Moorea Plage

Moorea occupies a stretch of the fine, pale sand that runs the length of Pampelonne, the five kilometre bay south of Saint-Tropez, and it is one of the more level-headed addresses on a beach better known for excess. The water off Pampelonne shelves gently and stays clear, and because Moorea has its own mooring and tender service, a good share of the clientele arrives by boat rather than by the choked coast road. Shade comes from a wooden pergola over the restaurant tables, which matters here in July when the sand gets ferocious by midday. The cooking has a split personality that works: plenty of seafood platters and large composed salads on one side, and lighter dishes with a Californian and Tahitian accent on the other, built on local produce and served only in the middle of the day, since the kitchen closes at five. What distinguishes Moorea from its neighbours is the layer of services stacked behind the sand. There is covered private parking, which on Pampelonne is close to a luxury in itself, a run of small boutiques, and a wellness offer that extends to an osteopath, massage and reflexology. Dogs are welcome, the beach is supervised, and the tone stays family-friendly rather than club-like, which is why regulars keep coming back to the same row year after year.