Hotel Byblos by Matthew Barker

Cote d’Azur comfort-zone of many colours which at first glance appears to be a hillside village overlooking the town, but is in fact all under the one roof. A recent refurbishment has given the interiors a Provencal-Impressionistic feel and there’s a suitably informal air throughout, but service levels are pleasingly high. 52 rooms (45 suites). Member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

Hotel Attractions: Le Byblos restaurant serves up various mod Med treats; Le Relais des Caves has more of an Italian accent and relaxed feel; a new glass-encased lounge bar overlooks the swimming pool and out onto the bay of Saint Tropez. Fitness centre includes a physical therapist, sauna and le jacuzzi.

Local Attractions: Dismissed by many as a has-been hang-out for B-list BB-wannabes, linen-clad Euro-cads and coach loads of snap-happy package-tour bores (and during the high summer months indeed it is), St Trop has plenty of tricks up its off-season sleeve. The narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town; the fish market; the Annonciade Museum that pays homage to artists seduced by the area’s landscape and dazzling light (including Matisse, Bonnard, Dufy and Seurat); the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. Oysters at L’Escale; misto fritto de la mer at Le Girelier, Tarte Tropezienne at the eponymous bakery. There’s also a beach of course.