Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière

The service by the hotel was really good. We enjoyed both our complimentary breakfast and lunch buffet. The hotel provide free shuttle rides to the town and private beach clubs as well. The gardens are beautiful The sauna and steam room was very hot, way above the normal spa in other hotels which are slightly strange. The pools are okay not particularly special. Dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel is very overpriced and food is mediocre. We had to send the carbonara back because it was inedible with the amount of salt in it. The most puzzling issue we had was actually our room is fully lighted in white light, which is not common in a 5 star luxury hotel. There was no ambient light. The bathroom looks like a hospital toilet, and the decor looks outdated. We requested to change to other rooms but the hotel said they are full. It was then we found out that some rooms have already been refurbished with better lightings, and some are still dated. It made us wonder whether they gave us an outdated room because we booked via a third party website and not direct. We had high expectations because this is a 1500 dollars stay, and we expected way more for the room. Despite liking the service, we have to say it is not value for money, and the hotel can do way better in terms of their room and restaurant.

入住體驗和住房服務都是極致。但是check out那天我們把背包遺漏在了酒店衣帽間，發現事情之後我們也及時聯繫了客服，但是遲遲未收到答覆。這麼大一個包room service竟然找不到，也證明了他們房間打掃的不精細（最糟糕的情況就是看到了説沒有）法國人的辦事效率低也充分得到了證實

I recently stayed at Château de la Messardière as a special treat for my 40th birthday, and while there are undeniably charming aspects to this property, the overall experience left me regretting my choice. The hotel itself is visually stunning - perched high with breathtaking views, and many small details throughout the grounds show real thought and beauty. Daily breakfast and lunch at La Table de la Messardière was a particular highlight - both a visual and culinary feast. The beach club is another lovely inclusion, and nearly all the staff were warm, attentive, and truly lovely. A particular mention must go to Benjamin, who was delightful at check-in, making the arrival feel genuinely warm and welcoming. One thoughtful touch that I deeply appreciated was finding a Cédric Grolet vanilla flower left in my room for my birthday - an exquisite surprise that I was truly grateful for. That said, the hotel is clearly oversubscribed during peak season, and it feels as though the service and infrastructure simply cannot keep up. There is a constant stream of non-resident visitors, presumably there for the "Instagram moment," which gives the property a bit of a conveyor-belt feel and detracts from the tranquility you would expect at this price point. Service in the restaurants was often slow and overstretched. One day, I ordered a pizza at lunch that simply never arrived, and a pasta dish took no less than 40 minutes to arrive. Bathrooms near the family pool were flooded and unclean, with no hand towels, no staff present, and used tissues left on the sinks - quite surprising for a hotel of this calibre. We stayed in a room near the family pool, and while it was convenient, loud music played until after 11pm most nights, which made sleep difficult. The property boasts one of the best children's clubs in the South of France - and don't you know it. The family pool is busy and loud, and on one occasion, children were even splashing in the adult-only pool, which no staff intervened in. There were other surprises that fell short of the luxury standard: our included mini-bar had a half-eaten chocolate bar in it upon arrival - not what you'd expect in a hotel of this category. But the most disappointing moment came from the hotel manager himself, who responded to a small issue I raised with complete disregard and a shocking lack of professionalism. He walked off mid-conversation, dismissing me entirely - something l've never encountered at any five-star property. It left a sour taste and significantly tainted the overall experience. Friends who had recommended the hotel were surprised by my experience and have said it's made them reconsider returning. I do believe many of these issues were exacerbated by the intensity of the high season, but for the premium price point, it simply needs to be perfect - and it wasn't. There is charm here, certainly, but for me, it was lost in the noise - both literally and figuratively. If you want an experience where you feel tr