Hotel Cafe des Arts

Set directly on the sand at Cote d'Or, Cafe des Arts opens onto the beach rather than a car park or lobby. Tables sit close enough to the shore that the turquoise water is the view at both lunch and dinner. The kitchen leans on seafood, with a menu that runs from lighter plates by day to a fuller dinner service after dark. By afternoon the mood is casual, shirts untucked and sand still on feet. It is a different room by night. Lighting shifts, the dress code moves to casual chic, and the beachfront tables take on a sharper, more polished feel. Food runs from midday until 10pm, with a snacks platter available later for anyone still at the bar. The attached Blue Octopus Bar keeps the evening going after the kitchen slows, mixing cocktails through the night and drawing a DJ crowd three nights a week. Dietary needs are taken seriously here: kosher and halal options are available, along with vegetarian and vegan dishes and a kosher wine list. The restaurant sits within Le Duc de Praslin's grounds but functions as its own destination, drawing diners who are not staying at the hotel. Reservations are recommended for dinner, when the beachfront tables fill quickly and the room's second, more formal character takes over.