Mirella Pandjaitan
May 04, 2026
The long-awaited day has arrived. A once iconic landmark in the French Riviera has re-emerged from the bygone era, with the official opening of COMO Le Beauvallon. There are certain addresses on the French Riviera that never quite fade yet simply wait for the right moment to return. And this is one of them.
COMO Hotels and Resorts breathes new life into one of the Côte d’Azur’s most storied retreats, reintroducing it with a sense of quiet confidence and contemporary allure. Originally opened in 1914, the former Belle Époque palace once drew an effortlessly glamorous crowd, from Winston Churchill to Colette and Audrey Hepburn, to its understated seclusion and cinematic views. Today, that same spirit lingers, reinterpreted through a more refined lens.
The feeling of staying in a private home rather than a hotel belongs to all 42 individually designed rooms and suites overlooking the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, many of which feature highlights from the hotel’s collection of contemporary art: more than 300 pieces, including sculptures, installations, and rare objets d'art. All 28 suites, including the signature COMO Suite, have sweeping views of the bay, whilst the Hillview rooms face the Provençal countryside.
From the main house, the landscape gently descends toward Beauvallon Sur Mer (the hotel’s beachside extension), where a bayside pool, rooftop bar, and open-air restaurant frame the horizon. A private jetty extends to a seamless passage across the water, with COMO’s speedboat gliding guests to Saint-Tropez in under ten minutes, while Pampelonne’s iconic shoreline remains effortlessly within reach.
At the heart of this new chapter is a culinary direction shaped by Yannick Alléno, whose approach feels both expansive and deeply rooted in place. His presence brings a certain gravity to the experience — not through excess, but through precision and narrative. Across the hotel’s dining spaces, from slow, sunlit breakfasts to evenings that stretch long past sunset, the cuisine unfolds with a quiet confidence, positioning COMO Le Beauvallon as one of the Riviera’s most compelling gastronomic destinations for the seasons ahead.
Here, heritage doesn’t compete with modernity — it settles into it, effortlessly.
For his first beach-club restaurant, Chef Alléno draws on the depth and precision of Southeast Asian culinary traditions, bringing them into conversation with the bright flavours of the Mediterranean. The result is a confident, contemporary dialogue expressed through generous sharing plates and signature dishes such as yellowtail tartare with peanuts and Thai basil ice cream, sea bass crudo marinated in baijiu with green papaya Som Tum style, and seared tuna steak served with Kampot pepper sauce.
“I didn’t expect to be so deeply moved by this place. The gulf, the light, and the history of this palace, dormant for so many years, create a real sense of responsibility. I now have 21 addresses around the world, and travel is at the heart of each one. COMO Le Beauvallon will be a destination in its own right,” he explained.
For Beauvallon Sur Mer’s renaissance, COMO and Chef Alléno turned to French designer Dorothée Delaye, whose fresh, luminous vision bridges Belle Époque refinement with a contemporary spirit inspired by the carefree glamour of the 1950s Côte d’Azur. Fluid wrought-iron curves, yacht-like marquetry, and sunlit Riviera hues animate every space—from the rotunda with its soft, filtered light, to the convivial restaurant terrace and graphic poolside setting. Open to both hotel guests and visitors, Beauvallon Sur Mer follows the rhythm of the day, evolving from a vibrant lunch destination into a late evening rendezvous. At its heart, the lounge comes alive to a DJ-led soundtrack, anchoring the experience, while two sea-facing dining areas and a rooftop terrace offer uninterrupted views across the bay.
The beach club’s striking 25-metre mosaic pool, reserved exclusively for hotel guests, sits beside a sandy sun-lounging area with direct access to the beach, forming a serene beachfront enclave. Guests can also explore the resort’s boutique, Shop by COMO, and discover one of the bayside gardens’ most remarkable architectural features: the 2002 Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Toyo Ito. Set against the sea, Ito's masterpiece appears suspended between sky, water, and light—an emblem of poetic modernism, and a striking backdrop to private events, including weddings.
Alternative dining awaits in the hotel building, where the Winter Garden offers all-day dining beneath a luminous glass ceiling that dissolves the boundary between indoors and out. Here, Chef Alléno’s Mediterranean dishes with Niçoise accents meet French classics in a Belle Époque spirit, enjoyed from breakfast through to dinner in the restaurant or on the terrace overlooking the Provençal hills. As the day unfolds, the atmosphere shifts to the Riviera Terrace—an open-air lounge designed by Paola Navone of Milan’s Otto Studio—where sweeping views of the gulf can be enjoyed with cocktails and refined snacks.
“The rebirth of COMO Le Beauvallon reflects our ambition to invest in France’s iconic destinations through a contemporary vision of hospitality. Our collaboration with Yannick Alléno brings that long-term vision to life, transforming COMO Le Beauvallon into a true culinary destination,” said Olivier Jolivet, CEO of COMO Holdings.
The hotel also features an intimate COMO Shambhala retreat with two treatment rooms, delivering holistic therapies shaped by COMO Shambhala's expert-led, hands-on approach. Guests can enjoy a fully equipped gym and daily yoga classes for a well-rounded wellbeing experience infused with COMO’s signature focus on restorative living.
Accessible by sea, land, or sky with yacht moorings directly offshore and on-site helicopter landings, COMO Le Beauvallon stands once again as a Riviera icon, its heritage preserved, its spirit renewed, and its future shaped by a compelling new culinary and cultural identity.
COMO Le Beauvallon starts from €840 per night. Visit www.comohotels.com/lebeauvallon to book or for more details.