Zannier ÎLE DE BENDOR Société Paul Ricard and Zannier Hotels join forces to revive a forgotten island on the French Riviera, shaping a new destination that honours the creative vision of its founder. Words: Catherine Martin • Photography: © DePasquale + Maffini
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hen Paul Ricard first set eyes on Île de Bendor in the early 1950s, a vision began to take shape. At the time, the Mediterranean island off the coast
of Bandol was little more than a rocky outcrop, fringed with wild vegetation and home to a lone sheep. Yet the French entrepreneur saw its potential, setting in motion an ambitious transformation that would become an unlikely haven for artists and free-thinkers. Having made his fortune as the creator of pastis – the anise- and liquorice-flavoured apéritif that still bears his name – Ricard bought the seven-hectare site and set about realising his dream. Over the years, he built a marina, hotels and a village lined with galleries and workshops, creating an Île du Bonheur – an island of happiness, where creativity, conviviality and the good life were open to all. In its heyday, Bendor was a must-visit port of call for those exploring the Côte d’Azur, but as the decades passed, its allure began to fade. Ricard died in 1997, and by 2005, one of the original hotels had closed its doors, signalling the end of an era. In 2021, Société Paul Ricard – still under family ownership – closed the island altogether, paving the way for a full-scale redevelopment that would bring its founder’s vision into a new era. “Île de Bendor has always been a
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