We’ve been to a whole lot of seaside golf equipment – these are the most effective within the Med
How to add a five-star sheen without blowing the budget? Say hello to the beach club. Most of these outposts of shoreside luxury, scattered across the Med, let guests pay by the day – usually from £20 to £100.
Check in and recline on plush loungers, slide into a pool and dine on elegant plates of food – and then depart, Cinderella-style, before nightfall.
Around for centuries – the Georgian and Victorian elite were no more immune to the charms of a private seaside idyll than we are today – the first modern incarnations of these alluring play-all-day clubs really arrived in the 1950s.
St Tropez’s Le Club 55 wasn’t much more than a beach hut serving wine and snacks, before Brigitte Bardot and the crew of …And God Created Woman made it the hottest ticket in town. Nearly 60 years on, they come in many guises – here’s our pick of Europe’s finest…
Canny in Cannes
La Plage du Martinez was reinvented for last year’s Cannes Film Festival
The Art Deco Hotel Martinez, on the eternally chic La Croisette in Cannes, reinvented its beach club, La Plage du Martinez, for last year’s film festival.
The iconic pontoon remains the plum spot for those lusting after an unfettered Med vista.
Cute cinematic touches include director chairs embroidered with famous names. Seasonal and local produce dominate chef Jean Imbert’s menu.
Beach treat: Pontoon cabanas from £300pp.
Book it: Daybeds from £44 (hyatt.com).
Croatian cocktails
Loungers are neatly laid out on creamy white Hvar stone at Beach Club Hvar
Beach Club Hvar is on the western tip of Croatia’s sunniest isle.
It’s a setting and a half; quartets of loungers are neatly laid out on creamy white Hvar stone inches from the Adriatic. A restaurant serves steaks, seafood and salads.
Beach treat: Order negronis, at £13 a pop, to your lounger.
Book it: Daybeds from £41 (beachhvar.com).
Boho-glam Ibiza
The atmosphere at Yellow Fish Beach Club is boho-glam
From the trendy W Ibiza hotel in east coast enclave Santa Eulalia, Yellow Fish Beach Club opened in June.
The atmosphere is boho-glam, with Hispanic bites and chargrilled delights via chef Martino Carillo. DJs spin chilled-out tunes till sundown. The 20 double loungers are for hotel guests only, but no one will mind if you come for lunch and linger.
Beach treat: An entire menu dedicated to sangria.
Book it: Doubles from £296 (marriott.com).
Full Monte Carlo
You can feast on chef Pascal Garrigues’ seafood at adults-only Club La Vigie
Just far enough from Monte Carlo’s public beach (Larvotto) to feel a million miles away, adults-only Club La Vigie is a lunch/lounge nirvana.
Feast on chef Pascal Garrigues’ seafood before reposing on a disc-shaped daybed. Cabanons – more private, bungalow-style rentals – can be hired by the week or weekend.
Beach treat: Six of your finest Gillardeau No 3 oysters, s’il vous plait.
Book it: Lunch from £30, weekend cabanons from £592 (montecarlosbm.com).
Mykonos treat
King-size daybeds float over the pools at Zuma on the Greek island
Arrive at Zuma, a five-minute drive from Mykonos Town, and feel like you’ve been teleported to Japan.
It’s all clean lines and dark wood, with king-size daybeds floating over the pools. A poolside menu matches offers Asian twists on Hellenic foodie favourites.
Beach treat: Bring the kids, there’s a play area.
Book it: Daybeds from £80 (zumarestaurant.com).
Turkish hotspot
Scorpios Beach House in Bodrum has a focus on art and wellness
Scorpios Beach House in Bodrum sits on a sun-baked peninsula on Turkey’s south-west coast.
The aesthetic is haute design with a focus on art and wellness. There are two restaurants, a pool and 12 private suites for hire.
Beach treat: A menu filled with moreish, vegan-friendly Turkish bites.
Book it: Daybeds from £50 (scorpios.com).
Beyonce in St Tropez
Le Club 55 in St Tropez has been a hit with celebrities such as Beyonce
Founded by Patrice de Colmont, Le Club 55 in St Tropez has been by Pampelonne Beach since the mid-50s and it has hooked just about every star going from Bardot to Beyonce. Book ahead, whether it’s for a lobster lunch or loungers on the beach.
