The World's Most Iconic Beach Clubs, and the Stories Behind Them
A great beach club is more than a stretch of sand and a row of loungers. The best of them have a history, a character and a story that pulls people back summer after summer. Some grew out of a film shoot. Some started as a humble fish tavern. One began as a father's tribute to his daughter. All of them now sit at the centre of the places where summer happens.
We know these places well, because they are where our customers spend their holidays, from the Cote d'Azur to the Costa del Sol to South Beach. So here is a short tour of the world's most iconic beach clubs, the stories behind them, and a note on what to wear to each one if you are lucky enough to go.
Club 55, St Tropez: The Beach Club That Started a Legend
Club 55 is the original Saint-Tropez beach club, and its origin story is pure Riviera folklore. It sits on Pampelonne beach, and it began in the mid-1950s as a simple wooden hut where the de Colmont family fed the cast and crew filming Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman, the film that made Brigitte Bardot a star and Saint-Tropez a legend. The casual canteen stuck, became a proper restaurant, and took its name from the year 1955.
What makes Club 55 special is that it never chased the times. There is no thumping DJ, just a relaxed, rustic charm and some of the most sought-after lunch tables in the South of France. It is glamour that wears its history lightly, which is about as Saint-Tropez as it gets.
What to wear: an open linen shirt and tailored trousers, golden-hour ease, nothing that tries too hard. Club 55 rewards understatement.
The Setai Beach Club Miami: A Beach Club Built as a Tribute
Nikki Beach has one of the most moving origin stories in hospitality. The first Nikki Beach opened in Miami in 1998, created by Jack Penrod in memory of his daughter Nicole, who died in a car accident at 18. Rather than mourn her, Penrod chose to celebrate her life, and built the club on that philosophy, complete with the signature all-white design that has defined the brand ever since.
That Celebration of Life idea turned out to be a blueprint. Nikki Beach helped reshape South Beach into the global day-club capital it became, and grew into a worldwide brand with clubs in several of the places our own customers holiday. The all-white aesthetic, the long champagne lunches and the live performers are all still there.
What to wear: Nikki Beach is built on white, so lean into it. A crisp white polo shirt or linen shirt with a tailored swim short fits the room perfectly.
Nammos, Mykonos: From Fish Tavern to Global Icon
Nammos is the beating heart of Mykonos glamour, but it started small. The beach club as people know it dates to 2003, on the golden sand of Psarou beach, though its roots trace back further to a modest fish tavern opened on the same beach in the 1960s, when Psarou was a quiet spot reached mostly by boat. From those humble beginnings it grew into one of the most famous, and most expensive, beach clubs on the planet.
Today Nammos is a full lifestyle destination, with private cabanas, a luxury shopping village and a guest list of jet-setters and stars. It still runs on the same rhythm though: long lunches that drift into afternoons, champagne by the magnum, and a cool, white-on-white Cycladic style that defines the island.
What to wear: Mykonos is white walls and blue sea, so keep it crisp and tonal. A fine knit for the evening and a tailored swim short by day will not put a foot wrong.
El Chiringuito, Puente Romano Resort, Marbella: Barefoot Luxury on the Costa del Sol
Marbella's most famous beach club is the Spanish home of Nikki Beach, which opened in Elviria in 2003 and brought the brand's barefoot-luxury formula to the Costa del Sol. Set on one of the area's finest beaches at the Don Carlos hotel, it took a classic Marbella party spot and gave it the polished, all-white Nikki Beach treatment, pool decks, ocean-view terraces and all.
Two decades on, it remains a fixture of the Marbella summer, the kind of place where a long lunch turns into an afternoon and an afternoon turns into a night. It has structure and polish, but it never forgets to have a good time, which is the Marbella spirit in a nutshell.
What to wear: Marbella likes a bit of confidence, so this is the place for a print. A bold printed swim short with a plain linen shirt keeps the energy up without tipping over.
Cala Jondal, Ibiza: Celebration of Life on the White Isle
Ibiza is the island of music and energy, and Nikki Beach brings its Celebration of Life philosophy to the White Isle in its own relaxed, glamorous way. It carries the same all-white design and long-lunch ethos as its sister clubs in Marbella, Saint Tropez and Miami, set against the famous Ibiza light.
What makes the Ibiza outpost work is the balance. The island can be all about the party, but a Nikki Beach day leans more towards stylish, sun-soaked celebration than full-tilt clubbing, the colour and the energy with a bit of taste underneath. That mix is what keeps people coming back.
What to wear: Ibiza is colour and confidence, so a bright polo or a vivid print, grounded by plain tailored trousers or shorts, hits the right note.
Why These Beach Clubs Still Matter
The thread running through all of these places is that none of them set out to be famous. A film canteen, a fish tavern, a father's tribute, each started as something small and personal, and grew because it had a real character that people wanted to be part of. That is what separates an iconic beach club from a smart bar with a sea view.
It is also, quietly, how we think about dressing for these places. Get the few right pieces, breathable fabrics, a calm palette, a bit of tailoring under the ease, and you can move from Saint Tropez to Mykonos to Marbella without missing a beat. Start with the swim shorts collection and a good linen shirt, and you are ready for any of them.
Iconic Beach Clubs FAQs
What is the most famous beach club in the world?
The most famous beach club in the world is often said to be Club 55 in Saint-Tropez, on Pampelonne beach. It began in the mid-1950s as a simple beachside canteen feeding the crew of the film And God Created Woman, and took its name from the year 1955. Its blend of rustic charm and exclusivity has kept it at the top for decades. Other contenders for the title include Nikki Beach in Miami and Nammos in Mykonos. Each is famous for a distinct character rather than just its setting.
What is the history of Club 55 in St Tropez?
The history of Club 55 in St Tropez goes back to the mid-1950s, when the de Colmont family ran a simple wooden hut on Pampelonne beach. During the filming of Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman, the family fed the cast and crew, and that casual canteen gradually became a proper beach restaurant. It was named Club 55 after its founding year of 1955. The club has deliberately kept its rustic, low-key charm ever since. Today it is one of the most sought-after lunch spots on the French Riviera.
When did Nikki Beach Miami open and why?
Nikki Beach Miami opened in 1998, founded by Jack Penrod as a tribute to his daughter Nicole, who died in a car accident at the age of 18. Rather than mourn her, Penrod chose to celebrate her life, and built the club around a Celebration of Life philosophy with its now-signature all-white design. The club helped transform South Beach into a global day-club destination. It has since grown into a worldwide brand with locations in several glamorous beach destinations. The original Miami club remains the heart of the story.
What is Nammos Mykonos known for?
Nammos Mykonos is known for being one of the most famous and most exclusive beach clubs in the world, set on the golden sand of Psarou beach. The beach club dates to 2003, though its roots trace back to a humble fish tavern on the same beach in the 1960s. It is famous for long champagne lunches, private cabanas, a luxury shopping village and a guest list of celebrities and jet-setters. Its cool, white Cycladic style captures the glamour of Mykonos. It is widely regarded as a place to see and be seen.
What should you wear to a luxury beach club?
What you should wear to a luxury beach club is a relaxed but considered look built on natural fabrics and a calm palette. A linen shirt, a tailored swim short and leather sandals will suit almost any of the famous clubs, from Club 55 to Nikki Beach. For white-themed clubs like Nikki Beach, crisp white pieces fit the setting, while a bold print works well for the livelier clubs in Marbella or Ibiza. The key is to look pulled-together without overdressing. Tailored swimwear that takes you from the sun lounger to lunch is the most useful thing you can pack.
