Provence - Beach town recommendations "near" St. Remy?

Le Lavandou is between St. Tropez and Marseille. We'll be there in August. We wanted a sandy beach vice the rocky beach of Cassis. You might want Cassis due to its proximity to Marseille. Happy hunting.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer has good sandy beaches. It's about an hour from St. Remy in the Camargue. There's an interesting old church there, too.

The beach at Cassis is sandy and nice. The town is picturesque and has a beautiful harbor with boats that will take you out to the calanques. Loved it there!
The train station at Cassis is at the top of a hill above the town and there are buses that run frequently. It is a short ride downt to the beach.

I've been to Stes. Maries de la Mere and not to Casis. But based on that experience, and Casis's rep and proximity to Marseilles, I'd chose Casis over Stes. Maries for a beachey experience.

There are two beaches in Cassis, both are not huge stretches and in summer fairly crowded, but I love them regardless. The one to the left of the port is mostly sandy although it's not super fine sand, it's good enough. The other beach about a 15-20 minute walk away is rocky, but fun for swimming/jumping from rocks (carefully! but water visibility is good). It definitely has that small Provenceal seaside town vibe. There are also beaches in Marsielle but that's not what you're looking for (nor are they very close to the tourist center) If you're going to stay in Marsielle your last night, I would take advantage of that and try to get there by early afternoon to see the Panier Quartier, the Vieux Porte, eat some Moroccan food, etc.

Many thanks for the replies. I am going to look into Cassis. If anyone has another suggestion, I would live to hear it. Also, at the two main beaches described above at Cassia, are there restaurants, restrooms etc... nearby? I appreciate those taking the time to answer my questions. Cheers

I have not been to Cassis, although it sounds charming, but I really love the beach town of Sainte Marie de la Mer. It felt like the quintessential french beach town to me (or whatever I imagined it to be) Plus you get to see a really interesting part of France. The Carmague is quite intriguing and you just might get to see the pink flamingos and white horses.

And don't forget the black bulls, Terry kathryn!

I have been to both Cassis and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (sp?). I enjoyed both towns, but I would have to say I preferred Cassis.

The main beach in Cassis is right next to the main seafront promenade, so yes, plenty of restaurants, little markets nearby, etc. There are public bathrooms at the beach (although I recall them being foul at the end of the day) Hope that helps! Having a car is nice in Cassis, as the train station is in the mountains above town, and you have to catch an infrequent (or at least it felt like it!) shuttle to and from it to get in or out of the city. Also there are vineyards nearby you can tour with a car.

I love Cassis. You can't go wrong by going there. But be aware that it has a big parking problem. Unless your hotel has parking or you are lucky to get a spot in the small public lot at the harbor, you may have a hike to the public lots further away. So my advice is to stay someplace with parking.

Great suggestion. Thanks!
I appreciate all the suggestions. Cassis sounds like a good fit for many reasons.