Alcove hidden at first in French resort (5)
I believe the answer is:
niche
'alcove' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'hidden at first in french resort' is the wordplay.
'at first' suggests taking the first letters.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'french resort' becomes 'nice' (French coastal resort).
The initial letter of 'hidden' is 'h'.
'h' placed inside 'nice' is 'NICHE'.
(Other definitions for niche that I've seen before include "Well-suited position" , "Shallow recess in a wall" , "Chine (anag) - suitable place in life" , "Cosy spot" , "Nook, cranny" .)