Cheval Blanc St-Tropez
A 1936 Saint-Tropez house LVMH bought in 2016, rebuilt, and reopened under its own maison.
The house stands on the Baie de la Bouillabaisse, on the western approach to Saint-Tropez rather than out at Pampelonne, with a beach in front of it and the town a short distance away on foot. It opened in 1936 as La Résidence de la Pinède and traded under that name for eighty years, taking its name from the pines it sits in. Accommodation is around thirty rooms and suites, which is small for the rate and deliberately so. The house is seasonal, following the Riviera summer rather than the calendar, and closes for the winter entirely.
LVMH bought the property in 2016 and reopened it as Cheval Blanc in 2019, after a rebuild directed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. La Vague d'Or, the restaurant, came with the building and stayed with it under Arnaud Donckele, and it is the part of the house that had a reputation before the maison arrived. What changed with the maison is the standard of finish, the density of staff and the price; what did not change is the address, the beach in front of it and the trees the old name referred to.
The maison bought an address and kept it. This is the counterexample to the portability test read badly: the name on the door is now Cheval Blanc, and the house's own former name went with the previous owner rather than with the walls.
Thirty keys at this rate is the argument. The class here is visible in what the house declines to do — it does not scale, does not add a tower, and does not trade through the winter to carry the overhead.
Who it is not for
Wrong for anyone who wants Pampelonne: the beach clubs and the day scene are on the other side of the peninsula, and this house sits apart from them on purpose. Wrong for travellers who need a resort's breadth — there is one small property, one beach and two restaurants. And wrong for guests arriving out of season, when the house is closed and the town is a different place entirely.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheval_Blanc_St-Tropez — 30 rooms and suites, earlier data 24 rooms and 6 suites; opened 1936 as La Résidence de la Pinède; bought 2016, joined Cheval Blanc in 2019 after a renovation by Jean-Michel Wilmotte; La Vague d'Or under Arnaud Donckele, three Michelin stars; Plage de la Bouillabaisse — opened 30.09.2026
- A reference work is the only source opened for this record. The maison's own page has not been opened, and a second independent source is wanted before any figure is published.
Verification
- Official source
- Checked
- Sources disagree
- the room count reads 30 rooms and suites and, in earlier material, 24 rooms plus 6 suites; the two may be one count stated differently. Inventory unverified; publish no figure until the house confirms it.
- Property confirmation
- Pending
- Last verified
- —
Booking
Fashion Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the property and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
Request a proposalClassified by The Resort Collection House · The Register · Edition 2026 · LHL-F-052
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