vintage pastis water jugs

I’m still daydreaming about my weekend in Antibes. It seems I’m in a perpetual summery-Cote d’Azur-mood even though I’ve been back in Milan since Sunday night and have been quite busy preping for my soon-to-come 4 day weekend in Andorra where I’ll be attending a wonderful wedding (will post pics next week)- even so I don’t manage to get my mind off of la plage.

I’m not a huge fan of pastis, the famous anise-flavoured liquor typical from the South of France, but in this case the pastis I’m referring to on the title of this post is the Hotel Pastis in St. Tropez.

Baroque mirrors, iconic pastis water jugs, Louis XVI stone fireplace, bistrot chairs and tables, white washed wood, black Grand piano, Sex Pistols, Corbusier sofas, Tolix chairs, Moroccan style lanterns…is the eclectic melange of French Mediterranean and British décor Pauline and John Larkin adopted for their shabby chic 9-room boutique hotel in the South of France.

Here have a look for yourselves.

outside façade

bistrot chairs and tables

customized coffee bar

stunning pieces of art + design furniture

la confiture du matin

terrace and pool

rooms

another one of the many poolside ambiances

yeah!!

It’s homey, it’s cozy, it’s quaint, it’s cool. It’s the perfect casual Provençal lifestyle-meets-posh&witty British vibe summer getaway.

It’s located on the main route into downtown St. Tropez on 61 Avenue du General Leclerc- very hard to miss!

www.pastis-st-tropez.com

View of Cap d'Antibes

Finally! This past weekend was my first weekend at the beach since last summer. I couldn’t wait! I know I said I had been back home for some weeks, but trust me, weather was anything but beachy.

So we left Milan Friday afternoon and drove three and a half hours to Antibes. Unfortunately, we failed booking ahead of time at our usual pied-a-terre boutique hotel so we settled for something less cozy, but still very well-located, a mere block from the sandy beach. Weather was amazing, non-stop sunshine Saturday and Sunday. The water was a bit too chilly for my taste, my body was numb 2 seconds after diving in, but I loved the crispiness and freshness of it. I think you can tell what I’m talking about by the picture.

A little info about myself…I’m a bit of a sucker for espadrilles. But you probably already knew this from one of my previous posts. Throughout my life I think I’ve owned over 20 pairs of the exact same ones in different colors. I think I’ve touched just about every color of the rainbow, except for yellow, I hate yellow. I always get them at this little shop behind the Le Suquet area in downtown Cannes.

Anyways, they’re super ‘in’ this summer and you can see more and more designers come up with their own unique version of the traditional espadrilles in funky colors, patterns, different heel types and fabrics. But I always like to stick to the authentic, genuine, prototypal, hand-made version of the traditional French espadrille. Speaking of fabrics, I found an awesome pair of leather espadrilles downtown Juan-les-Pins by 1789 Cala, (available for sale on the website).

Handmade leather espadrilles by 1789 Cala

They have this great copperish-brass-golden hue which makes them super chic! I already know these won’t be coming off my feet anytime soon.

My dress code this summer? Definitely no sarongs. Yes to cut-off denim shorts/skirts (really short), cropped tops, flowy tunics or stolen button up blue shirts from my bf, maybe throw in a light, oversize knit sweater for chilly afternoons and lots of hippie bracelets…simple and comfy stuff-always.

So what’s your absolute favorite summer shoe?

I’m so excited about my recent purchase!

While my friends were happily sunbathing at a very nice lido in Juan-les-Pins, I decided to sneak out and go for a stroll around town.

Not only did I indulge myself with a nutella&banana crêpe that was out of this world! but I also went into a super cute store that offered soooo much! They’re mainly a bijouterie shop, but I discovered they had a second floor where they kept some hidden ‘jewels’.

Hand-made silk dresses and short tunics with all sorts of embroidery and crochet applications that just made every piece so precious and unique…I just couldn’t resist!

I was unable to take their biz card cause they had none left at the time

The shop is REMINISCENCE and it’s located on 9 galerie du Casino- Juan-les-Pins. If you’re around this summer, don’t miss it!

Maison Blanche is the best place to go for aperitivo downtown St. Tropez, hands-down. It’s classy yet modern, relaxing yet upbeat. You make what you want of it. Music is great, crowd, well, simply chic.

The hotel itself has 9 rooms where white is the protagonist creating a simple and elegant, chic and sleek atmosphere.