Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière

As official custodians of the term ‘chateau’, the French have never held back on dishing out proper, imposing stone fortresses – and St Tropez’s Chateau de la Messardière delivers on the turret front. Book early for a table at the famous L’Auberges des Maures, which has been feeding fine Provençal food to the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo since 1931. Modern touches include a Matsuhisa restaurant, a Valmont spa and an assortment of vehicles (from Mini-Mokes to a Rolls-Royce) to get you to the beach in style.