Amenities and experiences

There are two outdoor pools, both with sea views, an art gallery, and a dedicated artisan studio where guests can take part in crafts workshops with a six-weekly rotating roster of embroiderers, potters, weavers, painters, designers and ceramicists like Croatian Zeljana Vidoviec Mioli. I had a fun time sculpting a clay turtle under the guidance of local ceramicist Flavia Broi.

Soukana’s rooftop bar and lounge is a great place to flop down and take in the sunrise or sunset. Its panoramic views include the 25-metre lap pool below, the hills of Bandol across the sparkling cerulean water, and on the other side of the terrace, the rugged coastline with iconic Eagle Beak rock protruding from the distant horizon.

Bar Patrick at the rear of Nonna Bazaar opens out onto a small pale-sand beach where I sunbathed while sipping an excellent Josephine Baker-inspired cocktail (pisco, passionfruit liqueur with jasmine syrup, lemon and topped with champagne), which I mixed myself under the bartender’s instruction before having a reflexology massage in the spa. Its Visbody scanner and Iyashi Dôme elevate it above the usual wellbeing offerings in the region.