REALITY CHECKS ON ST TROPEZ IN THE EXCESS OF HIGH SEASON

Posted on 08/05/2016 | About Saint-Tropez, France

Saint Tropez, we’re told, was an early Christian martyr whose headless body along with a rooster and a dog washed ashore in a leaky rowboat on the beach near what would become his namesake town. Those who arrive in St. Tropez by boat today do it in much more stylish craft and often have crew to tend to the dogs and helicopters that come with them. But losing your head–in a good sense–is still the attraction of this hard-partying town in the summer.

We’re here on board the glittering new Regent Seven Seas Explorer and at 732 feet, we’re the biggest ship at anchor in the bay. But remarkably, there are some private yachts floating nearby that approach us in scale. We’ve been partying in an opulence that is arguably among the most luxurious of any cruise ship afloat and dining in restaurants that could gain Michelin stars ashore.