Thought Hilton lodges had been all cookie-cutter properties favouring the tasteless over the attractive?
Suppose once more.
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Le Hameau des Pesquiers Ecolodge & Spa on the French Riviera is among the extra memorable reminders that the U.S hospitality behemoth additionally affords lodging that is delightfully distinctive.
This gem, which opened in July 2022, is a part of Hilton’s ‘Curio Assortment’, a set of ‘individually exceptional lodges’.
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Le Hameau des Pesquiers lives as much as the billing, I uncover, being alluringly artisanal and transfixingly fetching, with sincerely charming service thrown in for good measure.
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Ted Thornhill discovers that Le Hameau des Pesquiers Ecolodge & Spa on the French Riviera is a memorable reminder that U.S hospitality behemoth Hilton affords lodging that is delightfully distinctive. Above is the ground-floor Saliniers restaurant, with rooms above. The terrace is the place Ted and his household get pleasure from lunches, dinners and breakfasts
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Le Hameau des Pesquiers opened in 2022 and is a part of Hilton’s Curio Assortment. Above is the spa, housed in the primary constructing by the doorway
It is a magical place to remain – in a spellbinding location.
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The property lies within the Port-Cros Nationwide Park, on a surprising double tombolo that connects the port space of Hyeres (a favorite vacation spot for Queen Victoria) with the picturesque Giens peninsula – with the paradise ‘Golden Islands’ of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant quick ferry rides away.
In entrance of the resort is the glowing Mediterranean, behind the Pesquiers salt marshes – inhabited by flocks of flamingoes – and throughout are eye-catching timber.
Le Hameau des Pesquiers is a haven, and like all the perfect havens, it is easy to overlook.
There isn’t any roadside signage, so in case you’re driving method slowly and maintain your eyes peeled for a dusty monitor blocked by a thick wood safety gate on the left, a couple of minutes south of the port space.
We arrive in a Renault SUV rent automotive we choose up by way of reserving.com on the outskirts of close by Toulon, and as soon as I’ve hopped out to state our enterprise to reception by way of an intercom, the gate slides open and I park up within the (dusty) automotive park – then get pleasure from palpably feeling my blood strain drop.
The property lies within the Port-Cros Nationwide Park, on a surprising double tombolo (above) that connects the port space of Hyeres with the picturesque Giens peninsula
The resort includes renovated Nineteenth-century buildings that was owned by an organization that mined the adjoining salt marshes
The location that resort is constructed on was deserted for over 20 years. Above is a room just like the one which Ted and his household keep in
Ted is especially taken with the outsized vintage-style rain bathe in his bed room
A brush on the entrance porch of Ted’s room for dusting off sand
I am staying on the 48-room resort with my six-year-old daughter and French accomplice, who grew up in Hyeres.
She is shocked on the transformation of the location – for it was occupied by eerie deserted buildings for many years.
Between 1806 and 1990 they had been owned by a salt manufacturing firm that mined the close by marshes, then fell into wreck when the operation ceased.
In 2014, the native Lelievre household – whose hospitality portfolio consists of the Grand Lodge Des Sablettes and La Desk du Port restaurant, each in Toulon – set about reworking the hamlet right into a ‘five-star eco lodge’.
They did not assemble any new buildings, however rigorously restored the previous ones, mixing them into the nationwide park and recycling surplus stones and chopped-down timber into partitions and fencing within the grounds.
The 1885 ‘customs constructing’ that after housed officers in command of monitoring salt exports is now the resort reception and spa, which options an inviting indoor pool.
The ‘clock constructing’, which dates to 1803, was workplaces for the salt agency, however immediately accommodates rooms, a bar and the principal restaurant – ‘Saliniers’ (Saltworks).
