From The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

Despite its image, the French Riviera from Cannes to Menton isn’t all £30-a-day sunloungers and hordes of Italians monopolising the sand.

Come summer, while the Europoseurs shuffle for space on more clamoured-for shorelines, Côte d’Azur residents head for less charted sands.

These range from the trop chèr and trop chic to the decidedly family-friendly – they’re great for snorkelling, picnicking or just eavesdropping on French chatter. Better still, each has a sandy stretch to really call your own, even if you’re here in peak season. Tristan Rutherford is the author of Time Out South of France, Provence & the Cote d’Azur (£12.99)

The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - December

PALOMA PLAGE, Cap Ferrat

Secrecy rating 9/10

This tree-dappled stretch of sand (below) is on Europe’s richest promontory, five minutes on foot from the ritzy village of Saint-Jean. There’s a family feel thanks to the shallow bay, soft sand and some of the Riviera’s clearest water: but swim out 100m to gaze at the palatial villas above the beach and there’s no doubt you’re on Europe’s most affluent spit of land.

Consequently, there are ‘beautiful people’ here, but they gravitate to the Paloma beach club with its red sunloungers, vestiaires (bathing cabins) and sumptuous beachside bathrooms. Avoid them altogether by putting your towel on the public stretch, or navigating the surrounding public footpath (Sentier Edmund Davis), which leads around the rocky cap of Paloma Point and circles back to the beach. It’s a pleasant walk with great diving spots on your left and closely-guarded mega-mansions on your right.

Where to stay: Highly recommended is the three-star Hôtel Brise Marine (00 33 4 9376 0436, www.hotel-brisemarine.com; doubles from £100, room only), a hidden treat with a panoramic terrace, two minutes from the beach.

Beach bites: The beachfront Paloma (00 33 4 9301 6471) may be on the pricey side, but the setting is fantastic, especially when combined with a risotto fruits de mer or a chilled vodka tonic. Picnickers can grab a sandwich and cold beer at Boulangerie Le Fournil in Saint-Jean village.

PLAGE DE LA BUSE, Roquebrune

Secrecy rating 7/10

Times recommends

• Brits in Bangkok furious at lack of rescue
• Britain's 12 best winter walks
• The insiders' guide to bohemian Paris