Page 276 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

Dimitri Droisneau, this double Michelin-starred
Marseille 1 restaurant has become one of the destination
addresses on the Riviera, renowned for its
5 Les Buffets du creative seafood and refined sea-view setting.
Vieux Port French € Top-drawer ingredients like Aubrac beef, sea
(%04 13 20 11 32; www.clubhousevieuxport. urchins, turbot and blue lobster form the core
com; 158 quai du Port; adult/child menu €23/13; of the menu. There’s a cheaper bistro on the
hnoon-2.30pm & 7.30-10.30pm; c; mVieux 1st floor that’s only open for lunch on weekdays
Port) What a great idea – a high-class, on-trend (menus €37 to €45).
self-service canteen, with a vast array of starters,
mains, salads and desserts laid out like a banquet
for diners to help themselves to. Premium cold Hyères 4
cuts, fresh seafood, bouillabaisse, mussels, fish 5 Joy Provencal €€
soup – it’s all here and more. Portside tables go
fast, but there’s plenty of room inside. (%04 94 20 84 98; www.restaurant-joy.com;
24 rue de Limans; lunch/dinner menus from
4 Hôtel Edmond €22.50/45; hnoon-1.30pm & 7-9.30pm
Rostand Design Hotel €€ Tue-Sat, noon-1.30pm Sun) In the old town, this
(%04 91 37 74 95; www.hoteledmondrostand. intimate bistro is indeed a culinary joy. Fresh,
com; 31 rue Dragon; d €99, tr €114; aiW; seasonal menus change constantly and could
mEstrangin-Préfecture) Ignore the grubby include anything from seafood-stuffed ravioli to
outside shutters of this excellent-value Logis cinnamon-spiced foie gras.
de France hotel in the Quartier des Antiquaires. 4 Hôtel Bor Boutique Hotel €€€
Inside, decor is a hip mix of contemporary
design and vintage, with a great sofa area (%04 94 58 02 73; www.hotel-bor.com; 3 allée
PROVENCE & SOUTHEAST FRANCE 24 VAR DELIGHTS
for lounging and 16 rooms dressed in crisp Émile Gérard, Hyères Beach; d from €150; hMar-
white and soothing natural hues. Some rooms Oct; aiWs) Right beside the main beach,
overlook a tiny private garden, others the this Scandi-tinged hotel is a stylish place to
Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde. stay, with its cedar-clad exterior, sun-loungers,
potted plants and seafront deck. Rooms are
4 Mama Shelter Design Hotel €€ modern and minimal with gloss-wood floors,
(%01 43 48 48 48; www.mamashelter.com; 64 rue monochrome photos and steel-grey walls.
de la Loubière; d €79-129; aW; mNotre Dame
du Mont-Cours Julien) This funky mini-chain of
design-forward hotels recently opened its outpost St-Tropez 7
in Marseille, and if you’re a cool kid in search of Cafe €
sexy sleeps, this is the address for you. It’s all 5 La Tarte Tropézienne
about the details here – Philippe Starck furniture, (%04 94 97 04 69; www.latartetropezienne.
sleek white-and-chrome colour schemes, in-room fr; place des Lices; mains €13-15, cakes €3-5;
iMacs. Smaller rooms are oddly shaped, though, h6.30am-7.30pm & noon-3pm) This newly
and it’s a walk from the old port. renovated cafe-bakery is the creator of the
eponymous sugar-crusted, orange-perfumed
cake. There are smaller branches on rue
Cassis 3 Clémenceau (%04 94 97 71 42; www.
latartetropezienne.fr; 36 rue Clémenceau;
5 La Villa Madie Gastronomy €€€ mains €13-15, cakes €3-5; h7am-7pm) and
(%04 96 18 00 00; www.lavillamadie.com; av near the new port (%04 94 97 19 77; www.
de Revestel-anse de Corton; menus €75-145, latartetropezienne.fr; 9 bd Louis Blanc; mains
mains €54-72; hnoon-1.15pm Wed-Sun & €13-15, cakes €3-5; h6.30am-7.30pm), plus
7-9.15pm Wed-Sat) Overseen by Marielle and various other towns around the Côte d’Azur.

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