Pierre Vacances Villages Clubs Les Issambres

We wanted peace and quiet with a pool nearby, so the lack of entertainment suited us fine. This no longer feels like a “real” Pierre & Vacances resort, in the sense of a holiday village with activities. Rachel, the owner, rented us a clean, functional apartment in a great spot right beside the pool, which the children loved. The one drawback was the restaurant in the complex, "Les Oliviers." It closed on August 15th, right in the middle of peak season.

Getting to the village center is a real trek from this resort. It takes about 20 minutes on foot, with more than 100 uneven steps and a steep climb, and there’s no shuttle to the village or the beach. The pools are okay, but there’s no lifeguard. With three separate areas and so few amenities for the location, I found it overpriced.

We could bring our dog, which made it easy to explore the sea and lovely scenery with our adventurous companion. Wild boars sometimes wander along the paths and don’t seem bothered by people, though they did react to our dog. The apartments have terraces, often with beautiful views, and breakfast is priceless. The pool is big enough for the number of guests, even in July, and it’s open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. One thing that bothered me was the path lighting. I got the impression it hadn’t been switched back on after a power outage, so we had to use our phones to see where we were going.

The bay of Saint Tropez looked magnificent, and we had wonderful weather. We also managed to swim at beaches along the coast and visit lots of places, which was lucky because the stay itself wasn’t the peaceful 15 days I’d expected. Music played at full volume in the neighborhood, and there was no entertainment for the little ones. The pool was a welcome option, though it had to close because of some young people from neighboring properties behaving badly. The apartment was too cramped for four: there was a bunk bed in the hallway and a sofa bed used as a double. With no air conditioning, the nights were stifling, and the bedding really needed to be cleaner. I’d have preferred a washing machine to the dishwasher. I wouldn’t recommend this residence to a friend.