Sauvageonne means "the wild one" in French – fitting for a restaurant hidden in a bamboo forest off Ramatuelle, where disco balls catch light between the trees. Order the smoked edamame with nori salt to kick things off. In a few hours, the music moves from piano bar to DJ, and midnight arrives with another round of cocktails.

Though it's always nice to be in town, we are big fans of this idyllic luxurious resort just a few kilometres outside of Saint-Tropez. Nestled between the olive groves and lavender fields, La Réserve Ramatuelle is known for its spectacular spa.

First, there is the place – an old Provençal stone house on a quiet street, with a terrace where dinner goes on well past midnight. Then the food. Jaïs Mimoun opened one of the most sought-after bistros in Paris, and this is its Ramatuelle sibling. The sea bass carpaccio comes with candied ginger vinegar, the Guanaja chocolate mousse with Kalamata olive oil and fleur de sel.

If Saint-Tropez ever gets too much, Ramatuelle is ten minutes inland and a world away. Café de l’Ormeau has been on the village square since the 1940s, and even the new owners, who grew up down the road, knew better than to change it too much. Order the pissaladière, the Niçois cousin of pizza with slow-cooked onions, anchovies and black olives, find a spot on the shaded terrace with a carafe of rosé, and watch the village go by.