Far from the more see-and-be-seen spots of this part of the South of France, La Ponche is a breath of fresh air. Blink and you’ll miss the entrance, which adds a major cool factor and intrigue to this more glamorous private home with interiors that are intimately designed by Fabrizio Casiraghi (of London’s Grand Hotel Bellevue and Hotel des Grands Voyageurs in Paris). In the fifties, the hotel saw the likes of swish singers and actors (famously Brigitte Bardot, who now has a room named after her) gracing the halls, today that still exists but at a much more modest and moody pace. The scene is old world, with guests seen playing backgammon or scooping up chocolate mousse rather than popping bottles of Crystal.