La Reserve de Beaulieu, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France

On a coast bristling with upmarket luxury hotels, La Reserve de Beaulieu is one of the most elegant of them all. Though not in the stand-alone class, say, of the stately Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, it is nevertheless an almost flawless example of a refined, small and exclusive luxury hotel in a prime position.

The facilities

La Reserve de Beaulieu has a double Michelin-starred restaurant with peerless views of the Mediterranean; a fine swathe of garden and a large seaside pool, where you get the benefit of warm, unruffled swimming while gazing out to sea. Underneath is a new wood panelled fitness complex, with Turkish bath, jacuzzi and massage facilities. In the grounds of the luxury hotel is a lovely double-bedroomed villa with a private terrace for dinner.

The rooms

There are just 39 rooms - it's an early 90s conversion of a much larger hotel, so the rooms are spacious. Like its sister hotel in St Tropez, the Residence de la Pinede, the keys at this luxury hotel are service and comfort. Service is provided by a well trained staff with a very generous ratio; comfort by a predictable but reassuring use of fine fabrics, soft furnishings, thick carpets, good repro antiques and deep sofas.

Colours are sunny and uplifting but still elegant - cream, pale yellows and pinks. The only element missing from the luxury hotel is state of the art bathrooms. Some could be considered merely functional and only a few have separate showers.