In a nutshell: This family-owned island close to Marseilles has partnered with the Zannier lodge group to create a stylishly renovated retreat that honors the spirit of its unique proprietor who liked artwork, creativity, neighborhood, nature, meals, and all issues Provencal.
Can’t-miss: The rooftop lounge and terrace above Soukana for cocktails and beautiful panoramic views of the rocky shoreline.
Rooms
The sea is rarely far-off on this seven-hectare island. Every considered one of its 93 newly renovated rooms and suites has a marine view, and 95% of them have balconies. The lodging is split into three blocks, every with its personal distinct vibe: In Delos, the zesty white, ocher, and powder blue-themed rooms are stocked with alcoholic drinks. If you want magical sunrises and views of Bandol’s hills and harbour throughout the water that is the place for you, particularly the Solea Suite.
I stayed in wellness-focused Soukana block the place the rooms have a chilled, dusky terracotta palette. On my cabinets there have been mild dumbbells, a yoga mat and resistance band. Get a nook room like No. 92 for twin views of the Neptune backyard and the ocean. Over by the harbour is La Madrague, a small cluster of two-story former fishermen’s homes which were transformed into home-away-from-home villas fronted by rustic, picket-fenced gardens which are excellent for younger households.
Food and drink
The essential three eating places look set to be vacation spot consuming spots. At fine-dining Le Grand Large, a rotation of visiting cooks knock up Provencal dishes like crimson snapper and Bouillabaisse. Nonna Bazaar, the all-day beachside spot, serves pan-Mediterranean delicacies — I had a young lamb tagine, a Greek salad, and a very good pizza, all paired with a top quality Bandol rosé. Over at Soukana restaurant, Vietnamese head chef Hoai Nguyen presides over an Asian-fusion menu. For breakfast there I loved a beef feu alongside gluten-free ache au goodies and different wholesome Western choices, whereas gazing on the giant image home windows looking onto the ocean and hills. In Delos, the breakfasts are extra indulgent—champagne and caviar, anybody?
Highlights and experiences
There are two out of doors swimming pools, each with sea views, an artwork gallery, and a devoted artisan studio the place company can participate in crafts workshops with a six-weekly rotating roster of embroiderers, potters, weavers, painters, designers and ceramicists like Croatian Zeljana Vidoviec Mioli. I had a enjoyable time sculpting a clay turtle underneath the steerage of native ceramicist Flavia Broi.
Soukana’s rooftop bar and lounge is a superb place to flop down and take within the dawn or sundown. Its panoramic views embrace the 25-metre lap pool beneath, the hills of Bandol throughout the glowing cerulean water, and on the opposite aspect of the terrace, the rugged shoreline with iconic Eagle Beak rock protruding from the distant horizon.
Bar Patrick on the rear of Nonna Bazaar opens out onto a small pale-sand seashore the place I sunbathed whereas sipping a wonderful Josephine Baker-inspired cocktail (pisco, passionfruit liqueur with jasmine syrup, lemon and topped with champagne), which I blended myself underneath the bartender’s instruction earlier than having a reflexology therapeutic massage within the spa. Its Visbody scanner and Iyashi Dôme elevate it above the standard wellbeing choices within the area.
What to do close by
The sea round these elements is the place legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau invented scuba diving. The lodge’s diving membership offers gear for snorkeling and non-motorized water sports activities like kayaking and pedal boat rides.
On the mainland, Bandol is a characterful city that feels very French because it attracts few Angolophone vacationers. Its weekly market is nice for purchasing produce resembling Cavaillon melons, purple artichokes, and Provence’s famed white peaches.
While you’re on this area it will be prison to not discover the Calanques, the UNESCO-recognized limestone cliffs between Marseille and La Ciotat, cleaved by glowing turquoise fjords and seashores.
The lodge plans to prepare excursions to close by wine estates for tastings. The Bandol space produces wonderful wines, together with a few of France’s prime rosé.
The backstory
In 1950 Île de Bendor was snapped up by drinks entrepreneur Paul Ricard, the eccentric creator of pastis. Ricard turned this island right into a whimsical microcosm of the nice life—one full of meals, drink, creativit,y and communality—and now his descendants are persevering with that spirit in partnership with the Zannier lodge group. Under a serious five-year renovation they renovated a number of the present buildings and added new ones. Zannier Île de Bendor opened its doorways in May 2026 as probably the most anticipated openings on the Côte d’Azur. Eschewing the lipo-sucked, tremendous yacht glitz of St. Tropez and the Riviera to the east, it’s decidedly moored to its Provencal roots, leaning right into a Nineteen Sixties retro magnificence that embraces the neighborhood. Here, the texture is of a car-free village the place company and day-tripping locals can mingle over pétanque video games, artwork galleries, and craft workshops, informal and nice eating delicacies, and rejuvenating classes within the spa’s Iyashi Dôme.
Wellness
The spa is about to be one of many prime wellness choices on this stretch of coast. Its naturopathy-based program attracts from Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. There’s a ravishing out of doors courtyard pool and an indoor one; Iyashi Dôme, hammam, mud bathtub, a Visbody scanner for physique composition and posture evaluation; a high-tech health centre. There’s additionally one tennis court docket and three pickleball courts.
Insider tip
Ask for the “Hello Dolly” mocktail (Apple, Elderflower syrups, lime juice, mint). It’s so scrumptious it’s at risk of turning you right into a teetotaler.
Final concerns:
- Best for: {couples}, teams and younger households wanting a traditional Provencal atmosphere
- Location: Île de Bendor, Provence, France
- Family pleasant: Yes. There’s an imaginative youngsters membership created in partnership with the French style model Tartine et Chocolat and its Edmond Le Mouton (Edmond the sheep) character.
- Accessibility: Buggies can ferry all company across the island. Two rooms within the Soukana and Delos lodging blocks are wheelchair accessible, and one of many two-storey Madrague homes has a floor flooring lavatory and couch mattress. The public ferry incorporates a ramp, however wheelchair customers arriving by the small guest-only boats will want help getting on and off.
- Loyalty group: Zannier lodge group