Luxury hotel with Michelin star restaurant in the hilltops of the Côte d’Azur:

Staying and dining in style on the French Riviera usually comes with a hefty price tag. This is especially true for beachfront hotels. As my husband and I were not ready to pay the excessive prices they ask for in this area, we settled on a luxury hotel a bit away from the sea on our recent Italy/France trip. And this was Château Saint-Martin in the hilltops of Nice resp. Antibes. It has a Michelin starred restaurant and sea views, although from far away. Last but not least, Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills is also a historic property that goes back to the 1150s!

Before coming to how it is staying and dining in style in the hilltops of the Côte d’Azur, here a wrap-up of the recent journey we did in northern Italy and southern France.

North Italy and south France 11-day itinerary

Piedmont in northern Italy was the first destination. The start made Lake Orta (my hotel post, my activities post), adjacent to  Switzerland. Then it went to Alba, where you find one of Italy’s famous wine regions (where to stay, what to do). Next was the Italian Riviera around Alassio (my hotel post, my activities post), our first stay on the sea

since two years – due to Corona. And from here, it is not far to the French Riviera, where we went inland a bit. First, to the French Riviera hills near Nice resp. Antibes (hotel/two walks), then to the Provence, in the immediate neighborhood of Les Baux-de-Provence. On our way back to Switzerland, we made one more stop south of Lyon.

Everywhere we went, we opted for luxury hotels and Michelin restaurants. But we did only so in case they are worth the price tag.

Staying in style at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

Location

Château Saint-Martin is located in the hinterland of Nice resp. Antibes. I think calling this area the French Riviera hills is quite appropriate.

From the mentioned cities on the coast, you can reach it in about 25 minutes by car. If you want to come here by using public transport, it is an option. You need about about 45 minutes to an hour, taking the train first to Cagnes-sur-Mer and then changing to the bus.

The luxury Château towers high above the medieval town of Vence.

This is a really pretty place that deserves a visit from the coast. Its old town, complete with walls, is atmospheric yet untouristy. Meandering trough its picturesque alleys is a great thing to do.

History of Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

Château Saint-Martin in the French Rivera hills was built as a castle for the Templar commandery back in the 1100s. Later on, in the 1900s, a Polish count bought the domain in ruins and rebuilt it. You still find traces of the original ruins onsite, which are listed as monument in the the French historical register.

The Château found a new owner, a Parisian businessman, in 1935. Some twenty years later, he turned it into a hotel. In 1994, the hotel passed into the hands of the Oetker family and is now a part of the prestigious Oetker Collection.

If you wonder about the Oetker family and their hotel group, a few lines about this topic follow right now.

Oetker Collection

The Oetker Group is one of the largest family-run businesses in Germany. They got rich in the food industry. Their Oetker Collection hotel group was established in 2008. At the time, they already owned a handful of luxury hotels. It all began in 1941, when a member of the family purchased the Brenners Park-Hotel in Baden-Baden/Germany. Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes joined it in 1969. The third one was Le Bristol in Paris, in 1978. And next was Château Saint-Martin in 1994.

Nowadays, the Oetker Collection counts seven more hotels. The newest additions are The Woodward in Geneva (2020) and Hotel La Palma in Capri (2021).

Ambiance/Staff

The property is huge, sprawling on 14 hectares/34 acres, especially if you consider its hilltop location.

As a consequence, there is lots of space so that guests should not get in each other’s way. Château Saint-Martin in the French Rivera hills is a member of the renowned The Leading Hotels of the World and therefore a magnet for English spoken travelers. And there were many of them on our stay. I do not think that we met any guests coming from France. That was a bit of a pity because I think that the absence of locals at a hotel make it some kind of interchangeable. In such a way, it could be anywhere in the world.

Staff was friendly, attentive and professional at all times. The standard of service never failed to impress. The only thing I disliked was the fact that we were almost always addressed in Englisch although my husband and I can speak French. Some of the staff remembered it, others did not. But otherwise there is nothing to criticize.

