Despite its whiff of mass tourism, the south of France still holds a defiant allure, especially when the Mediterranean sun blazes high overhead and the still air requires soporific holidaymakers to do little more than move from room to shaded beach umbrella.
In that respect, Cap d’Agde in the Languedoc region – a stone’s throw from Narbonne – ticks all the boxes, including a 14km stretch of sand and sea. A few minutes walk from Rochebrune beach, the Nakara hides its self-service studios and two- to four-room villas behind an unexpectedly austere flank of white, trellised concrete walls.
These, say the architects Jacques Ferrier Architecture, are meant to function as filters that insert space between the public areas and the guest-rooms. Indeed, the towering trellises, which are almost Arabesque in their kinetic effect, also act as giant brises soleil so that from the terraces and balconies, there is a very real sense of being simultaneously inside and out.
To be frank, the interior décor is functionally bland to a fault, but that is all the more reason to spend more quality time stretched out by the all-white pool space. Other diversions are on hand, including a hammam and spa, an 18-hole golf course, tennis club, cycling, and watersports.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Route de Rochelongue
34300 Cap d’Agde
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS
-
What is the role of fragrance in contemporary culture, asks a new exhibition at 10 Corso ComoMilan concept store 10 Corso Como has partnered with London creative agency System Preferences to launch Olfactory Projections 01
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
-
Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
This Italian Bistrot in Paris offers all-year-round ‘felicità’A diminutive of the Italian word for family, Miglia is a cosy trattoria radiating warmth, friendliness, and traditional flavours
-
Ski in, ski out at Courchevel’s hot new piste-side dinerLoulou, the new Courchevel restaurant inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s muse, is playfully elevated by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s pop art branding
-
The cosiest alpine retreats to book in EuropeBrowse the Wallpaper* edit of European alpine retreats where to fully embrace the ski season
-
First look at Maison 3, an eclectic new Parisian bar for sleepless nightsMaison 3 is an enigmatic space with a sensual atmosphere brought to life by the French studio Les Beaux Jours Architectures
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from a bijou addition to the London hotel scene to a lush safari adventure in South Africa
-
Dine at Paris’s historic Maison Baccarat, reimagined by chef Alain DucasseThe newly opened Ducasse Baccarat restaurant – at the crystal house’s Paris mansion – offers not just a culinary experience but a cultural encounter
-
Stylish Paris ice cream parlours for melting momentsCool off with the best ice cream in Paris: Wallpaper’s favourite scoops span from classics at chef Alain Ducasse's ‘glacerie’ to ice cream sandwiches at JJ Hings
