Le Lavendou
Tucked into the north west corner of the bay on the eastern side of Cap Benat, Le Lavendou offers great protection from the Mistral wind. We stayed here in October 2025 for precisely that reason - to wait out a Mistral. Initially the harbourmaster could only offer one night, which we took, but when another yacht cancelled its berth they immediately offered us another two nights, which we took without hesitation as the wind was due to blow for three days. Worth noting that the first pntooon inside the breakwater is for transiting yachts and visitors, and it is not robust enough to take larger yachts when strong winds are due. The harbour will do their best to find a place in the main port, perhaps a vacant long-term berth, but there are limited places for multihulls so well worth booking ahead if you’re thinking of coming here. The visitors’ pontoon is also quite tight against the quay on the western side where bow lines are tailed to buoys for local boats; making a sternboard into the inner berth next to the Capitainnerie with other yachts on the outer section of the pontoon concentrated the mind - we had less than 2 feet clearance either side. Prices were reasonable - 130 Euros per night for us - and the harbour has all the usual facilities, with a chandlery on site too. Right next to the berths there is a restaurant, bar and shop complex, essentially part of the marina, which is super convenient if you just want to step ashore for a bite rather than explore further afield. That said, the town is less than 10 minute walk from the marina and is delightful. We took our e-bikes up to Bormes-les-Mimosas, a beautiful hill-top village overlooking the bay. It’s known for its incredible flowers including the famous mimosa trees, the bright yellow blossoms of which one enterprising artisan uses to make an incredible ice-cream - delicious! The village is well worth a half day mooching around before a lazy lunch with panoramic views.
Le Lavendou is primarily catering for local boats and does not have many berths to offer visitors. If the marina is full when you arrive, the bay off the beach immediately to the south is a good anchorage, where several yachts rode out the Mistral. Alternatively, St Clair bay a few hundred meters to the north east is also well protected from winds with a westerly or northerly component. You might also try Bormes-les-Mimosa port a mile or so to the south.