Rooms/Pricing at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

46 rooms are available, and you can choose out of ten categories. The range goes from a Deluxe Room (25-30 sqm) to a Three Bedroom Villa (155 sqm). If you care for a sea view, you have to opt from a Superior Junior Suite upwards.

Prices start from about 460 €/US$ (without breakfast). And the hotel is open in the summer season only.

In the following a few details to our choice of room, a Superior Junior Suite.

Superior Junior Suite

We went for a Superior Junior Suite as we wanted to have sea views. And the room did not disappoint in this regard. Not only could we view the Mediterranean Sea – from far away – but also the town of Vence.

Yet the room was convincing in every other aspect. It was spacious (40 – 45 sqm), nicely furnished in a contemporary design, featuring a living area

and a sizable bathroom.

In terms of rates, you can either choose the best available rate (without breakfast) or the half board rate. The latter includes the breakfast plus a three-course menu dinner at the Michelin starred Restaurant Le Saint-Martin. As I am fan of half board arrangements – so you are not tempted to have a tasting menu at any evening of your vacation – , we booked this option. That did cost us 1,160 €/US$ per day. This is of course far away from being a bargain. However, if you compare this rate to the prices you have to pay at upscale Côte d’Azur beach front establishments, it seems very competitive.

Facilities at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

The facilities here are top notch. Four restaurants are onsite, two of them are outdoor ones, therefore only weather permitting. Le Saint-Martin is the signature dining-spot amongst them. Find details about dining here in the separate section below. Le Rossini

is the place for cocktails and afternoon tea. L’Oliveraie is an outdoor lunch spot offering grilled meat and fish along with pizzas, teppanyaki plates and salads. The Pool Bar serves drinks and is also open for pre-dinner cocktails, again if the weather permits it.

The spa, including fitness facilities and a boutique, seems to be first-rate – we did not use it – , it was voted as “Best luxury spa destination in Europe”. They partner with La Prairie. Then, there is a garden for a quick stroll complete with a large infinity pool

and two tennis courts. Also a kids club (outdoor) is on the premises. Finally, Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills exhibits art, too. In 2021 and 2022, it is about works of Manolo Valdés.

Activities in the French Riviera

In terms of activities in the area, you can book tours to cycle or walk the French Riviera at the hotel. They come with picnic lunch or snack, prepared by the Michelin starred chef. A walking tour guided by him is an option, too. That all sounds promising, however be prepared to fork out some cash.

If you like walking and exploring, I have two suggestions for the area – which are free. While one of them starts directly at hotel and leads to one to the most visited villages in the area,

the other is a tour along the Mediterranean Sea.

Come back later and check out my post about what to do on the French Rivera, soon on my blog.

Speaking of walking, you can reach Vence, the beautiful town at your feet, by foot, too.

There is a path about 150 m/490 ft from the hotel. Turn right at the entrance and you can access it on your right (well hidden) when reaching a small strip of forest. It is a hiking trail first, then you have to cross Avenue des Templiers to reach Chemin du Riou. Here you turn right into Chemin Saint-Martin until you come to Avenue du Maréchal Joffre. Turn left and walk to the next crossing. Turn right and cross the bridge. From here there are signposts for the town center. You need about 20 minutes to reach it from the hotel. The way back is considerably more strenuous, up a steep hill, count in about 30 minutes. One more remark, it would astonish me if many guests at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills took this path. The typical clientele look as they are used to being chauffeured around.

Dining in style at Le Saint-Martin, one-star Michelin restaurant

Before coming to the dinner experience at Restaurant Le Saint-Martin, a brief introduction of the Michelin starred chef.

Chef at Le Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

Jean-Luc Lefrançois is a very experienced chef, and he seems to be fond of working in high-end hotels. After 30 years at renown Parisian establishments just as the Ritz or the Bristol

he has been in charge in the French Riviera hills since 2015. And he has a “winter job” as well because the hotel is only open during summer. He does so at L’Apogée Courchevel, a mountain resort in the French Alps, also part of the Oetker Collection.

