Résidence les Tourelles

You come here for an aparthotel rather than a conventional room: space to sit down, a kitchen when you want it, and enough room for a proper evening after a day by the coast. Résidence les Tourelles sits in the heart of Sainte-Maxime, with gardens, pools and the sea shaping the setting rather than a line of neighbouring buildings.

The place suits couples who want more than a bed and a breakfast room, as well as families who would rather spread out in an apartment. The accommodation is self-catering, but you also have a restaurant, a bar and breakfast on site. The practical advantage is obvious: you can cook, eat out, or do absolutely nothing more ambitious than find a chair and stay in it.

The hotel website is available in English, French and German, which is useful when you are comparing accommodation or sorting out the details before arrival.

Sainte-Maxime is the real setting here, on the Côte d’Azur in France. The residence is on the seafront and sits close to the centre of town, with the Central Beach within roughly half a mile. The market and a range of restaurants are about 200 metres away, so the evening does not have to involve getting back in the car.

Several familiar town landmarks are within walking distance. Sainte-Maxime Church and La Tour Carrée are around half a mile away, while the Boulodrome du Prince Bertif de Suede is about 0.4 miles away. Saint-Tropez is reachable by a 15-minute boat trip, giving you an easy change of scene without committing to a full coastal expedition.

For driving arrivals, private parking is available on site, including a parking garage. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is about 56 miles away. An airport shuttle service is available through the property.

The accommodation is arranged around apartments, so you can make breakfast without negotiating a minibar or waiting for a table. Kitchens include a refrigerator, microwave, hob, toaster, coffee machine, kettle and kitchenware. There is also a dining area and a sitting area with a sofa, which gives you somewhere to put your feet up while the day’s salt dries off and the television does its quiet duty.

For two, the one-bedroom apartment gives you more living space than a standard hotel room, while the Queen Studio is the simpler choice if you want a large bed and less domestic administration. The sea-view apartment is the one to consider when looking out over the bay matters more than having the broadest layout. For four or six guests, the two- and three-bedroom apartments offer separate sleeping areas, with balconies or terraces in selected categories and two bathrooms in the larger three-bedroom options.

Air conditioning and heating cover the obvious Mediterranean housekeeping, while the extra-long beds in the accommodation are useful if your legs have spent the day doing more work than planned. Private entrances, wardrobes, linen, towels, a hairdryer and a drying rack keep the basics in order. Some upper floors are reached by stairs only, so the easy-access apartment category is worth considering if that changes the calculation for you.

Breakfast comes as a buffet, with bread, cereals, eggs and fruit juice to get you moving before the day starts properly. It is served at Hotel Les Tourelles in the morning, between 08:00 and 10:00. That gives you a useful window, although it is not an early-bird diving breakfast.

The on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with fresh dishes prepared from regional ingredients. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available, so the table is not limited to one narrow way of eating. There is also a bar, a snack bar and a coffee house on site, plus wine and champagne when the occasion calls for something less functional than coffee.

The self-catering kitchens give you another route entirely. Pick up provisions in town, use the refrigerator and hob, and eat around your own table without dressing for dinner or explaining the day to anyone. For a change of venue, several restaurants are within a short walk, including Les Tourelles Restaurant le Festival, roughly 150 feet away, and others around 0.2 miles from the residence.

The outdoor pool is the main piece of afternoon business: a large Moorish-style pool with a sun terrace, loungers and parasols. There is also a children’s pool with a water slide, while the indoor pool is heated from November to April. You can therefore choose between a proper swim, a quiet stretch of deckchair time, or the more energetic soundtrack provided by children discovering the slide.

The wellness area includes a spa, massage, sauna, steam room, hammam and open-air bath. That is a fairly sensible menu for legs that have spent the day in fins, particularly when the plan is to recover rather than launch into another activity. A fitness room is also available if sitting still becomes too ambitious.

Away from the pools and spa, the grounds provide space for a slower wander, while table tennis, badminton equipment, boules facilities and a basketball court offer something to do between meals. Hiking is available, and a golf course lies within 2 miles. Saint-Tropez, reached by boat in 15 minutes, makes a more civilised excursion than trying to invent entertainment in the apartment.

Arrival is scheduled during the afternoon and early evening, and you need to tell the property when you expect to arrive. Check-out is before 10:00. If you will reach Sainte-Maxime outside reception hours, contact the property in advance rather than relying on luck and a closed door.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and private parking is available without needing to reserve a space. An airport shuttle can be arranged through the property. Cash is not accepted, so keep a payment card to hand for the practical bits of the stay.

Children of all ages are welcome. Cots are available for babies and extra beds can be requested, subject to the accommodation category and availability. Pets are accepted on request. Smoking and parties are not permitted, and quiet hours run from 22:00 to 07:00. The property also offers laundry facilities, useful when a coastal holiday has produced more damp clothing than anyone planned.