Riviera Revival

At a relaxing French retreat overlooking the Mediterranean, Lucy Halfhead enjoys a truly rejuvenating experience.

There is a perfect irony to starting a wellness holiday by missing your flight. Due to a diverted train and an agonizingly long wait for an Uber at a tiny station somewhere near Grinstead, I finally arrived at Gatwick, only to be told that my plane had already left the tarmac. The next available seat was a six o’clock the following morning, departing from Luton, so you can imagine my mood when I finally landed in Nice later that day. Thankfully, a car was on hand to take me to La Réserve Ramatuelle, one of the leading spa hotels in the French Riviera, and the picturesque drive, past Château Minuty’s vineyards and sailboats bobbing in Saint-Tropez harbour, had an instantly calming effect.

Magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea can be enjoyed from nearly every corner of this elegant hotel, which sits at the top of a drive flanked by ancient parasol-pines, with 27 guestrooms set in pristine gardens and a gorgeous pool surrounded by teardrop-shaped loungers. Light flooded into the interiors through floor-toceiling sliding windows as glamorous French couples drifted around in matching linen outfits; I found myself slowing down and sitting taller just observing them.