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St Tropez is a big glitzy playground swimming with superyachts, Lamborghinis and Dom Pérignon. But head for a villa in the hills and you can have a grown-up time too.

St Tropez was once a sleepy medieval fishing village, named after a Christian martyr, St Torpes, who refused to give up his faith. He was beheaded and his body thrown into a boat, which drifted into what is now called the Golfe de St Tropez, where he finally came ashore. Believe me, in the summer this is still the quickest way to get into town.

On the first morning, full of croissants, I dragged everyone away from the pool, insisting we head to the market. I had been told real treats were to be found - cashmere jumpers, sandals and lavender bags. After an hour of queuing, tempers were fraying and there were mutterings of 'I didn't come on holiday to sit in a traffic jam'. Thankfully, the mood was rescued by lunch at Le Club 55. Off the Ramatuelle road out of St Tropez on Pampelonne beach, Le Club 55 was founded in 1955 by the Calmont family, and it is a revelation. We were nearly put off by the parking lot, staffed with Lamborghinis, Porsches and Ferraris, but we shouldered past the supercars and headed to the beach restaurant we had a deliciously laid-back, unexpectedly reasonable, three-hour lunch. You can hire beach beds for the day and lie cocooned in the safety of the pale blue 55 awnings.

That evening, we finally made it into town, parking by the port and wanderinig slowly along the marina, boat - and people watching - the St Tropez pastime. But I longed for a view of the past, before the super-rich started using the Med as a parking lot for their superyachts. We'd been warned not to eat at the port so took a right at patisserie Sénéquier and found a delightfully narrow street packed with restaurants with their tables squeezed outside under roped fairy lights.

Need to Know: Mas de L’Oumède, The Villa Book
All The Villa Book properties are different. Ours was typically Provençal, with cool, terracotta tiled floors and shuters that lovely, sludgy green. The house is covered in trailing ivy, there's a terrace with a vine-covered pergola and an outdoor dining area. We were surrounded by grounds of two hectares, with trees and vines. Treats included a heated jacuzzi, outdoor barbecue and a large, deep pool.