Although its name conjures up images of Provençal lavender fields the more likely, and more prosaic, origin is the dialect word for washhouse – lavoir. Indeed there is a painting by Charles Ginoux in the town hall depicting the hamlet in 1736 with the wives of the fisherfolk washing their linen in the foreground.
Le Lavandou is now a busy holiday destination where visitors can enjoy the long sandy beaches and rugged countryside of the Massif des Maures. A large marina provides facilities for pleasure craft and sport fishing and the area is popular with divers. What was once a small, impoverished fishing port servicing the larger and wealthier community of Bormes-les-Mimosas, has now been developed with high rise-hotels and apartment blocks to cater for the tourist industry.
It was with the coming of the railway in 1890 that the fortunes of the village began to change. The little train which ran every day from Toulon to Saint-Raphaël transported not only baskets of fish, fruit and vegetables but also the first tourists with the consequent social changes in their wake. The population increased and by 1913 the community had become affluent and important enough to achieve administrative independance from Bormes and a degree of antagonism between the two communities remains to this day.
Artists in search of new horizons and new subject matter were amongst the first visitors and some decided to stay for a while and some for the rest of their lives. Henri Edmond Cross settled in the area in 1891 and played host to many other artists over the years including Théo Van Rysselberghe who also moved to Saint-Clair permanently in 1910. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a visitor to Le Lavandou in 1894 when he painted La plage du Lavandou (Private collection), pictured here. Later generations of artists have succumb to the spell of the place including Maurice Utrillo and Nicolas de Staël who created about forty paintings inspired by the area. Another minor claim to fame is that it was while staying in the resort in 1939 that Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin wrote “A Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square” which was first performed in a local bar.
Saint-Clair is just a short stroll along the old railway line, which is now a cycle path, and has a more sedate atmosphere than its busier neighbour and this is especially true out of season. There are quiet corners where the qualities that first lured Cross and Van Rysselberghe to make it their home can still be detected.
HOW TO GET TO LE LAVANDOU
By air To Toulon-Hyères airport. Air France operate a service from London City Airport with the outbound flight involving a transfer at Paris. Car hire is available at the airport. Alternatively there is a bus service (Mistral 7803) which runs from the airport to Le Lavandou/Saint-Clair, en route for Saint-Tropèz. The other option is to to fly to Marseille which has a more comprehensive schedule of regular direct flights and then take the train to Toulon or Hyères
By train The TGV Méditerranée runs from Paris to Toulon and Hyères. There are bus or taxi services from these stations to Le Lavandou/Saint-Clair. It is also possible to travel to Saint-Raphaël but there is no direct bus connection with Le Lavandou/Saint-Clair. By car The A8 (E80) is the major road running between Aix-en-Provence and Nice and the exit for the A57 should be taken in the direction of Toulon and Hyères. On the outskirts of Toulon take the A570 in the direction of Hyères where it becomes the D98. Take this in the direction of Le Lavandou and just before Bormes-les-Mimosas take the D559 in Le Lavandou. this road then continues along the coast through Saint-Clair in the direction of Saint-Tropèz.
By bus From Toulon take Varlib line 8814 or line 7801 from Toulon to Le Lavandou via Hyères. Line 8814 continues through Saint-Clair to Saint-Tropèz.
TOURIST INFORMATION
La Maison du Lavandou Quai Gabriel Péri, 83980 Le Lavandou Tel: 04.94.00.40.50 Fax: 04.94.00.40.59 Website:www.lelavandou.eu Open: Monday to Saturday, and Sunday and public holidays from Easter to end of September
MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES
Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropèz Although this is a few miles distant from Le Lavandou/Saint-Clair it really is worth making the effort to see an impressive collection of post-Impressionist and Fauvist paintings housed in a sixteenth century chapel on the bustling harbourfront. There are works by Signac, Cross, Derain, Matisse, Dufy, Marquet, Camoin and many others. Saint-Tropèz can be a traffic nightmare and it may be adviseable to take the bus. Le Port, 83990 Saint-Tropèz Tel: 04.94.17.84.10 Website:www.saint-tropez.tv/html/annonciade.html Open: Every day except Tuesday. From 1 June to 30 September 10.00–12.00 and 15.00–19.00; from 1 October to 31 May 10.00–12.00 and 14.00–18.00
Musée Arts et Histoires, Bormes-les-Mimosas Includes a collection of nineteenth and twentieth century paintings, mainly by local artists. 103 rue Carnot, 83230 Bormes-les-Mimosas Tel: 04.94.71.56.60 E-mail: musee@ville-bormes.fr Website:www.visitvar.fr Open: Tuesday to Sunday morning except Wednesday morning. From 1 June to 30 September 10.00–12.00 and 15.00–18.30; from 1 October to 31 May 10.00–12.00 and 14.00–17.30. Closed on 1 January, 1 may and 25 December. Admission free.
It was with the coming of the railway in 1890 that the fortunes of the village began to change. The little train which ran every day from Toulon to Saint-Raphaël transported not only baskets of fish, fruit and vegetables but also the first tourists with the consequent social changes in their wake. The population increased and by 1913 the community had become affluent and important enough to achieve administrative independance from Bormes and a degree of antagonism between the two communities remains to this day. 
Artists in search of new horizons and new subject matter were amongst the first visitors and some decided to stay for a while and some for the rest of their lives. Henri Edmond Cross settled in the area in 1891 and played host to many other artists over the years including Théo Van Rysselberghe who also moved to Saint-Clair permanently in 1910. Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a visitor to Le Lavandou in 1894 when he painted La plage du Lavandou (Private collection), pictured here. Later generations of artists have succumb to the spell of the place including Maurice Utrillo and Nicolas de Staël who created about forty paintings inspired by the area. Another minor claim to fame is that it was while staying in the resort in 1939 that Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin wrote “A Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square” which was first performed in a local bar.
Saint-Clair is just a short stroll along the old railway line, which is now a cycle path, and has a more sedate atmosphere than its busier neighbour and this is especially true out of season. There are quiet corners where the qualities that first lured Cross and Van Rysselberghe to make it their home can still be detected.
