Paul Ricard’s Island Reopens Under the Zannier Hotels Flag

Zannier Hotels has reopened the Île de Bendor, the small island off Bandol on the southern coast of France that pastis entrepreneur Paul Ricard once purchased and transformed into a personal cultural refuge. Artists’ studios, the country’s first diving center, and visits from Dalí, Josephine Baker, and Yuri Gagarin are among the chapters written into its history.

The island had been quietly deteriorating. Marc de Jouffroy, Ricard’s great-grandson and CEO of the family company, partnered with Zannier on a five-year restoration — without relinquishing ownership. The family retains the island; Zannier operates it. Concrete was removed, rainwater harvesting systems were installed, and two hundred trees were planted.

The new hotel offers ninety-three rooms across three distinct concepts: “Delos,” with classic Riviera aesthetics; “Soukana,” centered on wellness; and “Madrague,” comprising five family houses. Eight restaurants operate under the direction of Lionel Levy, the Marseille-born Michelin-starred chef. An art gallery, three artisan workshops, and a Provençal village square complete the offering.

Zannier Hotels operates around a dozen properties worldwide — among them Megève, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Namibia. The group’s entry into the south of France comes not through the construction of a resort from scratch, but through the careful resurrection of an island with a cultural legacy entirely its own.

How many historic Mediterranean islands are quietly waiting for a partner willing to bring them back without erasing what they once were?