Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On the west side of
place Georges Clemenceau
, 13th-century
Porte Massillon
(look for
the clock) is the entrance to Hyères' Old Town. West along cobbled rue Massillon is beau-
tiful arcaded
rue des Porches
, with its polished flagstones and collection of boutiques.
The rambling hillside grove of
Parc St-Bernard
abuts
Villa Noailles
( 04 98 08 01
93;
www.villanoailles-hyeres.com
;
hrs vary)
below, a cubist maze of concrete and
glass designed by Robert Mallet-Stevens in 1923 as a winter residence for devoted lover
of modern art Vicomte Charles de Noailles.
Back downhill,
Parc Castel Ste-Claire
, a 17th-century convent converted into a
private residence, was home to American writer Edith Wharton from 1927. Today it
houses the headquarters of the
Parc National de Port-Cros
( 04 94 12 82 30;
www.portcrosparcnational.fr
;
50 rue Ste-Claire)
.
Sleeping
Aged hotels in the Old Town are beaten by great-value ones on Presqu'île de Giens.
Hôtel Bor €€
( 04 94 58 02 73;
www.hotel-bor.com
;
3 allée Émile Gérard, Hyères Beach; d from
€130; Mar-Oct; )
This sleek boutique hotel on the sand screams design.
Palm trees and potted plants speckle its wood-decking terrace, and sun loungers beg to be
used on its pebble beach. Rooms are in muted natural colours.
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Hôtel Le Méditerranée €
( 04 94 00 52 70;
www.hotel-lemediterranee.com
;
8 av de la Méditerranée, Hyères
Beach Road; s/d/tr/q from €72/75/90/103; mid-Jan-mid-Dec; )
This friendly
hotel abutting Hyères' horse-racing track is a one-minute walk to the Plage d'Hyères.
Bathrooms are modern, rooms are painted in typical Provençal colours and the best has a
balcony.
HOTEL
Eating
La Baleine €€
( 04 94 57 59 21; 19 quai du Docteur Robin, Port d'Hyères; 3-course menus with wine
€26; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun)
The pick of the port-front eateries has a stylish wood
terrace and interior tables floating inside a wooden whale-like frame; its menu is fish-driv-
en, modern and creative.
SEAFOOD
