10 secret islands worth exploring in the Côte d'Azur

The Romans chose Cavallo as a penal colony. It’s remote, has minimal harbour facilities and is nigh on impossible to find on a map: the perfect conditions for today’s A-list habitués. The secret spilt out in the 1970s when Catherine Deneuve and Petula Clark would beach up by speedboat. The late Roberto Cavalli was part owner of the tiny marina that opened on the private island’s southern tip a decade ago. He and his beloved dog Lupo regularly strolled the silken sands, greeting guests such as Paris Hilton and Alicia Keys. Island transport is by mountain bike, golf buggy, or on one of the horses kept by the discreet island hotel Les Pêcheurs. The hotel can also provide passing yachts with anything from a sushi platter to a full-blown beach party catered by a private chef.

Getting there: accessible via a leisurely cruise from Corsica.

Drop the private island of Degaby into conversation to send fellow yachters scrambling for their maps. Louis XIV turned this sea-ringed speck into an island fortress in 1703. Its modern history began in the 1960s, when businessman Monsieur Boursier tried to create an island nightclub linked by a 200-metre funicular to the mainland. After decades of abandonment, hip Marseille hotel C2 has created France’s most under-the-counter beach club. 

Getting there: accessible by kayak or RIB.

Île d’Or, translating as "the golden island", was named for its tiny castle that glows gold in the setting sun. In 1897, architect Léon Sergent purchased it from the French government for the princely sum of 280 Francs. That’s about €36. Or less than the price of a sunlounger at Club 55, an hour’s sail down the coast. Alas, Sergent gambled the island away during a round of high-stakes cards with Doctor Auguste Lutaud. The doctor had delusions of grandeur (and who wouldn’t, with their very own island surrounded by coastal drop-offs and stocks of giant grouper and striped bass). He declared himself king of the island, built a mock Saracen castle and hosted wild parties under the pseudonym Auguste 1st. The true story inspired the tale of Tintin and the Black Island. 

Getting there: ccessible by kayak from the mainland’s Estérel county park’s La Plage du Dramont. Landing by boat on Île d’Or is forbidden.

“Green Island” is the scene of the South of France’s best group swim: a yearly mass paddle, in May, from nearby La Ciotat. The scene on arrival is otherworldly. Lying midway between Bandol and Cassis, expect an uninhabited lost world of eucalyptus and holm oak. The windswept cove of Calanque Seynerolles feels more pristine Corsica than poseur Côte d’Azur. Owners of yachts with lots of anchor chain can party by night alongside their own private island.

Getting there: Île Verte is within swimming distance of La Ciotat.

Forget the car, not even bikes are allowed on Port-Cros. Here almost 22 miles of hiking trails lead through woods to translucent seas. As France’s first marine national park, the waters host 180 fish species including eagle rays. From Plage du Palud a five-buoy snorkel trail leads out to the teeny tiny island of Rascas Rock. Of Port-Cros’ handful of shabbily chic restaurants, Le Manoir does a fine line in monkfish medallions and tuna.

Getting there: accessible by tender, water taxi or ferry.

Since Roman times, sailors have been quarantined on Ratonneau. This sun-seared granite speck has a Croatian quality: tiny beaches, jump-right-in rocks and more than 300 species of flora, including sea lilies that scent the spring breeze. The ruin of Hôpital Caroline now forms the backdrop for the yearly MIMI festival in early July, a 10-day blowout of the musical avant-garde. The Romans also built a simple causeway across to Pomègues, Ratonneau’s beautiful little brother. A secluded 700-berth marina now sits between the two islands. Best of all, the entire Frioul archipelago (which includes these islands as well as the Alcatraz-style Château d’If) resides within the Calanque National Park, so those teeming shoals of brown grouper and John Dory are protected forever more.

Getting there: accessible by a 20-minute ferry from Vieux Port in Marseille.

You may not be the most illustrious yachtsman to have moored in Bendor’s tiny north-facing marina. In 1950, pastis kingpin Paul Ricard purchased the island and hived off a harbour to service his mates, Salvador Dali and Marcel Pagnol included. Ricard dispensed with the grazing sheep and added a tennis court and an art gallery, plus a 3.7-mile-long causeway that can be covered by mountain bike or electric scooter. A dozen hip restaurants serve rosé from the region’s Bandol vineyards. Back at the marina a monolith bears Paul Ricard’s personal motto: nul bien sans peine (“no pain, no gain”). An apt saying if you’ve overdone his firm’s Pastis 51 the night before.

Getting there: accessible by a ferry that runs from Bandol's harbour.

You know that island that you glide over when flying to Nice? It has a fabulously secluded backstory. Hermit monk St Honorat arrived in AD410, and his sole wish was to meditate in peace under the Aleppo pines. Within 20 years dozens of disciples rocked up to share St Honorat’s unparalleled sea view – swim south and the next stop is Tunisia. The monks now share a symbiotic relationship with Hollywood’s elite, who sail across for stuffed octopus and burrata at al fresco restaurant La Tonnelle. The monks provide the Viognier from their eight-hectare vineyard, while the stars pay handsomely for the privilege of not being papped. After the last shuttle boat to Cannes departs at 6pm, sailors who moor between Saint-Honorat and fellow island gem Sainte-Marguerite will find nirvana strictly for themselves.

Getting there: accessible by a ten-minute RIB ride from Cannes.

Sainte-Marguerite is a little slice of paradise, nicknamed "the forest on the water" thanks to its colossal forest abundant in flora and fauna. Follow a signposted trail taking you from one end of the island to the other, where a botanical and historical route awaits. For those wanting to stay the night on the island, Ultima's Le Grand Jardin is the perfect escape from the bustling crowds in Cannes. As the sole private property on the island, the villa hosts up to 24 guests and guarantees exclusivity and seclusion.

Getting there: accessible by helicopter or by 15-minute boat from Cannes.

If you let slip that you have been hanging out in the summer retreat of presidents de Gaulle, Chirac and Sarkozy, acquaintances might question the bibulousness of your lunch. But in 2014 François Hollande welcomed curious visitors to France’s presidential retreat – a breathtaking island mansion – for the first time in a gesture of “openness”. After all, Fort Brégançon offers little presidential privacy against long-lens cameras. Mooring too close would still invite the ire of France’s Republican Guard. Instead, visitors may disembark from a tender at nearby Plage Brégançon, before touring the fort’s inner sanctum. Just don’t expect Versailles-style marble and gilded mirrors. The fort encapsulates the barefoot bling of a Cap d’Antibes retreat: Provençal tile floors, an alfresco dining table and a private beach.

Getting there: accessible by tender.