La Réserve de Beaulieu

Le Vent Debout at La Reserve is one of my absolute top places in the world to visit. The view is stunning, the service outstanding the food is out of this world. We had a wonderful lunch by the pool, which was lovely and cool, the staff could not have been more friendly and, although simple, the lunch was sensational.

The hotel is charming, immaculate and the breakfast is excellent. However, many of the rooms do not have adequate air conditioning. We were there during a heat wave, but a hotel of this caliber and price should have rooms that can be cooled down even if it is hot outside (after all, it is not uncommon for heatwaves to pop up in August in South of France). We had multiple rooms and my own room was nice and fresh and cool (so it clearly can be done), but most of the others were uncomfortably hot. My (adult) children had trouble sleeping and came to our room to dress for dinner and for formal events we were attending becaue of the heat in their own rooms. At this price, this is ridiculous. We communicated with hotel and at first were told it would be fixed, then when the problem persisted, we were told it was a heat wave and nothing they could do. We received a small (not enough) discount for our trouble but after that, upon reflection, I was still very upset that this basic level of service was not met and that I spent so much money at this property. All the other properties I stayed at on that trip had working AC, as did my own room and surely it is not unreasonable to want this. I tried to speak with GM who did not respond to multiple emails nor did she call me as requested. Eventually she emailed and her explanation was that the air coming out of vents was cold (ok but they they need more vents to cool the room because the room was hot and I dispute this fact anyway - we did not feel much cold air coming into the room anywhere). GM said they offered to move our rooms to colder rooms (this implies that some rooms are colder than others and that we had hot rooms - so are they admitting our rooms were hot or not?). Unfortunately, the move offer was as we were leaving for a black tie wedding at 7pm and not returning until 2am and departing next morn. Too little too late. I am shocked at the GM's attitude and unwillingness to compensate for a basic problem. Pro tip: this hotel is NOT same organization as the fabulous La Reserve in Paris.

This hotel is exquisite in many ways. Ideal in size, never noisy. The staff are everywhere and almost glide effortlessly anticipating every need you might have. The decor is very elegant, modern, with a few antique pieces placed around the hotel. Our room was a lovely size, on the first floor looking into the courtyard and at the sea. Bathroom had a proper shower. There is a lovely sea water pool to spend the day around, recuperating and reading - lunch is top notch. One evening we went to their restaurant - which deserves a different review but suffice it to say was excellent. The only thing we found disappointing was the gym - which is too small and in the basement, so pretty claustrophobic. Otherwise - magnifique!

We had lunch at the poolside restaurant. Absolutely wonderful, relaxing, and very attentive friendly staff whose recommendations for wine and menu choices helped to lift our meal to the next level. Beautiful views, it is a restful seaside idyll.

My stay at the hotel truly exceeded expectations. The room was very comfortable, with beautiful views, and the overall atmosphere of the property was excellent. I especially enjoyed the town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer – it’s such a charming and cute place, perfect for a relaxing getaway.