Beach treat: Snap up a Club 55 T-shirt in the boutique.
Book it: Daybeds from £33 (club55.fr).
Italian style
A pop-up Dior boutique and cocktail lounge feature at Il Riccio restaurant in Capri
Dior has teamed up with timeless Capri cliff-top restaurant Il Riccio, part of the swish Jumeirah Capri Palace hotel. Expect a pop-up boutique, cocktail lounge, Dior motifs galore plus great views. A lunch booking allows lounger access.
Beach treat: The ever-present coastal breeze.
Book it: Lunch reservations at jumeirah.com.
Swish in Spain
Club La Cabane is attached to the Los Monteros Spa and Golf Resort outside Marbella
An old Costa del Sol favourite, Club La Cabane, is attached to the Los Monteros Spa and Golf Resort outside Marbella. The mood is see-and-be-seen, sangria in hand. Bold blue Dolce & Gabbana prints adorn the the loungers and parasols.
Beach treat: The Grand Buffet, a 60-dish extravaganza.
Book it: Daybeds from £38 (monteros.com).
Sardinian elite
Nikki Beach sails in guests – including celebs and young aristos – by yacht from Cala di Volpe
Nikki Beach is on balmy Cala Petra Ruja bay on Sardinia’s Emerald Coast.
From June to September, this beach club with a private party atmosphere sails in guests – including celebs and young aristos – by yacht from Cala di Volpe. Food includes Italian and sushi plates.
Beach treat: A sister pop-up on Porto Cervo waterfront is open till late.
Book it: Daybeds for three from £228 (costa-smeralda.nikkibeach.com).
Corker in Majorca
Open till midnight, there’s a quintet of luxe Balinese-style beds at Purobeach Palma
On a sun-blessed peninsula close to the Majorcan capital, Purobeach Palma enjoys 180° views of the Balearic Sea.
Open till midnight, there’s a quintet of luxe Balinese-style beds plus two bars, a global menu and on-site spa.
Beach treat: The lava stone pool feels like a sea swim.
Book it: Day beds from £67 (purobeach.com).
Greek chic
Loungers, parasols and pillowy seating create a chic desert camp feel at this shoreside club
It’s a 30-minute drive from Athens to The C, a shoreside club near Voula on the Athenian Riviera. Loungers, parasols and big, pillowy seating create a chic desert camp feel.
The restaurant is more urban chic. So when you’re done with the crystal clear waters, bring a change of clothes and dine on classic Greek dishes.
Beach treat: Free rosé wine tasting.
Book it: Daybeds from £67 (thec.gr).
Tuscan charm
Isolotto is for La Roqqa hotel guests only but it’s worth checking in to access it
The revamped La Roqqa hotel on Tuscany’s Argentario promontory has boutique charm in spades. Its beach club, Isolotto, is hotel guests only but it’s worth checking in to access it. There’s a yoga pavilion, two restaurants and a wraparound hillside terrace.
Beach treat: Borrow a jet ski to bag the ultimate bay view.
Book it: Doubles from £370 (laroqqa.com).
Sizzling in Sicily
Fashion house Missoni has styled the beach club at Verdura Resort this summer
At the stylish Verdura Resort on Sicily’s south coast, fashion house Missoni has styled the beach club this summer. It’s hotel guests only, but worth checking-in to enjoy. A blue-green aesthetic matches the Med and there are branded beach towels plus a boutique shop.
Beach treat: The Missoni cocktail: venturo aperitif swirls with Sicilian Brut.
Book it: Doubles from £339 (roccofortehotel.com).
Cornish palms
Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes boasts a water’s edge setting and chic blue-and-white parasols
British beach clubs don’t exist, do they? Well, there’s hope – and daybeds – on the horizon in St Mawes, Cornwall.
Hotel Tresanton boasts a water’s edge setting, chic blue-and-white parasols, Cornish palms and seating on three terraces. With tables for cocktails and loungers and views across to the St Anthony Lighthouse, it’s a charming place to while away an afternoon.
Beach treat: Pinuccia, the hotel’s vintage yacht, is available to charter.
Book it: Daybeds free on a first come basis (thepolizzicollection.com).
