Les Trefles

Perched above the Gulf of Saint Tropez, Les Trefles is ideally placed for exploring all of the delights the Côte D’Azur has to offer including glorious beaches, pretty fishing villages and glamourous towns. 

Port Grimaud is just a ten-minute drive from the villa and is a lovely town to explore. Featuring pastel-coloured houses built on a network of canals with yachts moored outside the front doors, it’s a picture-perfect town often referred to as the Provençal Venice. Flower-filled squares add to the colourful scenery and a few cafes line the streets, which are linked by foot bridges.

Plage de Grimaud is the nearest beach to the villa and its golden sand and azure water make it a fantastic place to spend time. Various watersports are also available to try here including diving, jet skiing and sailing.

Saint Tropez can be reached by car in just 15 minutes or, alternatively, by ferry from Port Grimaud for a more scenic route to the famous town. Arriving by boat also gives you the chance to properly admire some of the impressive yachts coming in and out of the marina. Known for its fashionable crowd, high-end boutiques and expensive restaurants, Saint Tropez also boasts a charming old town as well as a stunning beach. Just outside the town itself, Plage de Pampelonne is a popular sandy beach where you can also go paddle boarding. There are a number of summer beach clubs here including the exclusive Club 55 where you can sip cocktails and unwind. Also on the outskirts of the town is the Golf Club Saint Tropez, an exceptional golf course with luxury facilities sure to delight keen golfers.

The laid-back town of Sainte-Maxime is also worth a visit. A former fishing village, it has retained much of its character and is less flashy than some of its neighbours along the coast. Explore its winding cobblestone streets, traditional cafes and bustling street market. There’s a sandy-pebbly beach in the town centre and a little further out you’ll find the bigger Plage de la Croisette complete with sun-loungers, umbrellas and good facilities. One of the nicest beaches in the area is Plage de la Nartelle. North of Sainte-Maxime, the water sports on offer here, as well as the crystal-clear sea, soft sand and family-friendly facilities, make it popular with tourists and locals alike. 

Away from the coast you will find that the area also has much to offer walkers and biking enthusiasts. The trails and hiking paths of the Massif des Maures lead to some incredible views and charming hilltop villages including La Garde-Freinet, a quintessentially Provençal village and Collobrières, where you can sample some delicious sweet chestnuts. 

The medieval village of Grimaud contains a picturesque mix of old and new buildings as well as castle ruins and is just a 15-minute drive from the villa. Ramatuelle is another ancient village in the area, as is Gassin which offers wonderful coastal views from its rocky summit.

Read more about Saint Tropez

Once a traditional fishing village, Saint-Tropez is now one of the most glamourous destinations of the Côte d’Azur and welcomes visitors from across the world.

However, there’s more to Saint-Tropez bay than exclusive beach clubs, glitzy boutiques and fine dining restaurants. From the family-friendly beaches of Sainte-Maxime to the vineyards of La Croix Valmer, Oliver’s Travels guests can truly admire this enchanting corner of the French Riviera whilst staying in one of our handpicked villas in and around Saint-Tropez.

Soak up the luxurious yet laidback vibe of Saint-Tropez as you wander around its marina lined with huge yachts contrasting colourful fishermen’s houses overlooking the bay. The old quarter is a warren of winding lanes with French designer boutiques, picturesque cafes and restaurants whilst Place des Lices hosts a vibrant Provençal market on a Tuesday and Saturday morning. Enjoy the most glorious vistas from Saint-Tropez’s 17th century citadel and maritime museum. Boat trips are another superb way to tour this part of the coast and passenger ferries cross the bay.

Just south of the town, follow Brigitte Bardot’s footsteps as you visit one of Plage de Pampelonne’s exclusive beach clubs, the most famous being Le Club 55 (always book well in advance). Stretching over 5km, Pampelonne’s long sandy beach is also loved for its vast range of summer watersports including jet-skiing, windsurfing and paddleboarding.

The picture-perfect villages of Saint-Tropez bay are beautifully located to make the most of the French Riviera scenery. On the hillside overlooking Plage de Pampelonne, Ramatuelle has attracted artists and writers over the years and is full of charm – look out for performances during its theatre and jazz festivals in the summer months. Meanwhile, hilltop Gassin is classified as one of France’s 'Plus Beaux Villages’ whilst flower-filled Grimaud is such a pretty medieval village with yet more stunning views of the coast.

Driving into the Maures hills, discover the characterful villages of La Garde-Freinet and Le Plan-de-la-Tour surrounded by oak and chestnut forests, a paradise for hikers, mountain bikers, horse-riding enthusiasts and other outdoor adventurists.

Back to the coast, take a boat tour of Port Grimaud, known as the ‘little Venice of the Côte d’Azur’, and experience its atmospheric Monday evening summer market. Across the other side of the bay, Sainte-Maxime is a lovely sheltered seaside town with pretty cafes, a daily market and gorgeous beaches. Families adore this area – there are tree-top adventures, tennis, mini-golf, a water park and coastal paths for biking and hiking.

Golf-lovers can appreciate a choice of courses – Golf Blue Green as well as the prestigious Beauvallon Golf Club and Golf Club Saint-Tropez. Wine connoisseurs should head to the wine châteaux of Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne as well as the vineyards of La Croix Valmer.

Not forgetting the idyllic shores of soft sand and crystal-clear sea of La Croix Valmer’s coastline from Plage de Sylvabelle to Plage de Gigaro, also home to a wonderful coastal walking trail with the most incredible flora and fauna alongside sensational views of the Mediterranean as you hike towards Cap Lardier and beyond.