Les Roches Rouges | Saint-Raphaël, France
Mid-century Riviera modernism where white architecture, red Estérel rock and the Mediterranean meet
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● Festen Architecture stripped away decades of additions to rediscover the clean modernist character of the original 1950s seaside hotel.
● Vintage pieces by Pierre Chareau, Willy Guhl and Charlotte Perriand sit alongside bespoke ceramics and contemporary art, creating a Riviera interior that feels collected rather than decorated.
● Its extraordinary saltwater pool, carved directly into the red rocks beside the Mediterranean, remains one of the great hotel swimming spots on the Côte d’Azur.
A Modernist Escape from the Riviera Circus
There is another Côte d’Azur beyond Cannes and Saint-Tropez. Follow the Corniche d’Or towards Saint-Raphaël and the coastline becomes increasingly elemental: pine-covered hills tumble towards small coves, rust-red Estérel rock collides with impossibly blue water and the Riviera begins to feel wild again. Les Roches Rouges occupies a spectacular position within this landscape. The original 1950s hotel was revived by hotelier Valéry Grégo, who asked Paris-based Festen Architecture — Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay — to peel away years of unsympathetic alterations and rediscover its modernist soul. Their approach was refreshingly restrained. White walls. Concrete floors. Simple forms. Mediterranean light. And everywhere, the sea.
Modernism with a Mediterranean Accent
Festen resisted turning the hotel into a polished imitation of the 1950s. Instead, the interiors combine modernist clarity with objects that give the building a more lived-in Riviera character. Antique dealers Hélène Breheret and Benjamin Desprez sourced pieces by designers including Pierre Chareau, Willy Guhl and Charlotte Perriand, while sculptor Guy Bareff created bespoke terracotta wall lights. Art provides another layer. Rosemarie Auberson developed colour-block works around Mediterranean blues, while Caroline Denervaud’s abstractions introduce looser flashes of colour. The palette itself comes directly from outside: brilliant white, deep sea blue, ochre and the rusty reds of the Estérel. Nothing needs to compete with the landscape.
Rooms Framed by the Sea
The guestrooms continue the same stripped-back philosophy. White walls and concrete floors create an almost gallery-like calm, softened by timber, woven textures, vintage objects and colourful abstract art. Most rooms look towards the Mediterranean, many opening onto balconies or terraces. The simplicity is deliberate. Rather than filling the rooms with decorative gestures, windows become their most important feature. Beds, baths and terraces are positioned around views of the sea, allowing the changing Mediterranean light to provide much of the atmosphere. It feels closer to inhabiting a modernist holiday house than checking into a conventional Riviera resort.
Swimming in the Rocks
Then there is the pool. Rather than simply placing another infinity pool above the Mediterranean, Les Roches Rouges has a spectacular 30-metre natural saltwater pool carved directly into the rocks at the water’s edge. Beside it sits a more conventional lap pool, while stone terraces descend towards the sea. It is the defining image of the hotel: swimmers suspended between architecture, volcanic-looking red rock and open Mediterranean. The glamour comes almost entirely from the setting.
A New Chapter
In 2025, Les Roches Rouges expanded along the seafront with 25 additional rooms and new hospitality spaces designed by Paris-based Atelier Saint-Lazare, led by Antoine Ricardou and Clémentine Larroumet. Rather than introducing a competing aesthetic, the studio continued the architectural restraint of the original revival. Floor-to-ceiling glazing, private patios, tactile natural materials and understated furnishings keep attention focused outward, while new terraces strengthen the relationship between the hotel and the coastline. The expansion also introduced a spa and additional places to eat and drink, allowing the hotel to grow without losing the low-key character that made it distinctive in the first place.
From Récif to La Chicoula
Food follows the same Mediterranean logic. Récif is the hotel’s gastronomic restaurant, centred on seafood, vegetables and ingredients drawn from the surrounding region. Estelo takes a more relaxed approach, while La Chicoula channels the informal spirit of a French guinguette beside the water. Cocktails incorporate flavours such as lavender and thyme, Provençal rosé appears almost inevitably, and meals frequently unfold outside. There are plenty of sophisticated touches, but the essential pleasure is uncomplicated: eating freshly prepared Mediterranean food within sight and sound of the sea.
Why It Works
Les Roches Rouges understands something many Riviera hotels forget: when the setting is this extraordinary, design does not need to shout. Festen Architecture gave the original building back its modernist clarity. Carefully chosen vintage furniture, ceramics and contemporary art provide personality without nostalgia, while the later Atelier Saint-Lazare additions respectfully continue the story. But ultimately the architecture is there to frame three things. Red rock. Blue water. Mediterranean light. For travellers who love the Côte d’Azur but could happily live without its velvet ropes and superyacht theatre, Les Roches Rouges offers something far more seductive: Riviera glamour stripped back to its essentials.
