Sainte-Maxime concierge.
Where we work from. The Gulf opposite Saint-Tropez.
Sainte-Maxime is where we work from. Twenty-four square kilometres on the north shore of the Gulf, facing Saint-Tropez village across the water. It's the residential commune of the peninsula — less Instagram, more families renting here because it's quieter and closer to the boat. Fifteen minutes from Vieux Port on Bateaux Verts, an hour and a half to the same destination by road in August. The postcode is 83120.
Why families settle in Sainte-Maxime
The rental villas in Sainte-Maxime are the quietest on the Gulf. The main quarters: the centre near the port, La Madrague and Sémaphore to the east, Guerrevieille and la Croisette above the Saint-Pons bay. The gardens are larger, the neighbours fewer, and the maritime pines more plentiful than in Pampelonne or Saint-Tropez village.
The other reason is cost. For the same August week, a five-bedroom villa in Sainte-Maxime runs significantly less than an equivalent villa in Ramatuelle or Saint-Tropez. Geography compensates: you cross the Gulf in fifteen minutes.
The Gulf of Saint-Tropez in front of Sainte-Maxime is sheltered — at anchor here you sleep more peacefully than at anchor off Pampelonne when the westerly picks up.
Bateaux Verts and the road
Bateaux Verts shuttles between Sainte-Maxime and Saint-Tropez Vieux Port. The crossing takes fifteen minutes. The boat runs every thirty minutes in high season, until about 11pm. The same destination by car in peak August: an hour to an hour and a half for twelve kilometres.
For village lunches and early dinners we plan around the shuttle. For late-night returns after it closes, a private driver takes the long road around the Gulf.
The terminal is in central Sainte-Maxime, on the quay. Tickets buy at the counter five minutes ahead. No reservation, no VIP queue. It's a public service, you work around it.
The port and arrival by sea
Sainte-Maxime port takes boats up to about thirty-five metres. The harbour master's office is open 8am to 9pm in high season. Transit berths reserve ahead through the port — VHF channel 9 or phone.
For larger yachts you anchor off the bay; the tender lands at the quai Léon Condroyer pontoon. It's the sheltered side of the Gulf when the mistral blows.
The market and the town
Sainte-Maxime has its own rhythm. The covered market is open every morning (except Monday) on place du Marché. The Provençal open-air market runs Thursday morning along the promenade Aymeric Simon-Lorière, on the seafront.
Place Victor Hugo, in the old town, has four cafés, an Ottoman fountain, and two neighbourhood butchers. The seafront promenade runs three kilometres, from Pointe des Sardinaux to Plage des Éléphants.
For lunch in town, La Maison Bleue (rue Paul Bert) and La Badiane (rue Fernand Bessy) are the reference options. For dinner you cross more often than you stay — that's the point.
What we do from Sainte-Maxime
Sainte-Maxime is the operational base. Laurence Grech, who handles the cleaning, laundry and villa management side, has her professional address here (9 Impasse du Sud, 83120 Sainte-Maxime).
From here we coordinate villa openings before families arrive, key handovers, fridge stocking, daily deliveries, linen, the welcome basket. The connective logistics of the stay.
For bookings in Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne, we make the call from here, in French, in the same morning window as everybody else: 9am to 11am, Monday through Friday.
Postcode and commune
Sainte-Maxime's postcode is 83120 (shared with Plan-de-la-Tour, which sits just above in the hills). The mairie faces the port at place Pasteur. The commune holds about 14,500 year-round residents — many more than Saint-Tropez or Ramatuelle — and over 80,000 in peak August.
The sous-préfecture of the Var is in Draguignan, forty-five minutes by car. The markets and seafront promenade draw families on residential stays; the Voix du Gaou festival and the Sainte-Maxime jazz festival run through July.
What we don't do
We don't rent villas in Sainte-Maxime ourselves — we work with trusted local agencies and coordinate the experience once a family has chosen its house. We don't take a markup on the rental price. We also don't handle yacht chartering out of Sainte-Maxime port (the yacht charter market is at Saint-Tropez and Port Grimaud) — we coordinate with the brokers who do.
Sainte-Maxime.
- Why stay in Sainte-Maxime rather than Saint-Tropez or Ramatuelle?
- Three reasons: villas are quieter (larger gardens, fewer neighbours), the rental price is significantly lower for the same quality, and Bateaux Verts crosses the Gulf to Vieux Port in fifteen minutes. For a family with children who want somewhere quiet to sleep while dining in Saint-Tropez, it's often the right compromise.
- What's the timing for the Bateaux Verts shuttle in August?
- The shuttle runs every thirty minutes in high season, from 7am to about 11pm. No reservation, you buy the ticket five minutes ahead. The crossing takes fifteen minutes.
- Can a yacht berth in Sainte-Maxime?
- Yes. The port takes boats up to about thirty-five metres; transit berths via the harbour master's office. For larger yachts, anchor off the bay and tender to the quai Léon Condroyer.
- What's the difference between Sainte-Maxime and Plan-de-la-Tour?
- Plan-de-la-Tour shares postcode 83120 but it's a hill village north of Sainte-Maxime. Sainte-Maxime sits on the sea; Plan-de-la-Tour is ten minutes by car above, in the vineyards.
- Do you handle the villa itself?
- Yes, for cleaning, laundry, opening, closing, and daily logistics. Laurence Grech handles that side, from Sainte-Maxime. For the rental itself, we work with trusted local agencies.