'If there is a European hotel with more magical swim spots then I have yet to find it': Stay on the private island of the man behind the world’s favourite pastis
Our Travel Editor was one of the first to stay at Zannier Île de Bendor.
Paul Ricard (1909-97) was a man who wore myriad hats. He loved to sail and to paint, and would’ve become an artist if his family had not intervened. He reportedly wanted to experience the challenges of building a race circuit — so he did. Circuit Paul Ricard — which in its heyday was hailed as one of the safest tracks in the world — hosted France’s Formula 1 race for two decades.
He also founded an Oceanographic Institute. Yet Ricard is probably best known as the inventor of the eponymous pastis brand which merged, in 1975, with its competitor Pernod, to create Pernod Ricard.
When Paul Ricard bought Île de Bendor, it was uninhabited and essentially barren — he helped to establish it as a creative hub.
Now, his legacy includes Île de Bendor, one of two petite islands that he acquired off the coast of Bandol. Salvador Dalí, a friend, visited during Ricard’s lifetime, as did Joesphine Baker and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Following a five-year-long build, masterminded by Zannier Hotels, you can follow in their footsteps.
There are two, 1960s-era buildings, built by Ricard and situated at either end of the 700-metre-long island off the Côte d’Azur in the Var region. They are run as two very different hotels: Delos, which nods, more overtly, to the period it was built in with mid-century-inspired furniture, bespoke powder blue walls and cocktail making kits in the bedrooms, and Soukana, an Asian-inspired retreat with cocooning, earthy toned rooms and complimentary yoga mats and a sleek, 25-metre-long pool with panoramic views.
Thirty-nine-room Delos has views of Bandol's harbour.
Soukana offers spacious options for groups and families including two-bedroom suites.
What they have in common is a timeless quality to their architecture that’s sadly lacking from most of our contemporary buildings — I assumed they’d been built more recently (in fact, only the insides were updated during the renovation). Furthermore, they look wonderfully austere against the cornflower blue sweep of summer sky.
In the middle are an adorable cluster of five, two-storey former fisherman’s cottages, or Madrague Houses, designed to accommodate couples, plus multiple restaurants, from a beachside brasserie, to a crêperie. In homage to Ricard’s artistic tendencies, there is a row of artist’s studios, immersive design workshops and galleries, that are home to a rotating roster of painters, sculptors and craftspeople. Their works, displayed across the island, are available for purchase.
A colossal statue of Neptune (above) watches over everything — including the 1,200-square-metre, monastic-looking spa — from his sentry spot in a high-up, tranquil garden studded with ancient olive trees. With everything you could ever want in easy reach, there’s no real reason to leave the island, but, unlike more traditional holiday resorts, there’s no sense of confinement. The experience is one of complete freedom and days unfurl at your own pace.
If a single stop off isn't really your bag, you can embark on a wider artistic pilgrimage with Original Travel’s Art and the Côte d’Azur road trip itinerary which traces the dazzling Mediterranean coastline and landscapes that inspired Matisse, Picasso, Renoir and Chagall. It's a stylish way to experience the Riviera through the eyes of its greatest painters and I imagine Ricard would've approved.
Île de Bendor is lapped by a glassy ocean, its floor sandy in places and carpeted in strands of dark, ribbon-like grasses, populated with pearly white fish, in others. There’s a shallow beach on the side of the island facing mainland France, a few swim strokes away, and ladders that plunge straight into deeper water from flattened rocky areas on the opposite side.
If there is a European hotel with more magical swim spots then I have yet to find it.
Original Travel’s seven-night Art and the Cote D’Azur costs from £4,360 per person. The price includes return flights, car hire, and accommodation, and can be customised to include a stay at Zannier Île de Bandor. Visit their website for more information and to book.
