Let’s be honest: Saint-Tropez has a few things going for it.

The sea, the beaches, the yachts, the restaurants, the boutiques, the celebrities…

And the traffic jams.

A lot of traffic jams.

Luckily, there’s a destination where you can enjoy the sun, turquoise water and a spectacular setting without having to develop a personal relationship with your car horn.

Bauduen.

So here, objectively, is why you should consider Bauduen over Saint-Tropez.

1. The rare privilege of actually being able to drive

In Saint-Tropez, the driving experience can occasionally get a little sporty.

One review sums it up nicely:

Dangerous traffic, jams, non-stop honking, shouting, aggression.

You can feel how relaxing the stay was.

In Bauduen, traffic is on a whole other level of prestige.

You can get in your car, drive quietly and arrive somewhere without having had the time to age noticeably.

You might get slowed down by a cyclist, or by someone trying to find their way.

But overall, you move forward.

Which is kind of useful when the point of a holiday is to actually go somewhere.

2. A prestige marina at human scale

Bauduen has a harbor.

A real one.

Granted, you may not find an 80-meter yacht with three decks, a helicopter and a jacuzzi.

But you’ll find pedal boats, kayaks, paddleboards, catamarans, electric boats…

And, crucially, you can actually get on board.

In Saint-Tropez, some boats require a crew.

In Bauduen, your crew is usually your brother-in-law.

And he didn’t even ask for a salary.

3. Turquoise water, no Instagram filter needed

There’s something faintly scandalous about the water here: it’s turquoise.

Not “nice-ish blue.”

Turquoise.

The kind of color that in a travel brochure would normally require the disclaimer: “Photo may not reflect reality.”

Except in Bauduen, the photo does reflect reality.

You take a picture, post it on Instagram and, five minutes later:

“Where is that?” “Bauduen.” “No but really, where?”

Apparently, on Instagram, water that blue can’t be honest.

And on top of that, the water is fresh, not salty.

No stinging eyes, no hair like straw.

You come out of the water looking pretty much the same as when you went in.

Your hair thanks you.

Now that’s real luxury.

4. A particularly thorough wellness program

A day in Bauduen can be extremely busy:

Swim → lunch → nap → games → walk → aperitivo → sunset.

Swim for fitness. Lunch for the gastronomic experience. Nap for wellness. Games for entertainment. Walk for physical activity. Aperitivo for social bonding. Sunset to close out the day.

And there are games for everyone: pétanque, cards, board games, Molkky, water games, ball games…

Basically, a full-blown leisure resort.

And possibly, at some point, a:

“So what do we do tomorrow?“

5. An astronomical observatory with a panoramic ceiling

Bauduen enjoys a sky remarkably preserved from light pollution.

Which means the conditions for stargazing are ideal.

In Saint-Tropez at night, you admire the lights of the villas, the restaurants and the yachts.

In Bauduen, you turn off the lights and look at the ceiling.

Except the ceiling is several billion stars wide.

And it’s included in the stay.

No supplement. No booking required. No dress code.

Bauduen has managed to build a five-star hotel without actually building a five-star hotel.

Only downside: the stars are a little far for room service.

6. Gastronomy of standing

In Bauduen, you’ll find lovely terraces, good restaurants and a view over the lake.

Basically, everything you need for a proper dinner.

So proper, in fact, that there isn’t a single McDonald’s.

Not one.

So in Saint-Tropez, you can eat a Big Mac.

In Bauduen, you can eat facing the lake.

And if you really want a Big Mac… you probably haven’t looked at the menu yet.

Fair enough, there are quite a few burgers in Bauduen.

But they’re restaurant burgers.

So, technically, gastronomy.

Conclusion: maybe this is what luxury actually looks like

So yes, Saint-Tropez remains Saint-Tropez.

You can admire the yachts, the boutiques, the celebrities, the restaurants…

And the traffic jams.

In Bauduen, you have a harbor where you can actually get in the boats, turquoise water with no salt, billions of stars, sunsets every evening, games, restaurants, and enough quiet to hear the cicadas.

And above all, you can organize an entire day around a particularly exclusive activity: doing nothing.

Swim in the morning. Lunch. Nap. A bit of kayaking. A round of pétanque. An aperitivo. A sunset.

There you go. You’ve just booked the all-inclusive package.

Swimming, water sports, games, napping, dining, sunset…

And the pool?

The lake.

A few square kilometers of turquoise water at your disposal, with a view of the mountains.

No need to reserve a lounger: you pick your own beach.

No need to book an activity: you pick your own boat.

Want to change pools? You grab a kayak.

The only downside is that you sometimes have to handle beach service yourself.

But well.

You can’t have everything.