What to do around the chalet

On day one, leave the car

This is the advice we give every guest. You arrive tired, often late in the afternoon, and the temptation is to head straight back out to the sea. The estate is more than enough for a first evening and a first day: time to unpack, get your bearings and let the children burn off some energy.

Everything is walkable from the plot. The residential quarter sits away from the main entrance: you walk past the sports courts, the pétanque pitch and the mini-golf to reach the heart of the village. A few minutes on foot, no more.

• Water park, 4 pools

  Wave pool, counter-current river, a 500 m² main pool and a four-lane 35 m slide. Access via the Fun Pass.

• Balneo spa pool

  230 m² of hydromassage benches and jets, heated according to the season. Access via the Fun Pass.

• Children's water garden

  A 100 m² paddling pool and water games for under-12s. Access via the Fun Pass.

• Entertainment & kids' club

  Aquagym, water polo, supervised games and a show esplanade. The kids' club is covered by the Fun Pass.

• Estate restaurant

  A panoramic dining room open for lunch and dinner, at the heart of the village.

• Snack bar & ice cream

  Thatched cabanas by the pools for lunch at the water's edge.

• Sports & fitness room

  Indoor and outdoor gym, tennis, padel, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, mini-golf, pétanque, archery, skate park and bike trial.

• Grocery & services

  Grocery, shop, laundry, games room, hairdresser, masseur and an EV charging point.

What the Fun Pass opens — and what stays free

Worth knowing before you arrive — it saves a disappointment at the poolside. The Fun Pass, compulsory and paid at the estate reception on arrival, gives access to the water park and the kids' club. It covers the tourist tax and is charged per week per accommodation.

The rest requires no pass: the sports courts, the fitness room, the restaurant, the snack bar, the grocery and the shops are freely accessible throughout your stay.

One detail that often catches people out: in the pools, only swimming costumes are allowed — no shorts, no loose trunks. Pack them before you leave rather than buying them on site.

April

€100

May, June, September, October

€70

July, August

€150

November to March

Water park closed

The beaches, from nearest to finest

The chalet is not on the seafront, and that is deliberate: you get the quiet of a residential estate with the coast half an hour away. Three destinations are worth the drive, and none resembles the others.

Saint-Raphaël is the easiest to reach and the most family-friendly: a proper seafront, sand, shops close by. The obvious choice for a day with young children or a late-afternoon swim.

The Agay coves are another matter altogether. The red Estérel rock drops into very clear water; the coves are small, so arrive early in high season. This is where the photographs you remember get taken.

Sainte-Maxime, finally, offers a classic gulf beach and, above all, the sea shuttle across to Saint-Tropez — by far the best way to get there, as we will see below.

Hilltop villages, a Roman town and the Croisette

Roquebrune-sur-Argens is the local village, the one you do on a whim one morning. Perched, narrow lanes, a Friday market. It is also the best place to make sense of the landscape: the Roquebrune rock dominates the whole Argens plain.

Fréjus deserves a full day. A Roman town — one of the oldest in Gaul — with a harbour and a covered market hall. Sightseeing in the morning and the beach in the afternoon combine easily; they are minutes apart.

Saint-Tropez has to be earned. By road the peninsula is fifty-five minutes away, but in summer the traffic at the village entrance can double that. Our advice: park at Sainte-Maxime and take the sea shuttle. You arrive at the harbour without hunting for a space, and the crossing is part of the pleasure.

Cannes, at the other end, is an easy run on the A8: the Croisette, Le Suquet and the boats to the Lérins islands. A day is enough, and the drive is quicker than the distance suggests.

The Estérel and the Argens, for a change from sand

The Estérel massif is the counterpoint to the coast: red volcanic rock, pines, hiking trails and mountain-bike tracks, with panoramas over the whole bay. Go early or late in the day — at midday in July it is hot and shade is scarce.

The Argens, close by, lends itself to canoeing and paddleboarding. It is the ideal activity for a day when the sea is rough or too busy, and it appeals to teenagers and adults alike.

What the season changes

In July and August everything is open and everything is busy. Get up early for the coves, book restaurants, and keep the hottest days for the estate's water park rather than the road.

In May, June and September it is a different region: the water is fine, the villages are liveable and the rental rates are appreciably lower. If your calendar allows it, these are the best weeks in the Var.

From November to March the estate's water park is closed. The chalet stays open and the rate drops to its floor: an ideal base for hiking in the Estérel and for the markets inland, not for swimming.