St Tropez...Not just for the Rich & Famous

With the status as being one of Europe’s most glamorous, sultry and sexy resorts, St Tropez has a lot to live up to. With the beautiful beaches and sensational shopping you won’t want to leave this picturesque setting.

St Tropez...More than just a fake tan?

When you hear the words St Tropez do you think of a fake bake? If so you don’t know what the real St Tropez has to offer. The seaside resort is very popular with visitors, set on the lovely blue water of the Bay of Saint-Tropez; this modern version of a medieval town is most popular for the line of yachts along the harbour. The array of terrace cafés, separated by a flourish of strolling tourists and slow cruising expensive cars is what you would expect to see while in the charming town.

Behind the cafés, the small streets and old buildings are charming, but they're more popular for the multitude of shops and restaurants than historical significance. The streets and arcades of the Old Town Saint Tropez are home to a good selection of shops and are overflowing with impressive fashion boutiques.

Shopping in St Tropez has so much to offer, but most of the price tags appeal to the rich and famous. However if you know when and where to go your likely to pick up a designer bargain or a stylish chic deal. Shops start their sales in early July and offer up to 50% off, shops such as Benetton offered 70% on all stock last year, so it’s worth shopping around for the best deal. The real bargain shopping is the Braderie (end of season sale) at the end of October. The streets are jammed with stalls and some great bargains are to be had.

There are also plenty of shops in the resort catering unashamedly for the passing holidaymaker trade with all sorts of beachwear and souvenirs. There are also many fashion boutiques catering towards the international jet set with big designer names and equally impressive price tags. With English being a wide spread language spoken you shouldn’t have a problem communicating and getting what you want, so look out also for the colourful market that takes over Place des Lices on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, mythologizing the locality in gorgeous colours.

Splashing out:

Many of the beached are located a drive away from St Tropez, however there are still beaches within easy reach, such as the Plage des Graniers, which is in a little cove past the cemetery, a long walk or a short drive away. Further east, out the route des Salins, is the Plage des Cannebiers. Out on the cape east of St Tropez are the beaches Plage de la Moutte and Plage des Salins. The most serious collection of beaches is along the Baie de Pampelonne, south of St Tropez and east of Ramatuelle. You'll need to drive out the D93 road from 3 to 6 km, and then turn off to the left on one of the beach access roads.

Covering a length of about five kilometres, Pampelonne Beach is the best known of St Tropez’s strips of sand. At most times of year, there will be hundreds of tanning bodies lined up along the beach, with others wading out far into the bay, which has a safe, gently sloping floor that is shallow tens of metres from shore. The promenade is lined with beachside bars, cafés and restaurants which stay open very late each night, especially during the summer.

After a day of sightseeing and shopping you will want to relax and enjoy some traditional continental cuisine. Some of the best restaurants in St. Tropez lurk in the lavish hotels. Le Byblos may be the most famous, but l'Olivier in Bastide de St. Tropez is marvellous as well. La Scala, part of l'Hôtel le Baron, has some truly delicious fish and meat dishes to be enjoyed in the intimate indoor dining room or outdoors on the porch.

The core of St Tropez nightlife is on the waterfront, particularly on and around Quai Jean Jaures. Here glitzy bars overflow with people trying to see and be seen as a flurry of pavement tables and chairs spill outside. If you are looking for something a little lower key in town, head for Place des Lices, where the atmospheric old bars are like something out of a movie.

Brigitte Bardot, the movie star made St Tropez massively famous when she highlighted the sheer magnificence that is St Tropez with the array of millionaire yachts, chic cafes, suave restaurants and buzzing clubs entwined in unspoilt countryside. So St Tropez truly has something for everybody ’ And God Created Women’ to enjoy the brilliance that the luxurious village has to offer.

- K.J.N -