A new chapter at the Garoupe

Villa Miraé, formerly the Impérial Garoupe, is a five-star hotel in the Inwood Hotels collection and a member of Relais & Châteaux, set among Mediterranean gardens on the Chemin de la Garoupe. Its gastronomic restaurant carries the name of Mauro Colagreco, the chef whose cooking has earned three Michelin stars.

Casting off

The name plays on amarres, the lines that moor a boat: the idea is to slip away. The kitchen follows the Mediterranean, the riches of the land and the spontaneity of the seasons, with simple, outstanding produce at the centre. Colagreco is a pioneer of what he calls circular gastronomy – cooking led by vegetables and local biodiversity, changing with the seasons and relying on short supply chains and producers who share that approach.

The room

The MICHELIN Guide, which lists Amarines, describes a pavilion in the hotel gardens, a dining room decorated with the sea and the natural world in mind, and a terrace shaded by plane trees. Its inspectors noted dishes such as gamberoni carpaccio with citrus and basil oil; wild Mediterranean fish with a sauce vierge of Taggiasca olives, preserved lemon, capers and fennel; and a calisson-style floating island with lavender custard.

Before and after

• Amarines serves dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, 19:00–22:00.
• The open-air bar lounge on the Amarines terrace, looking over the sea, opens daily from 18:00 to 23:00, with signature cocktails built on lavender, citrus and sunny Riviera flavours.
• For something more relaxed, the hotel's second restaurant, Miraé by Mauro Colagreco, cooks the classics of the French and Italian rivieras, from socca to spaghetti alla Genovese and tarte Tropézienne.