COMO Le Beauvallon - Golfe de Saint-Tropez

COMO Le Beauvallon is a five-star beachfront hotel for you if the part of a diving holiday that happens out of the water matters just as much as the dive itself. You get direct access to the beach, a 25-metre outdoor pool, a spa, yoga and a choice of places to eat without having to turn the evening into an expedition.

The hotel has been open since 1914 and has 42 rooms. Its information is available in English and French, making it straightforward to plan your stay in either language. The atmosphere is built around the Riviera rather than around dive-resort informality: sea views, a garden, a rooftop bar and the sort of dining room where wet hair and a fleece may not be the evening uniform.

You stay in Grimaud, France, on the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and directly beside the sea. This is not a hotel that requires a shuttle to reach the coast. Vieux Moulin Beach is about a five-minute walk away, while Guerrevieille Beach is roughly 0.3 miles away and Beauvallon Beach about 0.8 miles away.

The surrounding area gives you beaches, golf and a few nearby restaurants, with Club House, Villa les Rosiers and After Beach all within roughly half a mile. Beauvallon Golf is about 0.1 miles away. For a little more history, La Tour Carrée and Sainte-Maxime church are around 2.2 miles away, while the old sites of Grimaud, including its château, are about 4.4 miles away.

Saint-Tropez La Mole Airport is about 9 miles away by road. Toulon–Hyeres Airport is roughly 30 miles away, and Nice Côte d'Azur Airport about 51 miles away.

The room choice is mainly about how much space you want around the day rather than about finding somewhere merely large enough to sleep. Couples can keep things simple with a Superior Room or move up to a Deluxe Room, while the Junior Suite and Beauvallon Suite give you more room to spread out after a day in the sea. The COMO Suite is the grandest option for two, with 199 square metres to itself.

For four people, the two-bedroom suites are the practical call. The Two-Bedroom Suite gives you separate sleeping areas, while the Two-Bedroom Terrace Suite adds outdoor space and two super-king beds. Family rooms and interconnecting rooms are available, and children of all ages are welcome. Cots and extra beds can be requested, with the arrangement depending on the room selected.

Air conditioning matters on the Côte d'Azur, particularly when you return warm, salty and ready to stop moving. Soundproof rooms, daily housekeeping, free WiFi and room service are all part of the useful stuff, while breakfast can be brought to your room. The accommodation is non-smoking, and the hotel also has a lift and facilities for disabled guests.

Breakfast is served from 7.30am to 10.30am, with continental, American and buffet choices. You can also take it in your room, which is handy when the morning plan involves an early start and very little conversation. The hotel has two restaurants in total.

The named restaurant is Beauvallon Sur Mer by Yannick Alléno, set beside the sea and focused on Mediterranean cooking for lunch and dinner. The culinary direction comes from Yannick Alléno, and vegetarian and vegan options are available. It is the sort of setting that suits a slow meal when the kit bag has finally been put away.

There is one named bar: La Rotonde Lounge and Rooftop, a rooftop bar built around cocktails and views towards Saint-Tropez. A snack bar, an on-site coffee house and a bar are also available, so you have options between meals rather than being limited to formal dining every time hunger arrives.

The 25-metre outdoor pool gives you a second place to get wet, this time without a mask, while the sun terrace, loungers, umbrellas, garden and beachfront setting make it easy to spend an afternoon doing very little. Pool and beach towels are available. The COMO Shambhala Retreat offers massages and facials, and the fitness centre provides a more purposeful way to deal with the legs after several days in the water.

Yoga classes, fitness classes and personal training are available if you want to stretch, strengthen or simply undo the shape of a folded wetsuit. Tennis, golf, bicycle rental and mini golf cover the land-based options, while boat excursions, jet-skiing and water activities give non-diving companions something to do by the coast.

For a quieter change of pace, you can book wine tours, an art gallery tour or a Provençal villages and heritage tour. Temporary art galleries, movie nights, billiards, a games room and board games keep the hotel from going completely silent when the weather turns. Babysitting and a children's club are also available for family stays.

Check-in runs from 4pm to midnight, and check-out from 4am to midday. That early check-out window is useful for an early flight, while the later departure limit gives you room for a final breakfast rather than a dawn scramble. The front desk operates around the clock, with concierge service, luggage storage, lockers, private check-in and check-out, a tour desk and car hire available.

An airport shuttle and a general shuttle service are available, and the hotel can arrange access to the property from the airport. Private parking is available on site; the parking conditions should be checked for your booking, as the hotel information gives different terms in different places. Free WiFi covers the hotel, and laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are available.

A refundable cash damage deposit is taken on arrival and returned after the property has been inspected at check-out. Cash is not accepted for hotel payments. Pets are allowed on request, and parties or events are not permitted.