Byblos Beach

Byblos Beach is the Pampelonne outpost of Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez, and it is deliberately smaller than the party clubs on either side: 120 sunbeds in all, wide wooden frames with twin headrests under woven rope parasols, set on fine sand that shelves gently into clear water. The beach opens at 10:30 and closes at 19:00, which tells you what kind of day it is built for. There is no late-night pivot; lunch is the centrepiece, served from 12:30 and running to 17:00 in July and August. What genuinely separates the kitchen from its neighbours is the supply line. A 300 square metre permaculture garden growing around seventy plant varieties feeds the vegetable side of the menu, so a good share of what reaches the table has not travelled. Mocktails get the same attention as the cocktails. Families are properly handled, with a children's menu and wooden beach toys rather than plastic. Arriving by sea is straightforward: the beach team answers on VHF channel 76. Sunbeds are at the top end of Pampelonne pricing and towels are charged separately, so budget accordingly, and treat a reservation as compulsory in high summer given how few beds there are.