Hôtel Restaurant Le Touring

Opened in 1900, this four-star hotel suits divers who want a town stay rather than a self-contained resort. You can spend the morning exploring the coast, return to a proper room with air conditioning and soundproofing in selected categories, then walk out for dinner without organising a taxi-based expedition every evening.

The hotel team speaks English, French, Spanish, German and Russian, so practical conversations at reception do not need to be conducted through optimistic hand gestures. A bar, a restaurant, a spa and a fitness area keep the useful parts of a post-dive evening close by.

The address is 1 Quai Albert 1er in Saint-Raphaël, France, right in the town centre. This is a city-base location: the old port, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Victoire and Grotte de Miro are all part of the nearby surroundings, and the central streets are made for an evening walk rather than a second vehicle sortie.

The waterfront setting places you beside the activity of Saint-Raphaël, while the hotel itself gives you a practical base for exploring the town. Parking is available on site or nearby, which matters if you are arriving with a car and enough luggage to suggest that one trip from boot to room will never be enough.

For a couple, the double rooms and double suites are the straightforward choice, with sea-view versions for those who would rather wake up to water than to the back of another building. Suites also cover two-person twin-bed arrangements, as well as larger configurations for three or four guests, making them the more sensible option when a room needs to do more than hold two bags and a pair of flip-flops.

The standard, superior, deluxe and suite categories can include air conditioning, blackout blinds, soundproofing, a private bathroom, safe, television, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee facilities, and a minibar. The exact equipment varies by room, so check the selected category rather than assuming that every room carries the full list. That small piece of discipline is cheaper than discovering it at midnight.

For a solo stay, single rooms and single suites keep things simple, with private bathrooms across the categories. Several rooms have sea or water views, while the more fully equipped categories add robes, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer. Heating is also available in selected rooms, useful when the Mediterranean decides not to follow the brochure.

Two restaurants cover lunch and dinner. Nami serves authentic Japanese cuisine indoors, while Café Touring works on French cooking with Mediterranean influences from its terrace. That gives you a choice between sushi-bar territory and the more familiar rhythm of a French table without leaving the hotel.

There is one bar: Ring Bar, a rooftop lounge focused on cocktails and DJ sets. It is the place for a drink with a little more evening noise; Café Touring offers the terrace setting when the priority is food and conversation. Breakfast is available at the hotel, while the meal arrangements depend on the room booking selected.

The Espace Détente spa is the main recovery option, with massages and body scrubs using Kos Paris products. Add the sauna and steam room when your muscles have had enough of carrying tanks, bags and the rest of the travelling circus. These are the facilities that make a town hotel work well for a slower afternoon.

A fitness area is available for anyone who still has energy to spend, and the hotel also has a garden and terrace for sitting outside. The concierge and tourist information service can help arrange excursions, while the central location leaves you free to explore Saint-Raphaël on foot before returning for the evening.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 23:00, with a 11:00 check-out. Reception is open around the clock, and express check-in and check-out are available. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, with luggage storage, concierge services, laundry and dry-cleaning services also available.

A lift serves the building, and wheelchair-accessible facilities are available. The Superior Kathleen room is accessible to guests with reduced mobility. The hotel accepts pets, and parking is available at the property or nearby. Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted.

A business centre and meeting rooms are available if a work obligation has followed you to the coast. Room service, a safe, a terrace and a garden add the practical details that help a stay run smoothly, particularly when your day has been governed by tides, departures and a distinctly uncooperative wetsuit.