Our top 5 seaside hotels to make summer last longer

The first stands proudly on the Normandy customs path, the second backs onto the (sublime) Dune du Pyla, and the others stretch from the Breton coast to the beaches of the Riviera.The hotels we've chosen for you all share a rare privilege: a 180° view of the sea, with access to the beach for the ultimate swim...

Le Landemer in Normandy

Nestled at the start of the Douaniers trail that leads to the Hague after 80 km of dreamy ocean views, this Normandy house was a favorite refuge for Claude Monet, Boris Vian and Françoise Sagan. Restored in 2014, it houses six rooms and suites full of charm (Italian fabrics, oak parquet floors...), all open onto the sea with a 180° view Want to be even closer to the sea spray? Just reserve one of the rooms in the longère, built right into the sand and extended by a small terrace. The final attraction of this rare refuge is the restaurant, run by Dutch chef Hendrik Jansen van der Sligte, offering 100% locavore cuisine.

• Room from 127 euros
• 2 rue des Douanes 50460 Urville-Nacqueville. Tel: 02 33 04 05
• www.le-landemer.com

Le Castel Beau Site in Perros Guirec

Not far from Perros-Guirec and on the beach of Saint-Guirec, one of the most beautiful on the coast, this 1930s villa is a cult address for sea lovers. The 33 rooms and suites are brightly decorated in shades of white and beige, with attractive blonde wood floors.You can also enjoy the view from La Table de mon Père, the restaurant run by Nicolas Le Luyer. A member of the H8 collection, this is an address that celebrates a natural and authentic Brittany, with electric bikes available to explore the coast or paddles to take on the waves.

• Rooms from 169 euros
• 137 rue Saint-Guirrec 22700 Perros-guirc. Tel: 02 96 91 40 87
• www.castelbeausite.com

Paul Bréchu

Hôtel La Co(o)rniche in Pyla-sur-mer

Unquestionably the finest address in the Arcachon basin. Imagine a 1930s hunting lodge with an exceptional view of the Dune du Pyla (the highest in Europe), Cap Ferret and the Banc d'Arguin. Redesigned by Philippe Starck in 2009, the establishment lives up to its geography, with 11 ultra-chic rooms in the main building and 18 in oyster farm-style bungalows. All are decorated with raw materials and warm tones, beautiful rattan furniture and oriental tiles, not forgetting the terraces that open onto the ocean... The ocean, in fact, that you can admire from a perched rooftop.The ocean, in fact, which can be admired from a rooftop perched 50 m above sea level, where you can sip a cocktail and enjoy a seafood platter while watching the hypnotic sunset over the Atlantic.

• Rooms from 591 euros
• 46 avenue Louis Gaume 33150 La Teste-de-Buch. Tel: 05 56 22 72 11
• www.lacoorniche-pyla.com

Hotel Amour in Nice

In the heart of Nice and a stone's throw from the Negresco, the Hôtel Amour takes on the allure of a southern villa, with 38 rooms decorated with antique furniture, palatial bedding and bathrooms with Italian-style showers. If the rooms are seductive for their chic and naughty side, the place is also worth a visit for its patio, its Greek tavern with products sourced in Kalamata and, above all, a dreamy roof top with a swimming pool that reveals a 180° view of the Mediterranean. Sea lovers will prefer the private beach just a stone's throw away, with its striped parasols and azure deckchairs.

• Rooms from 109 euros
• 3 avenue des Fleurs 06000 Nice. Tel: 04 65 27 10 10
• www.hotelamournice.fr

Les Bords De Mer, Marseille

One of the most seductive places in Marseille... In place of the Richelieu - the city's historic hotel - this address inaugurated in 2019 brings together everything we love: 19 rooms with balconies or terraces overlooking the sea, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, a spa with organic treatments bys Susanne Kaufmann, a rooftop with a swimming pool and a confidential bar where you can enjoy a peaceful view of the Mediterranean and, as a backdrop, the Frioul islands. The best part is the little staircase leading down to the private beach, right in the heart of Marseille. We owe this nugget to the duo Frédéric Biousse and Guillaume Foucher who, with Les Domaines de Fontenille, are building one of the most desirable hotel collections of the moment.

• Rooms from 346 euros
• 52 Corniche Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy 13007 Marseille. Tel: 04 94 34 00
• www.lesdomainesdefontenille.com/fr/lesbordsdemer.html

©Yann Deret