In much need of some R&R after battling the muddiest Glastonbury on record (as professed by Michael Eavis himself) we headed to the Côte d’Azur for a few days and decided to treat ourselves to a beaut lunch at Le Club 55 in St Tropez. And we weren’t disappointed!

Le Club 55 opened in 1955 in St Tropez and is the original St Tropez beach club.  Opened by Bernard and Genevieve de Colmont (parents of Jean and Patrice who were 10 and 8 at the time) after Brigitte Bardot and her husband Roger Vadim mistook the Colmonts’ fisherman’s house on Pampelonne Beach for a French bistro. As the Colmonts often cooked food for passers by, they cooked for the pair and their entire film crew while they were filming the 1958 film And God Created Woman.  Present day, after the death of Jean de Colmont in 2015, it is now run solely by Patrice.  

We arrived quite early, and set up on our beach loungers for a couple of hours of tanning time pre lunch.  We sat down to lunch at 1.30pm, but the restaurant only seemed to get busier from then on so, if you can, book a table for the second sitting later in the afternoon for the full experience.  

Given the heritage of Le Club 55, the food is not Michelin starred quality, rather it’s simple and fuss free, with a focus on seafood and rosé – exactly what you would expect from a beach shack in the south of France.  

Go here for: the quintessential Côte d’Azure experience; celeb spotting (apparently it’s a favourite of Joan Collins, Victoria Beckham, Bruce Willis, Elton John, Liz Hurley and Naomi Campbell (who celebrates every birthday there)); sun lounging both pre and post lunch; 

Menu highlights: the house rosé; melon and ham; steak tartare; crudites

Top tips: if you are driving rather than arriving by boat, head down there early to avoid the traffic (this also give you optimum tanning time before you head in for a long lunch); if you’re going in peak summer time make sure you book your sun beds when you secure your lunch reservation so not to miss out; the restaurant is pretty causal, so no need to dress up – all the men are in linen shirts and shorts and the women in varying degrees of beach wear; post lunch if you’re in the mood for a bit of a party head down to Nikki Beach which is just along the coast (10 min walk) – if you want to fit in with the beach chic clientele make sure you dress accordingly; like most places in Europe, it can get a bit crazy in peak summer so opt for the shoulder season if you’re not a fan of the crowds; the best airport to fly into is Nice, then hire a car to drive along the coast

#june2016