For the last decade, the summer hotel takeover has belonged to fashion. A pool terrace dipped entirely in one brand’s Pantone. Sun loungers wrapped in monogram canvas. A beach bar that suddenly looks like it’s been airlifted from a runway show.
This year, the formula has got considerably more ambitious — and considerably more fun. At WeGalavant, we’ve spent the last few weeks tracking where the best collaborations have landed across Europe. Here’s where to go, and what you’ll find when you get there.
The French Riviera, Reimagined
Burberry has taken over the beach club and terraces at Hôtel Belles Rives, reinterpreting its signature check in the hotel’s own Art Deco blue. It’s a small detail, but the kind that tells you someone thought about it properly — not just slapping a logo on a lounger, but actually looking at the building first.
A little further along the coast, Gucci has dressed the loungers at La Rose des Vents in Monaco in the brand’s signature florals, scalloped umbrellas overhead and the city skyline behind. It photographs beautifully, but more than that, it makes an already-glamorous stretch of coastline feel considered rather than just expensive.
And in Cannes, Roberto Cavalli has brought leopard print and bold florals to Annex Beach, right beneath the Carlton. If you know Cavalli, you know exactly what to expect — and it doesn’t disappoint.
Sardinia’s Citrus Summer
Hotel Cala di Volpe has been dressed in Dolce & Gabbana’s Maiolica Gialla print for the first time, with a pop-up store on site bringing the full collection to the Costa Smeralda. We’ve stayed at Cala di Volpe before, and it’s long been one of WeGalavant’s favourite Sardinian addresses. Adding D&G’s citrus-bright prints to those arched terraces and that view of the bay is, frankly, a very good idea.
Not far away, Herno has returned for a second summer at Phi Beach in Baja Sardinia — the brand’s take on outdoor living set against some of the most striking granite coastline on the island. And over in Taormina, Dolce & Gabbana have struck again, this time with Mytheresa, taking over the beach club at San Domenico Palace for what’s already their ninth collaboration together. Expect a pop-up boutique with a few genuinely location-exclusive pieces.
The Amalfi Coast, Dior-ed Up
At Capri Palace, Dior-branded buoys now bob in the water below the cliffs — a small but unmistakable sign that the Dioriviera world has made its way to the Amalfi Coast for the season. A little further along, Valentino has taken over the beach club at Palazzo Avino in Ravello, renaming it the Clubhouse by the Sea for the summer and filling it with the brand’s instantly recognisable red. There’s a boutique on site too, stocked with the brand’s “Escape” capsule — caftans, mini-dresses, the lot.
Turkey’s Beach Clubs Got a Glow-Up
In Bodrum, Dior has transformed the pool at D Maris Bay with powder blue cabanas, deckchairs monogrammed simply “Dior”, and a floating pool sculpture that’s become something of a talking point among guests. Not far away, Jacquemus has built a beach bar at Mandarin Oriental Bodrum — striped umbrellas, straw parasols, the Aegean behind it. A beach bar that looks like it was always meant to be there.
Ibiza (and Mykonos) In Zigzag
Missoni’s instantly recognisable zigzag has taken over the daybeds and thatched cabanas at OKU Ibiza, framed by palms and the island’s famously laid-back pool scene. The same stripes have made their way to Cali Mykonos too, so if you’re torn between the two islands this summer, you’ll find a little continuity either way.
Monaco’s Yellow Moment
Jacquemus has gone bigger than a beach bar this year — the brand’s signature banana-yellow sunbeds now line the beach club at Monte-Carlo’s Société des Bains de Mer, turning one of the principality’s most storied stretches of sand into something considerably more playful.
What This Means If You’re Planning a Trip
None of this is just a photo opportunity. It’s a genuine reason to choose one hotel over another, one destination over the next. If you’re planning a Mediterranean trip this summer, where you stay now comes with a style statement attached — whether you want it to or not.
The details matter, though. A Burberry beach club is wonderful, but only if you’re staying at the right time, in the right room, with everything around it properly arranged. This is exactly the kind of thing WeGalavant exists for — we know which of these collaborations are worth building a trip around, and how to weave one into something that feels like your trip, not just a brand’s calendar.
We’ve got the intel, the access to get the reservations, and the hotel sales directors on speed dial to personalise your stay with added perks that don’t cost any more than booking direct.
If any of this has caught your eye — and we suspect at least one thing has — get in touch and we’ll start putting it together.
📩 Click the link in our bio, or head to our contact page to start planning.
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For the last decade, the summer hotel takeover has belonged to fashion. A pool terrace dipped entirely in one brand’s Pantone. Sun loungers wrapped in monogram canvas. A beach bar that suddenly looks like it’s been airlifted from a runway show. This year, the formula has got considerably more ambitious — and considerably more fun. […]
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