One of many Mediterranean fishing villages turned pleasure port, LE LAVANDOU, a few kilometres east of Bormes, has nothing wildly special to recommend it, apart from the seduction of its name (which comes from lavoir or "wash-house" rather than "lavender"), some tempting shops and a general Azur atmosphere. From the central promenade of quai Gabriel-Péri the sea is hardly visible for pleasure boats moored at the three harbours and it's only upmarket restaurant demand that keeps the dozen or so fishing vessels from a fleet, that once numbered fifty, still in business. If you want to indulge in watersports or nightlife, the tourist office on quai Gabriel-Péri (May-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-12.30pm & 2.30-7.30pm, Sun 10am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9am-noon & 2.30-6pm; tel 04.94.00.40.50, fax 04.94.00.40.59) will happily advise.

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But if you're after the fabled silver beaches you need to head out of town and east along the classic Côte d'Azur corniche lined with pink oleander bushes and purple bougainvillaea, to CAVALIÈRE, PRAMOUSQUIER, LE CANADEL and LE RAYOL . It's hardly countryside, but you can explore the Pointe du Layet headland just east of Cavalière, follow the sinuous D27 up to the Col du Canadel for breathtaking views and beautiful cork-oak woodland, and, in Le Rayol, visit a superb garden, the Domaine de Rayol (daily: Jan-June & Sept to mid-Nov 9.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm; July & Aug 9.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-8pm; €6.10), with plants from different parts of the world that share the Mediterranean climate.  

Beyond Le Rayol the corniche climbs away from the coast through 3km of open countryside, scarred almost every year by fires. As abruptly as this wilderness commences, it ends with the choking, hideous sprawl of Cavalaire-sur-Mer . From here another exceptional sight of coastline, dressed only in its natural covering of rock and woodlands, is visible across the Baie de Cavalaire. This is the Domaine de Cap Lardier , a wonderful coastal conservation area around the southern tip of the St-Tropez peninsula, easily accessible from La Croix-Valmer . The resort's centre is some 2.5km from the sea, but this only adds to its charm, since some of the land in between is taken up by vineyards which produce a very decent Côte de Provence .

La Croix-Valmer's tourist office is in Les Jardins de la Gare (June-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 9am-1pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 9.15am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 9.15am-noon; tel 04.94.55.22.00, www.franceplus.com/golfe.de.st-tropez ) just up from the junction of the D559 and D93. A good-value hotel for this part of the world is La Bienvenue on rue L.-Martin (tel 04.94.79.60.23, fax 04.94.79.70.08; €34-46; closed Nov-March) in the village centre. One of the least expensive options near the beach is the family-run Hostellerie La Ricarde , quartier de la Plage (tel 04.94.79.64.07, fax 04.94.54.30.14; €34-46; closed Nov-March), whilst at the other end of the scale is Le Château de Valmer , on route de Gigaro (tel 04.94.79.60.10, fax 04.94.54.22.68, www.nova.fr/cjateua-valmer ; over €122; closed Oct-April), a seriously luxurious old Provençal manor house in walking distance of the sea. You can camp at the four-star Sélection , on boulevard de la Mer (tel 04.94.55.10.30, fax 04.94.55.10.39; closed mid-Oct to mid-April; booking advisable), 400m from the sea and with excellent facilities. Good, inexpensive pizzas are guaranteed at L'Italien (tel 04.94.79.67.16) on plage de Gigaro, at almost the last commercial outlet before the conservation area. Two other good but expensive restaurants on this beach are La Brigantine and Souleïas .

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