Ted writes: ‘I benefit from the therapeutic expertise of merely ambling across the property’
Winner: Ted describes the resort as ‘alluringly artisanal and transfixingly fetching’
The resort web site features a chapel (above), relationship to 1875, the place a service is held each Sunday morning
One night aperitifs are served round a firepit (above) subsequent to the backyard (to the left)
There’s additionally a chapel, relationship to 1875, the place a service is held each Sunday morning.
Many of the buildings had been used as lodging for saltworker households. Now they’re honey-hued resort rooms par excellence.
Ours is gigantic – a household room with a large double mattress, sofabed, two terraces (back and front), outside sizzling tub and chic wood décor. I notably love the over-sized vintage-style rain bathe – and there is a hat-tip too for the comb on the entrance porch for dusting off sand.
On-site actions? For starters, I benefit from the therapeutic expertise of merely ambling across the property.
Within the reception space there is a magnificent large wood seahorse guarding the doorway. From there, walkways shaped of small planks of wooden laid over sand join the assorted buildings, lorded over by towering pine timber.
There’s additionally an attractive Center-earth-esque evergreen oak embellished with little lanterns. I half count on Gandalf to stride out from behind it.
Reverse its gnarled branches is the Saliniers restaurant and its lavender-lined terrace, the place we get pleasure from lunches, dinners and breakfasts.
Ted’s room comes full with a large double mattress, sofabed, two terraces (back and front), outside sizzling tub (above) and chic wood decor
Pictured left is the Willy-Wonka-style orange juice machine in operation throughout breakfast, which additionally consists of artisanal spreads and honey from the resort’s hives (proper)
Style buds are tickled at a bit of picnic spot with parasols subsequent to the seaside, the place excellent lunches (above) are served up from a cute little blue kitchen trailer
The service is immediate and chirpy and the meals is spectacular – the sea-bass ravioli with octopus ink and slow-cooked tomatoes on the lunch and dinner menu is scrumptious, as is the calamari carpaccio starter.
And breakfast is an utter pleasure, with bowls of pastries and plates of fruit positioned at each desk and visitors handled to a buffet that features mouthwatering home made jams, honey from the resort’s beehives, and orange juice from a large self-service Willy-Wonka-style orange-crushing machine.
The resort has its personal verdant backyard that is harvested for elements for a number of of the properties within the Lelievre portfolio.
One night, aperitifs are served round an adjoining firepit, a considerate probability for visitors to speak with one another and members of workers.
We sip rose as a chef procures greens from the backyard to slice up and serve with hummus.
Style buds are additionally tickled at a bit of picnic spot with parasols subsequent to the seaside, the place excellent lunches are served up from a cute little blue kitchen trailer.
The resort lies a brief drive from Hyeres’ previous city, pictured above. Hyeres was beloved as a vacation spot by Queen Victoria
The paradise island of Porquerolles (above) is a brief ferry trip away from the Giens peninsula
The picturesque island of Port-Cros (above) will be reached by ferry from Hyeres’ port
Ted and his household go to the mainland seaside of L’Estagnol (above), the place the water is ‘bathtub heat and shallow sufficient for young children to stroll in for a very good 70 metres from the shoreline’
And on the wonderful seaside itself, workers ship drinks and organise sunloungers and parasols. No must throw any towels down at daybreak on this neck of the woods.
Once we’re not on the resort, enveloped by tranquillity, we’re lolling on the frankly astonishing seashores of Porquerolles and Port-Cros, the place shoals of fish swim round swimmers’ legs in gin-clear waters, and lazing on the gorgeous household pleasant mainland seaside of L’Estagnol, a 30-minute drive away. There the water is bathtub heat and shallow sufficient for young children to stroll in for a very good 70 metres from the shoreline.
Le Hameau des Pesquiers is not fairly excellent – there are slip-ups by the workers, akin to forgetting to make up the additional mattress for our daughter and giving us decanters of water within the restaurant, however no glasses to drink it from (each time).
However the workers are so pretty these minor oversights are simply forgivable – and in addition to, we’re simply too relaxed on this beach-comber-chic oasis to care.