Located about ten kilometers from the Fort de Brégançon, the summer residence of the Presidents of the Republic, the hotel Le Mirage was built in the 1970s. The management was recently taken over by a young Drômois: Jules Brenier, 27, trained in hotel management at the Glion Institute in Montreux, Switzerland.
Since his arrival, a breath of fresh air has been blowing through the corridors of the 35-room building which he had completely renovated. The 303 has a large white terrace offering a panoramic view of the pine forest, the hills and the Mediterranean.
Saint-Tropez decor from the sixties
Offshore, you can see two of the golden islands, Port-Cros and Le Levant. The bedroom is sober and soothing. The song of the cicadas enters the room when the bay window is half-opened. A bed queen size dressed in white sheets, a small desk in light wood and a straw chair make up the furniture. A few objects – a retro mirror, rope wall plates, a raffia suspension – evoke the Saint-Tropez decor of the sixties.
The restaurant menu has also been refreshed. On tables facing the sea, a few meters from the swimming pool bordered by palm trees, we serve, for example, a Provençal-style sea bream ceviche (with cherry tomatoes and black olives) at lunch, and back of amberjack (a locally caught fish) at dinner. It takes about ten minutes on foot to reach the medieval village which stands on the heights of the town.
38, rue de la Vue-des-Iles, Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var). Open from April to October. Around €370 per night in a Deluxe room, breakfast included. lemirage-hotel.com
At 1,000 meters: stroll in an exotic park
Below the boulevard that winds towards the historic center, Gonzalez Park is an exotic botanical enclave in the land of mimosa, a sort of Provençal Australia. Indeed, this 3,000 square meter garden contains nearly 500 Australian plant species, including some rare species whose names are confusing, such as the Chilean coconut palm or the Lebanese cedar. To find your way around, guided tours by a gardener are organized from the tourist office, from May to September.
134 Sun Blvd. Free admission.
At 1,400 meters: visit a flower-decked church
The Saint-Trophyme church, built in the 18th century, appears at the bend of a cobbled street, next to traditional houses with pink and ocher tiles. From May to November, the bougainvilleas that bloom on its facade give it the appearance of a Greek chapel. Listed as a historical monument in 1973, it has hosted several Presidents of the Republic during offices, notably Georges Pompidou (and his wife, Claude).
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