Byblos Beach – lunch on Pampelonne, Saint-Tropez style

On the mythical sweep of Pampelonne, ten minutes by car from the village of Saint-Tropez, Byblos Beach is the seaside chapter of a hotel that has set the tone for Riviera glamour since the original Hôtel Byblos opened its doors in 1967. Since the summer of 2019, this barefoot, sail-shaded restaurant has carried that style of hospitality onto the sand itself, operating under some of the toughest planning rules on the coast: only 23 beach restaurants, down from 27, are now permitted on Pampelonne, after the commune of Ramatuelle tightened its rules in 2015 to protect the dunes, and the entire timber-and-rope structure here is taken down at the end of each season. It holds a place in the MICHELIN Guide's selection, rated for Mediterranean cuisine in the 'Spare no expense' bracket. Under awnings cut like sailcloth, chef Allan Gonthier now runs a kitchen for a crowd that treats lunch here as a ritual in its own right.

01The room and the setting

The architecture takes its cue from the sea in front of it: shaded terraces designed to echo the sails of the yachts anchored offshore, wide individual sunbeds in solid wood with double headrests, and parasols of openwork woven rope that give the beach its unmistakable silhouette. The dining room seats up to 110 guests, the beach itself lays out 120 sunbeds, and the whole site can be hired privately for cocktail events of up to 250 people. The beach club sits a ten-minute drive from the Byblos palace in the village, provides a casual chic atmosphere, where lounge music brings this intimate and elegant space to life.

02The chef

Allan Gonthier took charge of the kitchen for the 2026 season, after two seasons spent as sous-chef at the house, returning this year as head chef in continuity with a career built on precision and a direct relationship with produce. He has worked as chef, sous-chef, chef de partie and even private chalet chef, and he brings that range of experience to a beach kitchen that still answers, at group level, to Byblos executive chef Nicola Canuti, whose vegetable garden is a daily source of inspiration across the hotel's tables. Pastry comes from Geoffrey Turpin, the Byblos's chef pâtissier, whose desserts balance tradition, freshness and indulgence. When the beach first opened in 2019, the stoves were entrusted to executive chef Rocco Seminara, a native of southern France who had previously worked at Le Martinez in Cannes and the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco — the lineage that set the kitchen's Mediterranean, produce-led course from the start.

Insider tip

Ten minutes by car from Saint-Tropez; closed in winter, reopening 29 April 2027.

03What to order

Gonthier's signatures lean toward a more personal, ingredient-driven cooking: steamed cod with aïoli, and veal quasi served with a rosemary jus. Much of what lands on the plate comes from the Byblos's own kitchen garden, a 300 m² permaculture plot a short walk from the hotel where seeds were carefully chosen to grow 70 varieties of vegetables, fruit and aromatic flowers — the first garden of its kind at a Palace-rated hotel in Saint-Tropez — alongside the estate's beehives. To finish, Turpin's desserts keep things generous and unfussy: an iced chocolate coupe, a piña-colada-style dessert made for sharing, or an iced honey parfait with Mara des Bois strawberries.

04When to go and booking

Byblos Beach opens every day from 10.30am to 6.30pm, extending to 9pm in July and August, with the restaurant itself serving from 12.30pm to 4pm (5pm in high summer). The restaurant closes for the winter season and, as of this writing, is due to reopen on Thursday 29 April 2027. Diners arriving by water can be brought ashore directly by tender.

05The neighbourhood

Pampelonne's three-mile crescent of sand has been rationed by the commune since 2015, when the number of licensed beach restaurants was cut from 27 to 23 to protect the dune ecosystem — Byblos Beach is one of the survivors, sharing the shoreline with a handful of equally storied addresses. It is run as an extension of Hôtel Byblos Saint-Tropez itself, the Groupe Floirat property in the village that also houses the Italian restaurant Il Giardino, the rooftop Skybar and Les Caves du Roy, so a day at the beach can easily extend into an evening back at the palace.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.