Inspiring Travel is seeing increasing demand for multi-centre holidays combining wellness, beach clubs and fine dining with the charms of the French Riviera
The south of France is selling well for Inspiring Travel, with multi-centre becoming a more common request. Product manager Gabrielle Rowntree says that St Tropez, Cannes and Monaco remain the most popular, and she also recommends Nice for shorter stays. “Nice has had a couple of new hotel openings – such as Hotel du Couvent, part of The Luxury Collection – and the old town is charming with local markets. It is a great option for a short stay, especially as it’s not far from the airport.”
When clients want more than one location, she suggests combining Saint Jean Cap Ferrat with Cannes and/or St Tropez. “Clients want to expand their trips to include a few different destinations, and this works really well for the south of France. The average length of stay in one hotel is three nights, then hopping on to another location or two to make it a seven- to 10-night stay.”
For an authentic slice of the French Riviera lifestyle, Rowntree’s hot tip is a picturesque village just 10 minutes from St Tropez. “I visited Ramatuelle recently, and it is charming with cobbled streets, restaurants and local shops,” she says. “We had lunch at Cafe de L’Ormeau, a small, typically French brasserie with a lovely terrace from where you can watch the world go by.”
Nearby, Inspiring Travel offers La Reserve Ramatuelle, an exclusive haven with a collection of private pool villas and a large spa. Helicopter transfers can be booked from Nice, and guests have priority access to Le Reserve a la plage beach club on Pampelonne.
A recent addition to Inspiring Travel’s south of France portfolio is Hotel Lily of the Valley, near St Tropez. Rowntree says: “This hotel has superb health and wellness programmes, but even if that’s not for your clients, it’s still a fabulous spot to end a French Riviera tour. The hotel has its own beach area, with two restaurants, so you can spend the whole day down there.”
In terms of a convenient location, she says it’s hard to beat Royal Riviera. Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is a 20-minute walk along a coastal path and it’s also a 20-minute drive to Monaco, 20 minutes to Nice and 50 minutes to Cannes. “This hotel feels very grand and beautifully decorated, and it’s in a great spot for exploring the region.”
Book it: Inspiring Travel offers three nights at Royal Riviera from £925pp, based on two sharing, with flights departing Gatwick in October; inspiringtravel.co.uk