). Here, most of the rooms are sea – facing and only a few meters away from the sea, therefore the sounds of the waves lullaby you to sleep and wake you up in the morning. Those sounds instantly take you away from the over-stimulated lives we all live in at the moment.

Deluxe Seaview Room. NHYM 2026

I stayed in a Deluxe room, which had perfect seaviews and was a good size, with a small shower and two sinks (an absolute must in 5 star hotels). You could argue that the rooms are on the bare side, but I think it’s to highlight the views rather than the decor. There was an entire new building added to the hotel last year (2025), which added 25 rooms, and this year a 2 bedroom suite took over the Michelin star restaurant.

DECOR

The hotel clearly prides itself on using just white and natural materials. The outside of the hotel is painted white, as are all the rooms, and all the materials used are natural: stone, bamboo, wood, earthenware, rattan and cotton cloth. The library is the perfect example of this interior design aesthetics and I think the idea is that it allows you to focus on the scenery.

The small library. NHYM 2026

Visually, the hotel is beautiful because of its location and everywhere you look is aesthetically pleasing. I understand why all Instagrammers want to photograph it: it lends itself to gorgeous photographs. I can’t help but take 100 photos of exactly the same thing, I want these to stay in my memory for as long as possible, and imprint into my brain deeply.

THE POOL

The pool deserves a special section all to itself: it is built into the rocks and feels like an extension of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s Instagram beautiful and has IG influencers all clamouring to take its picture (FashionBugBlog is a fan!) and it reminds me of Slim Arons photographs, which happen to be some of my favourite photographs of all time. This is my kind of ‘Wild Swimming:’ with algae, crabs, shells, seashells all co-habitating as you swim, hiding in the crevices of the rocks. For those looking for a pristine pool, go to Eden Roc. Here, you will find one of the most unique pools on the Cote D’azur and the rocks surrounding it makes it all the more unique and take center stage.

The pool blending in with the Mediterranean. NHYM 2026

View from my sunbed. NHYM 2026

FOOD

The main restaurant is L’Estelo where breakfast is served as well as dinner. The breakfast is good and has everything you expect from a good buffet: pastries, fresh fruit juice, eggs on order, fruits and sides and freshly pressed apple juice. My poached eggs were perfectly made.

Breakfast with a view at L’Estelo. NHYM 2026

Breakfast Spread. NHYM 2026

For lunch, La Chicoula serves all your typical hotel mains: ceviche, caesar salad, burgers and truffle pizza. You can’t ask for much more. The lunch restaurant is set back in the beautiful gardens but of course you can have it by the pool, which I opted for.

Table at La Chicoula. NHYM 2026

Dinner is at L’Estelo, which is where breakfast is served, and serves Provencal food, like seabass with bouillabaisse sauce, which was very good. For dessert I had the deconstructed peach melba was also light, fresh and very good.

CROWD

The crowd is very much couples and some friends vacationing together. It was September when I came, so kids were back in school and all the younger and older couples were here for less crowds, lower prices and temperatures. They are a mixture of fashionable French, Europeans (Brits, Scandis and lots of Dutch) and Americans. An American media acquaintance who lives in Brooklyn loves to come here and calls it a ‘hidden gem’ but if Brooklyn knows about it, I’m not sure it can be called hidden anymore. It is a gem though, and appeals to a design-led, trendy crowd. It is the anti-thesis of Cannes in the height of summer, where ‘the blinger the better’ is the mot-cle.

Incredible rock formations, justting out into the sea. NHYM 2026

The rock formations around the hotel really are the stars of the show for me – the water spraying and splashing against them is endlessly captivating. You could mistake them for rocks in Sardinia or the Seychelles, but here they are, just a stone’s throw away (pun intended) from the hustle and bustle of the Cote D’Azur.

Bienvenue aux Roches Rouges! NHYM 2026

SERVICE:

Before I even arrived, I received a Whatsapp message from the hotel, which these days is really an added plus: it gives you instant connection to the hotel without waiting around. Gone are the days when you have to wait hours to check – in or at the front desk for a simple request. The WhatsApp communication for me is a big plus and goes a long way. There is also a QR code at the pool to order lunch, which works better than having to flag down an overworked waiter or waitress.

The staff is young, laid back and eager to please. The front desk particularly was very efficient and friendly. The pool and restaurant service is more along the lines of the ‘decontractee’ style; there are no GMs in suits wandering around like some stuffier 5 star hotels, so you won’t find that here, but this is part of the charm. This is a younger, hipper staff who works on the Cote d’Azur in the summers and Courchevel in the winters.

Les Roches Rouges Jetty. NHYM 2026

ACTIVITIES:

Activities here follow the hotel’s goal: focus on the present and your wellbeing. It’s yoga and meditation classes in the morning, hiking, a fitness studio, spa (it has 3 massage rooms), kayaks and paddle boards, swimming, boating and most importantly, lounging by the pool and reading, which is how I spent my days. If you are looking to do more, there are also local activities around but I stayed at the hotel the whole time and it felt as if the longer you are there, the slower life goes by, each minute slower than the last.

Gorgeous sunsets. NHYM 2026.

OVERALL:

Les Roches Rouges is an ode to a time gone by: it is the opposite of material excess along some parts of the Cote D’Azur and aims to return to times of simplicity. It embraces a ‘less is more’ approach in its design aesthetics but still manages to have character and originality (unlike many sterile resorts I am not a huge fan of). It is perfect for those looking for time closer to nature, where the sounds of lapping waves are more appealing than EDM music, where excess luxury is toned down, grounded, and ‘down to earth’ themes apply everywhere.

So, for those looking for a break from city-life and information overload, Les Roches Rouges is the perfect fix.

Thank you so much Les Roches Rouges for having me!

Les Roches Rouges | 5-Star Beachfront Hotel in Saint-Raphaël

xx

NHYM

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