Hotel Le Provençal

We had great views, good restaurants and a wonderful hotel in a fantastic spot. We’ll be back.

The restaurant, La Rascasse, was the big letdown. We’d given plenty of notice that it was our wedding anniversary, that my wife is gluten intolerant, and that we prefer to avoid dairy. At dinner, the only starter offered was asparagus and the only main was roasted celery. We thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t. When we said a little dairy would be okay, they offered grilled fish, which made no sense. It was one of our most expensive meals, and we only had wine by the glass and no dessert. We found much better value elsewhere on the peninsula: Le Pradeau Plage was our favorite for its food and atmosphere, though you need to book ahead. We walked there in 25 minutes and took an Uber back so we wouldn’t have to drive. Poison Rouge was good too, and also needs an advance booking. Our room and terrace had outstanding ocean views, and we really liked the care taken to bring the hotel back to a 1950s style. We were glad there was no TV in the room, since it’s a holiday, though the rooms looked smaller than in the photos, probably because of a fish-eye lens. Staff were very friendly, and we used the seawater pool every day, which we highly recommend over chlorinated pools. As gluten free guests, we found enough at breakfast each morning. Watch out for the seagulls: leave food on the table while you go to the buffet and they may swoop in, with broken glasses and plates as a result. There’s construction below; it didn’t bother us much if we didn’t look down, but the hotel could have warned guests. We stayed five nights.

The scenery is amazing, though the place feels dated. Remodeling is underway.

We’ve been coming here for years and returned for the first time after the renovations. The results are superb. They’ve reinvented the hotel while keeping its family history and Provençal heritage, now in its third generation, and the service is top-notch. The setting is breathtaking, with restaurants, bars, lounges and other spaces for quiet moments or a change of atmosphere. A place to enjoy any time of year.