Cinqante Cinq… 55… one of the oldest and most well known beach clubs in Saint Tropez… actually, just outside of Saint Tropez on Pampelonne Beach. Yes… it is crowded, over priced and at times it falls short when it comes to service but I still love it. I am a sentimental soul at heart ( I guess you gathered that) and as it’s one of the few places that I re-visit year after year… I forgive Le Club any indiscretions and enjoy it for what it is. It is a place to people watch… and a place to be transported, albeit vicariously, into the lives of the rich and famous… The entrance at the back of the club is jammed with prestige motor cars and the sea in front is full of pleasure boats… long, sleek and impeccable in every way… Women of all ages float around in their kaftans and high heels while the men lounge in linen and Vilebrequins… It has been this way since my first visit in 1995 and it was exactly the same last week…
The decor doesn’t change… all blue and white… driftwood and bamboo… cottage style flowers on the table… sand underneath the feet. The bar area is bigger this year and the beach boys a little more handsome… The menu is exactly the same, fortunately for me because I always order the same dish… Salade Pampelonne… It’s delicious and as hard as I have tried I have never been able to reproduce the dressing exactly… and the dressing is what makes it so mouth wateringly good… The salad is simple, made up of sliced fresh tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese and topped with chopped mint…it is covered in a creamy, mustard and lemon vinaaigrette… Thick bruschetta slices lay in wait on the table… begging to be eaten with this delectable dressing… This is no place to diet or worry about the regime… Not to mention the rosé… there is something about the south of France, summer and rosé that is unbeatable… a winning trifecta…
Back at the beach… it’s all beautiful people, boats and bikinis… and the Le Club 55 boutique… It’s the kind of shop where you want to buy everything… the sarongs, the kaftans, the bracelets, the necklaces… it is seriously cool… Not exactly boho, not exactly hippie but extremely chic, whatever it is… And those cushions… they certainly tweaked my imagination… a little bit of everything mixed together… but then that’s what Saint Tropez is all about… Everything goes… xv
For Your Saint Tropez Address Book
Le Club 55
Plage de Pampelonne
Boulevard Patch
83350 Ramatuelle
France
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