St.-Tropez: Where to Stay: Hip: Pan Deï Palais

Pan Deï Palais

The recently opened hotel, in a refurbished 19th-century mansion just off the Place des Lices, is my favorite. Once the home of Napoleonic hero General Jean-François Allard and his Indian-born wife, Princess Bannou Pan Deï, the Palais feels like a colonial-style home. The lobby is decorated with Indian antiques and Asian furnishings, statues and colorful carpets, and the unusually spacious guest rooms have ceiling fans and beds are draped with shimmering fabrics. Best of all, they can convert into modular super suites, ideal for traveling families. Between boutique-hopping (the top shopping is just outside the hotel), guests can lounge on Indonesian daybeds by the heated pool, sip Champagne cocktails at their private bar or book a shiatsu massage in the mini-spa. In-house chef Satoshi Kubota serves up innovative Mediterranean and Asian dishes, including spicy shrimp, truffle ravioli and grilled sole with wild mushrooms. Directors Patricia Presse and Stéphane Le Grall, who came from the Byblos, make sure the ambiance stays convivial; though if you want to party, the top clubs are just down the road. Rooms from $620.