Arnaud Donckele is a French chef renowned for his work at two Michelin 3-star restaurants: La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez and Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris.
Located directly on the beach at Plage de la Bouillabaisse, Cheval Blanc St-Tropez is a luxury hotel offering a serene and exclusive experience on the French Riviera. It boasts a 3-Michelin-starred restaurant.
Customer Perception
Guests praise the hotel's beautiful location on the sea, spacious and nicely decorated rooms, and the high quality of dining. The garden dining experience is particularly recommended.
Likely during peak Riviera season, though specific recommendations are not available. The hotel's website mentions October 11, 2025, suggesting it is a year-round destination.
This is my second time in St Tropez and the first time at Le Cheval Blanc and wow, I can only say wow.
If you look at my reviews I have stayed at amazing hotels and this might be the top one.
Firstly it’s the only hotel on the ocean in St Tropez, no other.
Secondly the service is absolutely incredible, housekeeping is amazing, bar tenders are amazing and the restaurant servers for breakfast, lunch and dinner are spectacular, yes spectacular, watching them work is like watching the ballet.
Amazing hotel and we can’t wait to go back next year. Btw the rooms are also incredible.
We stopped by for a drink at 7:00 p.m. on a Monday. The valet parking attendants welcomed us warmly, but since we did not have a reservation, they informed us that access usually not be allowed. We politely asked them to check with reception, and a lady came over to tell us that the bar was fully booked, despite the fact that the venue appeared almost empty.
The attitude felt unnecessarily pretentious, and the experience did not reflect the level of hospitality one would expect. We had initially considered looking at the restaurant and potentially making a reservation for another visit, but after this interaction, we are not inclined to return anytime soon, even though we visit St. Tropez regularly.
We ultimately went to Hotel La Messardière, where we received a genuinely warm welcome and enjoyed a much more pleasant experience.
Saint Tropez is unique because it is just a tiny village with so many restaurants, shops etc
etc. But there is no space. So do not expect here the same luxury as you will get from Cheval Blanc at other locations.
The service, food etc. are perfect as usual.
But the location isn't that fantastic and you must take the shuttle to go anywhere. Also the shuttle stops at 1AM so if you go party and finish late, you must find an Uber or taxi. This is the biggest drawback. In St Tropez you will need a shuttle 24/7.
Other than that, I find it to have the best amenities and service of all the downtown hotels from Saint Tropez.
Firstly, the hotel is beautifully located with a cute little beach for the hotel guests. The restaurant, La Tereza was out of this world, the waiters gave next level service and the ambiance was classy yet warm! We had lunch so it was a set menu (you could still choose from options, 5 star is an understatement! I had the bursts as starter, lobster for main and strawberry cake for dessert. It was just amazing!
