Salines

This is an outdoor hotel on the Presqu’île de Giens, built around the simple pleasures that matter once you have stopped chasing bubbles: a private space, somewhere to eat, a terrace, and the sea close enough to reach without organising a small expedition. Salines sits between pine woodland, salt marshes and the Mediterranean, with accommodation designed for living outdoors rather than hiding from the coastline.

You are well catered for if you travel as a couple, with family or in a small group. The larger huts give everyone a room to retreat to, while the Beach Houses bring a little more space and two bathrooms in some categories. The atmosphere is sociable and family-friendly, with a children’s and teenagers’ club, but the setting also works for adults who mainly want to swim, eat, read and watch the light change over the water.

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside French, German, Dutch and Spanish. That makes the practical conversations straightforward, whether you are arranging your arrival, asking about dinner or trying to establish where the coffee machine has gone.

Salines is in Hyères, France, directly on the sandy Capte beach. You can step from the property towards the sea without a shuttle, road transfer or heroic footwear. Bergerie beach is about 50 metres away, while Pesquiers is roughly 1 mile from the property.

The location puts you on the Presqu’île de Giens rather than in the centre of Hyères. Almanarre Beach is around 5 miles away and is used for kitesurfing and windsurfing; Les Pesquiers, with its woodland and salt-marsh landscape, is about 1 mile away. The nearby coastline is therefore useful both for water time and for a change of scenery when your legs have had enough of fins.

Toulon–Hyères Airport is about 2 miles away and around 4 minutes by car. Hyères railway station is roughly 4 miles away by road, so the airport is the simpler arrival point if you are flying.

The accommodation sits somewhere between a hotel room and a compact holiday home. Every unit has air conditioning, a private bathroom, a kitchen, a dining area and outdoor furniture, with a terrace or private entrance depending on the accommodation. After a long day in warm Mediterranean water, that means you can come back, cool down, put food in the fridge and sit outside without having to make yourself presentable for the world.

The kitchen is properly useful rather than decorative: refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, hob, toaster, kettle, coffee machine and kitchenware are all included. A sofa and seating area give you somewhere to stretch out, while the television can deal with the evening when conversation has run out before your energy has. Garden views keep the outlook green, and the outdoor setting does much of the work when you would rather leave the curtains open and let the evening in.

For a family or group, the two-bedroom and three-bedroom huts are the practical starting point. If you are travelling as two couples or simply value not queuing for the shower, the Premium huts and Beach Houses with two bathrooms make more sense. The Beach House with a Nordic Bath adds a private bath outside; useful for soaking rather than pretending that every recovery session needs another piece of sports technology.

One detail matters if you choose a Loulou Lodge: towels and bed linen are not included there. You can bring your own or rent a kit on site, subject to availability.

The main table is Coucou – Giens, set directly on Capte beach and serving lunch and dinner. The cooking is local, French and Mediterranean in character, following the seasons without turning a plate of food into a lecture. You can eat indoors or outdoors, with the sand doing its usual job of finding its way everywhere by the end of the meal.

There is one bar: Dune – Beach Bar. It works around the part of the day when divers and watersports people become civilised again, with a terrace, sunset drinks and tapas for sharing. Takeaway food is available from both the restaurant and the bar, which is handy when you want to eat in your accommodation rather than sit through a full meal while still drying out.

Coucou – Giens runs from 8:00 until 23:00, and late dinner is available. A breakfast service is not described, so plan your morning food around the kitchen in your accommodation or the services available on site rather than assuming an early buffet before a boat departure.

The beach is the obvious starting point, but Salines is not limited to lying on it. You can use the on-site watersports offer for kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, towable buoys, E-Foil, Wingfoil and pedalos. Boat hire without a licence and boat trips are also available. In other words, a non-diving companion has several ways to get wet without borrowing your entire personality for the day.

On land, bicycle hire, bike tours, walking tours and guided outings are available. The programme includes trips to Porquerolles with a guide, bicycles and lunch, coastal walks, night walks, excursions to the Golden Islands and outings through the Pesquiers salt marshes. Les Pesquiers is close enough to make the landscape part of the day rather than a box to tick on the drive home.

For slower recovery, yoga and meditation take place on the beach, including sessions at sunrise and sunset. Massage is available, and the children’s and teenagers’ club plus activities for younger guests give families some breathing room. Selected 2026 events add creative workshops, artist meetings and DJ sets for late-day drinks, while the Mojo Mojo programme runs from 8 to 28 June 2026.

Check-in runs from 16:00 to 23:30, and check-out from 01:30 to 10:00. Late check-out can be requested. The property is open from 28 March to 11 October 2026, so this is a seasonal address rather than a year-round fallback.

Free private parking is available on site and does not require a reservation. WiFi is free throughout the property, and the accommodation is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Pets are welcome, with up to two allowed per accommodation; the applicable arrangements should be checked for the option you choose. Smoking is not allowed, and cash is not accepted.

The nearest airport is Toulon–Hyères, around 2 miles away and about 4 minutes by car. Marseille Provence Airport is around 71 miles away, while Nice Airport is roughly 98 miles away. By train, Hyères station is about 4 miles away by road and Toulon is around 17 miles away. The short airport transfer is useful, particularly when your dive kit has already made the luggage situation unnecessarily philosophical.

The environmental work here is tied to activities rather than presented as a slogan. The ART CAMP 2026 programme includes design workshops using recycled plastic and textile-graphics sessions, bringing the subject into the creative programme rather than leaving it on a noticeboard.

You can also join an eco-walk at the Pesquiers salt marshes that includes a clean-up action. It is a practical way to spend part of a day on land, in a landscape that makes the connection between the coast and its protection rather hard to ignore.