Inside the 19th century château in St Tropez where hotel guests are ferried to the beach in Rolls-Royces and season four of The White Lotus is about to start filming
The previous three seasons of the hit TV show have all taken place at a Four Seasons property, but season four is now believed to be set inside Château de la Messardière, an Airelles hotel.
Best time to go
May to the end of September. St Tropez is at its busiest in summer, but it’s also when it has an irresistible buzz. Pick up a miniature tarte tropézienne at La Tarte Tropézienne (multiple venues).
The word perfect is often abused, but there are few better ways to describe the interiors at Château de la Messardière, a fairy-tale building on the outskirts of St Tropez.
Its size is deceptive; the architecture, layout and landscaping cleverly designed so it’s impossible to get a complete view from outside, despite the prominent, hilltop position.
Some of the bedrooms and suites are in the main hotel — approached via a long driveway that gives little away — others in pale ochre-coloured buildings set around a shimmering swimming pool. Seemingly single storey, these smaller structures are built into the hillside and drop away on the other side, concealing more rooms and a peaceful spa. There’s another, quieter lap pool, hidden amid the herb-filled gardens.
Château de la Messardière is part of the Airelles group’s latest acquisition (the sister hotels in Gordes, Val d’Isère and Versailles are equally pretty and a hotel in Venice is slated to open this spring) and 2022 was its first full season, following a glamorous transformation.
We stayed in the white, wood-panelled Deluxe Suite with its generously sized separate sitting and dining room, walk-through dressing room and feminine French bedroom. There are dual-aspect views, to St Tropez on one side and Pampelonne on the other. The attention to detail everywhere is unparalleled, from the linen-covered shelves to the contrasting white piping on the pinky-peach upholstery.
Guests can escape to Jardin Tropézina, the hotel’s private beach club, in a complimentary Rolls-Royce shuttle, but we preferred to sit among the potted olive trees at 1904, the all-day dining, poolside restaurant. There’s ice cream for pudding, served from a cart at your sun lounger. Other options include French fine dining at Les Délices du Pan Deï or pan-Asian cuisine at Matsuhisa Saint-Tropez.
Château de la Messardière reopens for the summer season on April 24, 2026. Superior Rooms from €1,250 a night. The price includes breakfast, sunbeds at Jardin Tropézina club and transfers to the beach and town centre. Visit the Airelles website for more information and to book.
