Four of the best beach clubs

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Sun, sea and tuba in Marseille

Grégory Gassa and Fabrice Denizot, both born in Marseille and friends since childhood, had long shared the dream of a seaside getaway: a simple fishing cabin immersed in the still slightly wild coast that surrounds their hometown. The semi-decrepit diving club they found a few years ago in the village of Les Goudes, several kilometers south of Marseille, was not exactly that country house, but it had the potential to become the escape they had imagined: rustic, respectful of the environment. environment. atmosphere, with good food, lots of fantastic landscapes and great people. Tuba Club has become a hot destination among creative and fashionable sets since its quiet opening in summer 2020.

While it technically qualifies as a hotel (there are only five rooms plus three villa suites), the scene revolves around the restaurant and the spacious terrace, where revelers lounge, frolic in the sea and eat raw food at Bikini, the bar- restaurant by the water. Architect Marion Mailaender stripped the building back to its original structure and then channeled the diving club’s ’80s heyday, filling the interior and exterior spaces with simple raw wood, whitewashed stone, and a sunny palette of ocher, blue, and yellow. . It is the understated and very elegant perfection of the south of France.

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A new beach baby in Antiparos

When Athanasia Comninos opened The Rooster in Antiparos, her low-fi, low-fi mini-resort, in 2021, it garnered almost instant acclaim. She has recently embarked on a second adventure: a new version of the beloved Beach House Antiparos in Apantima Cove, across the island from The Rooster. Its eight rooms (whitewashed walls, poured concrete floors, simple blue paint on the woodwork) have been upgraded with a mix of antique and contemporary furniture, but Comninos has also brought the magic of the Gallo to the beach, where guests are welcome up to the night. .

There are sun loungers, shaded seating areas, a new beachside cantina and calm waters where you can swim. If you want to stay for dinner, the restaurant is also open from day to night, overseen by chef Pericles Koskinas.

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Fusion fabulousness in the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro

One&Only made its debut in Montenegro three years ago, with a vast, gleaming complex in Portonovi on the Bay of Kotor, one wing of which is dedicated to a luxury Swiss wellness clinic. Chenot Space. At the other end of the resort (both literally and figuratively) is Tapasake, its beach club and dining destination, where non-hotel guests are welcome (although it’s a good idea to book ahead in summer) and where detoxification is found. pretty far down the menu. Sun loungers, large umbrellas and one or two bale beds are located on the sand and across the lawn from the pool on the terrace. The selected playlist gives way to a DJ when night comes.

Tapasake is all about fusion, whether it’s delicious Peruvian and Japanese flavors from a very capable kitchen, or tradition and adventure on the drinks menu (there are some excellent Montenegrin wines along with sake flights and a G&T bar). At sunset, the roof terrace is the privileged place to enjoy it all.

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Scorpio crosses the Aegean towards Bodrum

Mykonos has arrived in Bodrum. Scorpios, the Greek island destination that bills itself as the “world’s most famous beach club,” was conceived in 2015 as the go-to spot for cultured and creative people: a modern agora for both connection, the spectacle and celebration as if swimming or lying in the sun.

The club recently launched an ambitious multi-continental expansion plan – the first being this wooded seaside location in the best-known city on the Turkish Riviera. Here, Scorpios is not just a beach club. There are two full restaurants, a Ritual Space (just like in Mykonos) for meetings, day retreats, treatments, performances and, marking the club’s first foray into hospitality, 12 suites, each with its own private pool and large terrace .