Cross-posted from http://glitterandmud.com

Last year for 4th of July I was lucky enough to get to go to Saint-Tropez with my boyfriend and a group of our friends. It was my first time to the south of France and I instantly fell in love with the ultra luxurious, crazy, party, beach town of St Tropez. Basically everyone is spending so much money that pretty much anything goes so you can wear what you want, and do what you want, as long as you are ready to PARTY!!!, and not cry over the $1,500 lunch bill (WARNING: This is a trip you have to save up for because it will hurt your wallet!). We drank enough Domaines Ott (amazing Rose wine) to fill up a swimming pool last year and had so much fun that we all vowed to try to return to St Tropez every summer.

This year we made it back to St Tropez on th 6th of July. My boyfriend Steve just moved to London so we spent the 4th there (drinking Pimm’s of course! =) and then headed to St Tropez. Steve does everything last-minute so he warned me that the 3 star hotel he found the week before might not be very nice. I knew we were lucky to find any hotel that last-minute, especially going into high season in the French Riviera (July, August, Sept) and I honestly would be happy to crash in a sleeping bag on the beach if it meant getting to go back to my new favorite place, so I left all expectations behind for our accommodations, and only packed my favorite sandals, bikinis, high heels and mini dresses!

But when we arrived at La Bastide Des Salins (after driving from the airport in Nice along the coast, so beautiful!), I was pleasantly surprised to find we had actually stumbled upon a super cute, chic, little boutique hotel! Their tag line is “Hotel de Charm” and I have to agree this place is absolutely charming. The grounds are beautiful with lush vegetation and flowers everywhere, and the rooms are clean and cute and you can lay by the pool topless (I freaking love France!) and they will bring you espresso, wine, snacks or whatever you fancy.

My ONLY complaint is the showers. Why the heck don’t they know how to take a proper shower in France?! London too?! At Steve’s new flat in Chelsea, London and at this hotel the shower is a tub with a hand-held shower head. How the heck do you take a proper shower when you have to hold the spout? Might as well just shower outside with the garden hose! Luckily I surf so am use to taking showers outside with the hose, but watching Steve try to shower was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, so much so that it became our running joke that I could get a job as a shower girl (topless of course!) and hold people’s spouts for them. (I know such a good idea. My parents would be so proud LOL!)

Anyway there is so much to do and see in St Tropez and I am definitely not an expert but I can say be ready for very long extravagant lunches followed by lounging (or usually passing out) at the beach, crazy dinners where people dance on tables and hang from chandeliers, and over the top, crazy clubs where guys buy 30 bottles of Crystal just for fun. My favorite lunch place is for sure Les Palmiers, followed Nikki Beach & Club 55. My favorite dinner place which is a must, must, must is Villa Romana, and I also love Le Grand Joseph. And for clubbing you have to go to La Cave Du Roy, one of the world’s most famous night clubs, located in the heart of St Tropez next to the Byblos Hotel.

Byblos is an awesome place to stay but you have to book there way in advance, especially during high season because they sell out. I hear there is also amazing shopping but I have never actually made it to any boutiques, so that’s on my list for next year! Hope you put St Tropez at the top of your bucketlist because I promise you’ll love it! And if you do find yourself in my favorite vacay spot please post pix from your trip on my facebook page, and then I’ll explain to you what CYB!!! means!

xo, V

My St Tropez Tips:

RESTAURANTS & BEACH CLUBS
Here’s a great link to all my faves: http://www.access-sttropez.com/en/restaurants-st-tropez.html

GETTING THERE
If you rent a car allow two hours for getting the rental and driving to St Tropez from Nice. They are dorks at the car rental place in France and it is a huge ordeal. When you get off the plane you have to go to the car rental counter, rent a car (which they will charge you an arm and a leg and your biggest boob for), then you have to wait in line for a shuttle which transports you to a car park where you have to get keys for your rental car from another counter, then go find your car which will probably be parked in the wrong spot like ours was. But it’s worth that huge pain in the A$$ to get a rental car and drive the scenic route along the beach. Just take the A8, ignore your GPS which will send you the other way through the mountains, which really is not much shorter, hug the coast and follow the signs for St Tropez, as you enjoy the amazing views of the Mediterranean Sea and all the beautiful beach towns along the way. Or if you’re a total bawler you can just charter a yacht in like my friend Lyndon Lea does! =)

GET EXCITED
Welcome to St Tropez! (VIDEO): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2FRFhS7QY