My dream vacation in Saint-Tropez, France

    

Everybody has dreams. Everybody has dreams about places to see. A few have their dreams fulfilled. The rest of us, well, we just keep dreaming, and hoping. One of my dreams lies on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) in an heavenly landscape, with golden beaches and a gentle sun. Saint-Tropez, because this is the place I’m aiming to get to (and trust me, I will get to), It’s a commune (not even a town) with barely 5500 inhabitants, but with a lot to offer. I think that God put a piece of heaven there, just for us earthling to taste it a bit.

I admit, what drove my attention to this marvelous place was the famous movie series, Le gendarme de St. Tropez with the French star Louis de Funès. It was love at first movie. I really enjoyed the calm that surrounded the place, the candor that was spreading across the whole town. The combination between old and new, between history and modernism is just stunning. Since then I have this one goal (well, among many others): I will visit Saint-Tropez during my lifetime.

It appears that I’m not the only one who became attached to this. The small city is home to a bunch of celebrities who seek for peace and relaxation in this “pigeon-hole”. Over 110 hectares of land is occupied now by really expensive houses (10-70 million dollars, each) of some really well paid stars. Let’s see some examples. Luc Besson, the well known French director bought a 1.82 million house in 1995. This blessing also cost him a big fine, because he got greedy and built a 370 square meters pool without approval. Johnny Deep and Vanessa Paradis wanted to stay away from the annoying paparazzi and Saint-Tropez was the best choice they could make. Michael Schumacher, the Formula 1 King wants to leave the speed and enjoy the slowness of live in a 5.3 million house built over 50 hectares. What’s interesting is that he didn’t get the approval to build a basement to keep his wine so now he’s obliged to take wine from the locals. Not really a punishment, because the local wine is known to be extraordinary. Elton John has also a crib near the Mediterranean Sea. The most spectacular transaction took place in 2004 when Mohamed al Fayed bought a 2000 square meters house with a 10 hectares land surrounding it. So, if you want to be among stars, you really have to check Saint-Tropez. Of course, only if money fall from your pockets. Speaking of stars, the well known diva Brigitte Bardot used to come to Saint-Tropez in the 50’s and 60’s, showing off some really appealing bathing suits. Since then the Saint-Tropez beaches received a well deserved fame.

In the 90’s Saint-Tropez was the perfect destination for the nostalgic, now Saint-Tropez change the rhythm. That doesn’t mean that art, culture and traditions are not well valued here. On contrary, history passionate will find here everything they need from museums, churches and memorial houses. It is worth mentioning Musee de l’Annonciade, Citadelle de St.Tropez or Maison des papillons. Food specialties are to found everywhere and the 12 markets with vegetables, fruits, flowers or fish are a delight for anyone. The port is filled with traditional boats, and the narrow streets are even more crowded with coffee places or restaurants. The beach is well suited for a five star relaxation.

For accommodation, if you have enough money you can chose one of the really expensive hotels in the commune. Or, if you are like me, you’ll manage with an accommodation somewhere close to Sait-Tropez or, for a large group it’s even suited to rent a house.

I can’t wait to get there!