At Le Saint-Martin he offers a southern-oriented, Mediterranean cuisine. He cooks seasonally and sources from the region. For his creations he uses summer vegetables just as olives, zucchini or tomatoes. His signature dish is seabass, pistachio crusted, accompanied by olive polenta. Jean-Luc Lefrançois especially likes preparing carrots, in any color, and his preferred herb is basil.

And as a very sporty man – he does ultra marathons in summer and ski tours in winter – his favorite food is rice, according to his statements, he could live on it.

Quite astonishing, his preferences, aren’t they? Quite frugal for such a decorated chef … But now to the restaurant and the food you get at the chateau.

Restaurant Le Saint-Martin

You should hope for a warm summer evening when dining at Le Saint-Martin at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills. In this case, you can sit on the beautiful terrace boasting sweeping views of the countryside and the Mediterranean Sea.

Yet also the interiors are a good spot for dining in style, they seem to have received a stylish makeover recently.

In terms of menus, there is either an à la carte option or – if you are on half board as we were – the Menu du Marché. The later entitles you not only to a fabulous breakfast – the cakes are fantastic – , but also to choose three courses from a daily changing menu. Find in the following what you get and how it was.

Menu du Marché

On our stay, we could make a choice out of two starters (fish or vegetarian), two main courses (fish or poultry) and two desserts. And if you feel like having cheese,

this is possible of course  – and highly recommended, from the excellent cheese trolley (for additional costs).

In terms of starters, we had the ones with raw fish on both days and they were superb! On day one, it was sea bream as sashimi with citrus fruit jelly, cucumber and raspberry.

The following day, we indulged in salmon as tartare in unison with citrus fruits, crispy Japanese pearl and horseradish.

As to main courses, on one day, we decided on scorpion fish accompanied by chickpea fries, candied lemon and zucchini with rosemary.

The other day, the quail sounded so tempting that we could not help but ordering it. And it was totally worth it! The chef served it roasted with curry combined with melting potatoes and Nice-style vegetables.

And when it came to desserts, I had troubles to make a choice both times. I would have loved to try all the four sweet delicacies that were proposed to us. While one one occasion my husband had the vanilla cheesecake made out of four spices shortbread, passion cream, exotic coulis and fresh mango, I went for the strawberry pavlova.

This was an artwork of meringue, vanilla cream, strawberry coulis and strawberry sorbet. It was divine! The next day, we both ordered the panna cotta, which was sublime, again. It was an original vanilla version with basil poached strawberries and a strawberry sorbet.

I could not be happier with our dinner experience at Le Saint-Martin! The chef’s style suited me perfectly. He knows what he does! All his creations were well composed, big on flavor, carefully prepared and presented. Do not expect experimental cuisine here but extremely well made Mediterranean food, expertly crafted with the necessary refined touch. The one-star Michelin award for this restaurant is well deserved!

Overall Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills

If you want to stay at a high-end hotel on the French Riviera but consider the seafront properties as way too expensive, then Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills is the perfect choice. It offers everything discerning guests look for and even features a one-star Michelin restaurant. While this luxury lodging is not exactly a bargain, its pricing is competitive compared to others in the area and given the quality. The accommodation is located in the French Riviera hills and offers sea views (from far away)

and you can reach the coast in less than half an hour by car. And the countryside here is beautiful with many interesting spots to visit. Soon on my blog you will find some (walking) activities in south France.

Looking back and forward

On a 11-day trip through north Italy and south France, the stay at Château Saint-Martin in the French Riviera hills was the first of three stops in France. Another one in the Provence

and one south of Lyon were to follow. Behind us at that point, there were a halt on the Italian Rivera and two in Piedmont. On the whole journey we made sure that we traveled and dined in style whenever it was possible, and we got value for money. That means luxury hotels and (Michelin) fine dining, which are not priced excessively.

Date of stay: September 2021

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