Harry Metcalfe heads off in search of the Cote d’Azur’s hidden secrets.
Much as I love my Princess 61, I no longer own her outright. Back in late 2019, I offered six eight-week shares in Bateau9 via the Western Med division of The Yachtshare Network. And three years on, I’m very glad I did. Paying for maintenance and upgrades is a whole lot easier when the bills are split between seven shareholders – and the cruising element suits me too. Each shareholder gets to choose their week’s allocation at the beginning of the year and our first peak-season slot for 2022 was right at the start of July. So this year, rather than stay close to Bateau9’s home port of Antibes, we wanted to explore the area to the west of St Tropez. I’d heard good things about it and I suspected it might be a lot less crowded than the more famous hotspots closer to home.
CHATEAU LEOUBE
Our captain booked the first two nights in Port de Bormes-les-Mimosas. At just €92 per night, it was a really handy spot for us to meet up and get on board for our week away. Bormes turned out to be a reasonably sized marina but to our surprise, Bateau9 was the biggest boat in there and access to our berth was pretty tight. The local restaurants are excellent though and the central area of town is an easy walk away and packed full of tempting food shops.
From Bormes, we motored to Chateau Leoube, a gorgeous estate of vineyards and olive groves, just around the Cap. It’s owned by the Bamfords of JCB and Daylesford fame. They have a beautiful outdoor café on Pellegrin Beach, ringed by pine trees for welcome shade and it’s a world away from the packed beachside eateries we’re used to in Antibes. There’s even a tender service to take you ashore during the season, plus events including evening film screenings, yoga classes, live music and horse riding. In short, it’s now one of my favourite spots on the whole Riviera for a lazy afternoon, sipping rosé and nibbling on seafood.
The traffic-free island of Port-Cros offers some of the finest snorkelling in the Med
PORT GRIMAUD
It was tough dragging ourselves away from Chateau Leoube but the bright lights of St Tropez beckoned. The Captain managed to book a berth in nearby Port Grimaud (€150/ night) close to the church and within easy reach of the restaurants. It was also within walking distance of the excellent market, which is held on Thursdays and Sundays during the summer. Having berthed in Saint Tropez several times during high season, Port Grimaud proved to be a really pleasant surprise. It was around a third of the price and it has an atmosphere all of its own. There are easy links to St Tro
