Cafe Culture on the Cote d’Azur
Published on Aug 06, 2011
DESPITE its reputation for being the exclusive playground of the rich and famous, Saint Tropez should not be overlooked as a holiday destination in its own right.
Of course it can be expensive and sitting in that huge summertime traffic jam on the D558 from Marseille or D25 from Nice you could be forgiven for questioning your visit, but before then it would be prudent to remember that anything easily attainable is rarely worth having.
While hotel rooms remain at a premium during the summer months, a plethora of apartments and rooms to rent remain available throughout the year and make a perfect, and quite affordable, base.
And as an added bonus having ditched the car, the surrounding areas are all served by the punctual, clean and cheap local bus service.
Horror stories abound concerning the number of day-trippers swelling Saint Tropez’s population ten-fold from its usual 6000 but please don’t let that put you off. With a modicum of planning you’ll find yourself becoming a Tropézien in next to no time and enjoying everything the town has to offer including sharing a Gallic shrug with your fellow cafe dwellers at the visitors who invade the town at sunrise but who thankfully disappear long before the spectacular sunset.
Arise early (7.00 on market days!) and head to the Senequier cafe to witness the harbour, and fish market, come alive. Don’t expect change from e40 for breakfast for two, with at least two cups of coffee and fresh juice – but in all honesty to be sat on one of those famous red chairs as the sun warms up represents unbeatable value for money.
In the evening return to your same prime seat but be prepared to flex your elbows this time as squabbling often surfaces among the less patient coffee drinkers who will stop at nothing to claim your favourite position!
Alarmed at the rumours St Trop has lost its capacity to draw the A-listers? Don’t be, those rumours aren’t true. From Senequier I have seen designer Christian Audigier cause mayhem disembarking his yacht and creating a scrum after casually tossing his baseball cap towards the many, bewildered onlookers. I’ve rubbed shoulders with supermodel Victoria Silvstedt in a back street boutique late one night and shared Pampelonne beach with Denzel Washington.
And speaking of beaches, the Golfe of Saint Tropez offers numerous opportunities for sun worship from St Maxime in one direction and Gassin and Cogolin in the other.
But the holy grail of beaches has to be at Pampellone, home to the world famous Club 55 where I’ve lunched recently in the company of Ivana Trump, Carlo Ancelotti, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.
My tip for the perfect day on Pampelonne beach would be to hire your comfortable sunbeds at the upmarket Club 21 but to lunch in the restaurant at Club 55 – but be warned, make sure you book well in advance!
The real beauty of St Trop lies in discovering places for yourself, sometimes the best finds are made entirely by accident and with over 100 restaurants, many of the better ones situated in the narrow backstreets away from the harbour, a stay in the town of a week or longer is thoroughly recommended – and you never know who you may end up sitting next to in one of those small, chic, romantic restaurants.
Despite what you may have read about the demise of the French cafe culture, I can confirm it is as vibrant, pertinent and relevant today as ever, so order that coffee, relax and take time to understand just what exactly Prendre le temps de vivre means!
Members of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe