Le Provençal

Some come for the allure of adding their names to the long list of illustrious guests. Since its acquisition in 1951 by Marius Michel—the grandfather and former head chef of the Lido’s kitchens—Le Provençal has drawn the glitterati who holiday on this particular stretch of the French Riviera, from nearby neighbour Marie-Laure de Noailles to Andrée Putman, via John Galliano and the fashion crowd (Hyères being home to both its fashion festival and Design Parade). Others come for the incomparable setting, poised between land and sea, amid former salt marshes in the heart of Port-Cros National Park. Some come simply for the view, Le Provençal having been built like a balcony over the Mediterranean. Others are drawn by its storied history, lovingly preserved and reimagined by the founder’s grandsons. Benjamin and Damien Piffet enlisted interior architect Rodolphe Parente (a longtime friend of the house, it is said) to reinterpret the place: restoring some of the glamour that had softened over time, while preserving its slightly unruly spirit—at once modest and arty, light-hearted yet avant-garde. From the guest rooms to Villa Barret for sunset drinks, from the Bar du Soleil to the seawater pool carved into the rock, now lined with brilliantly yellow parasols, from the beach to the Barbecue with its long communal tables beneath the pine trees where grilled dishes are shared, the details tell the story: works by young artists dotted throughout, nods to the 1950s, playful references to the Lido, alongside untouchable originals left gloriously intact (the fireplace in the lounge, the counter in the Provençal brasserie in the village...). And then there are those who come for the food—the table that built the hotel’s reputation, from Jean-Paul Piffet’s legendary dessert buffets to the cuisine now carried forward at La Rascasse, under Sébastien Graize’s direction, facing the sea. And you—what would bring you to Le Provençal?