Hotel Le Provençal, between heritage and renewal by Rodolphe Parente

There is something enchanting about the French Riviera, especially the area around Hyères, where some places feel as if they’ve been waiting just for you – like Hôtel Le Provençal, perched on the edge of the Giens peninsula. Between pine forests and the glittering Mediterranean, this 1950s hideaway has just reopened, beautifully reimagined yet still wrapped in its original soul.

The hotel’s new look, led by designer Rodolphe Parente and art director Julie Liger, is pure poetry — a blend of Provençal textures and Riviera elegance, with just the right amount of nostalgia. Think cherry-red tones and dark oak, woven straw walls, black iron chandeliers, and that unmistakable golden light that only exists in the South of France.

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Walking through the spaces feels like slipping into a dream from another era: velvet drapes nod to the founder’s days at the Lido in Paris, while ship-style portholes and seashell motifs recall a playful mid-century Riviera. Every corner has a story — and every story smells faintly of salt air and Fragonard.

And there’s more to come. Soon, a spa and panoramic terrace will complete this rebirth – but already, Le Provençal feels like a place suspended in time, where design, memory and the Mediterranean live in perfect balance.

The restaurant, La Rascasse, is a highlight. It balances modern geometry – coffered ceilings, metal table legs, and Royère-inspired banquettes – with a sun-soaked softness that makes you want to linger for hours over a glass of rosé.

Upstairs, the rooms are calm, tactile cocoons in honey, almond green, and blush pink. Headboards in cork and mahogany, limewashed walls, and that endless sea view — it’s understated luxury at its most sincere.