Ten More Reps, a Cold Ocean Plunge and a Glass of Bordeaux?

At a luxe health spa on the French Riviera, deprivation is out, moderation is in and the results are surprisingly long-lasting.

- Lucy Alexander

It was when the chocolate mousse with extra chocolate arrived that I realised this was a diet plan I could stick to. Upon inquiry, I discovered the decadent dessert was actually a cacao-and-avocado based foam, but it looked and tasted just like the real thing. The confectionary doppelganger is typical of the signature High-Speed Weight Loss programme at the Lily of the Valley wellness resort on France’s Côte d’Azur in that it plays with guests’ assumptions—in this case, a low-calorie, nutrition-infused morsel masquerading as a lavish gastronomic experience.

The resort, near Saint-Tropez, is open year-round, unusual in the strictly seasonal Riviera. I travelled there from the UK in late autumn, hoping to catch a few final Mediterranean rays before the long grey winter set in. After I’d spent two COVID-restricted holiday seasons dealing with lockdowns, masks and cancellations, the getaway felt like both an indulgence and a necessity—a much overdue chance to revitalise. Lily of the Valley caters to this exact post-pandemic mood.