Before we continue on this beachy tour, I thought I’d share a little more information about this area, one of my favorite areas of the world. All of these beach clubs are on the crescent shaped Baie de Pampelonne, in Ramatuelle, France, near St. Tropez. The beauty of this area is that it is one of the few sections of the Cote d’Azur that has remained relatively rural. Local laws have preserved the area from being flooded with the strips of businesses that litter much of the French coastline.
A few windy miles behind the beach area is the quaint hilltown village of Ramatuelle, where we’ve rented a house for many a summer. The area between the hilltown and the sea is filled with beautiful, verdent tapestries, much of which are vineyards. This combination allows visitors to have the best of both worlds, the tranquil village life and the more glamourous world of St. Tropez and the Pampelonne beach clubs. There are many villas available to rent in the area. In addition to Ramatuelle, the nearby towns of Gassin, La Croix~Valmer and Grimaud will offer this idyllic combination.
Now, should we go to the beach?
One of my all time favorite beach clubs is Nioulargo-Kai Largo. It’s a wonderful family friendly beach, that has a secret weapon that keeps drawing me back.
The sand and white color scheme blends with the setting {on this morning, it had rained a little, so the matelas were still upright when we arrived}.
They offer a great little snack bar, where our kids love to go for paninis, and another, more formal restaurant which offers traditional fare from the region.
There is also a fun bar area, where they serve drinks and a play fabulous music, afternoon into early evening.
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But I think my favorite feature in the culinary oasis that is called Kai Largo.
As you approach Kai Largo, you almost have to blink to make sure you are seeing straight. Then at some point, probably around the time when the misting from the roofline first engulfs you, you feel as if you’ve been transported from France to an exotic beach restaurant in Thailand. In addition to the open air cabana above, there is a large dining room, outfitted in teak.
All the dark wood is accented with these stunning turquoise plates,
bright raspberry colored umbrellas,
and other exotic artifacts.
The decor is lovely, but what really draws me back is the food at the restaurant. There are numerous delectable dishes, but I’ll limit myself to my very favorites.
For starters, they offer platters of ingredients for making your own wraps…. various seafood items {mostly fried} come with cilantro, mint and lettuce leaves {that are so fresh, I believe they must pluck them from a garden out back just before bringing them to the table}. Flavorful sauces, and a yummy little mound of thinly sliced carrots that are somewhat pickled, finish the choices. The lettuce leaf is the wrap on which one piles an assortment to suit their fancy, then they can wrap the leaf around it and tuck in. This would be a easy thing to recreate at home, non?
It’s been nearly a decade since I have been to this restaurant, and I had nearly forgotten abou this wonderous salad.
But when I saw it on the menu, vague memories of deliciousness started drifting back to me….
and that green papaya salad did not disappoint; tender shrimp on the top, piles of shredded papaya, green onions and other vegetables beneath, and touches of cilantro, all tossed in a marvelously refreshing, tangy, vinegary dressing that puddled on the bottom of the bowl. I must admit I was tempted to tip the bowl and drink it {okay, maybe I took a little sip, when no one was looking}.
I am not usually a dessert girl, but these desserts are truly order worthy {even if you are wearing a bikini}. I am not sure which I would rate higher, the nicely battered and fried pineapple slices with a fresh coconut pudding in which to dip them,
or the fried bananas with an elegant caramel sauce.
And then there was that splendid little croquant that was on the side of this frothy cappuccino, YUM.
You’ve probably realized already this is a decadent bit of the world. The kind of place where one might order an eau-de-vie or grappa after lunch. Here, they served it with crushed ice to create a lovely little slushy of a digestive.
This drink inspired me for a frosty send off, I’ll share that later.
YUM!! Your provencal temptations are seemingly endless!! How utterly delightful. I'm not much of a dessert girl either but anything with fruit intrigues me!!
Emily a dream trip. Luxe, lush, relaxing and the food oh my! I would count those dessert dishes as healthy, fresh fruit, right?!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
looks heavenly…. cant wait for our girls night when you get back to hear more… xx