South of France, The French Riviera, Cote d’Azur or aka. the glitzy and glamorous gem that has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember.
Imagine my delight when the opportunity for a couples trip arose last year. Who’s up for a tour of the finest five star hotels in the French Riviera? Oh, that would be me! Years of staring at the Instagram accounts of the best places from Monaco to St. Tropez had paid off.
Nice is roughly the half way point between Monaco and St. Tropez and the hub where the majority of flights will take you. Timing of this trip was down to perfection as landing at Nice during the Cannes Film Festival resulted in line after line of private jets on the runway. ‘We’ll win big at the casino and go home on one of those!’ we declared. No pressure.
Transport options here are pretty damn good. Sure you hear about the dream trips where you hire a Jaguar and weave along the coast roads with a silk scarf flapping behind you (so doing this on my next visit) – but we had heard rumours the traffic becomes even worse during the Film Festival, so opted for a mixture of Ubers and Trains instead. It’s worth noting that pretty much every town along the coast has a train station and everything runs pretty regularly.
Cannes
We stayed just outside of Cannes and were able to walk to the center in about 30 minutes. Cannes is a town that is literally buzzing during the Film Festival. A bizarre mix of tourists in their beach wear and people wearing full tuxes at midday whilst a-list celebs whizz by in various sports cars.
There is nothing typical about Cannes. Imagine a French seaside town where you can amble along eating a Nutella crepe, then you turn a corner and see a celeb being photographed by a group of a hundred papparazi. Yes it sounds ridiculous but somehow you find yourself becoming entirely swept up in the experience.
Walking the complete length of Cannes will take you less than half an hour and it is so worth it. The bay from the Radisson Blu hotel to the Palais des Festivals seems relatively understated, but then you hit the Palais des Festivals and suddenly feel like you’ve accidentally walked into an a list party.
What I just adore about it is that you can even get so close to the red carpet and if you’re prepared to weave in and out of the crowds. You can be casually strolling across the street and suddenly a fleet of Film Festival branded Mercedes pull up and out get several a-listers.
For those non-a listers like myself, there are plenty of separate events that the Film Festival put on throughout the two weeks. Each night they hold the cine a la plage where you can watch classic French films on the beach at La Croisette on Festival branded deck chairs and soak in the atmosphere for free. Do not miss!
Monaco
Just when you think you’ve witnessed enough glitz in Cannes, along comes Monaco! Approx a 1 hour train ride from Cannes and the furthest point along the French Riviera before you get to the Italy border. A fleet of the world’s most expensive cars lined up outside the casino and Hotel de Paris. Check. Every designer shop you can imagine. Check. Hoards of tourists. Check. But still, don’t miss it. Even if you stop by for a few snaps and to soak in the money dripping atmosphere, it is so worth it.
Plus don’t even think about heading off to your next destination without wandering amongst the yachts. We also headed to the Fairmont Monte Carlo, which is practically on the Grand Prix circuit. This hotel has it’s own casino, Nobu, Nikki Beach and a great champagne bar, Horizon where we lost a couple of hours taking in panoramic views of the sea.
Villefranche sur Mer
Villefranche sur Mer was such a great find that I still feel triumphant about this. On a crowded train back from Monaco, we pulled into the station and I spontaneously declared ‘let’s get off here’. What a decision.
Little did I know that Villefranche is actually home to the most expensive villa in the whole world. It’s easy to see why when you step off the train and follow a set of steps down to one of the most beautiful fishing bays I have ever seen. Somehow it’s become untouched by the glamorous insanity of it’s neighbours Cannes and Monaco and you feel like you’re stepping back in time.
We had the most amazing dinner here at Cosmo restaurant on the street just up from the main bay, opposite the traditional little church. Dreamy!
Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat
Pool day at an iconic French Riviera hotel anyone? Sure thing. Hiring a private cabana overlooking the mediterranean was an inspired idea.
The Grand Hotel Du Cap has been visited by throngs of a listers for years and is timelessly chic. As we pulled up to the entrance, decked with flowers, huge wrought iron doors and crisp white Four Seasons canopies, I began to get ridiculously overexcited.
The lobby is completely exquisite and decked out in the finest furniture, with huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a panoramic terrace overlooking the garden. Plus there are white lillies everywhere you look.
We were directed through the garden and down the iconic path (cue a photoshoot session), through a gate which actually goes out onto a road and the entrance to Club Dauphin opposite.
Club Dauphin is easily the best leisure club I have ever seen. You couldn’t even call it a leisure club because that makes it almost sound understated. Imagine a leisure club where you walk through lush hectares of garden overlooking the sea which leads you down to a glass fronted outdoor cliff lift that takes you down to the pool level.
We were taken to our cabana which is completely private. So private that staff ask you if they can come in. The blue and white stripes of the cabana flap softly in the mediterranean breeze as you lie on a sunlounger wondering how on earth you got here. A total bucket list experience.
Our cabana was big enough for 4 sunloungers, a table and chairs and a small fridge. Service was great and the afternoon flew by. We had lunch at the poolside restaurant, which overlooks the biggest swimming pool on the French Riviera. Sure you’ll be paying for this view, but the food was delicious and totally worth it.
Next time, I’m booking a room!
Hotel du Cap Eden Roc
From one French Riviera legend to another. Sharp intake of breath as I recount the best day of my life. Rumour has it that the only way to travel to Eden Roc is by Riva boat, so of course this had to be tried and tested (with special thanks to my other half who arranged this following an epic proposal on La Croisette!).
The journey took about 30 mins, complete with several glasses of Laurent Perrier and a quick tour around St Marguerite island. As we approached the jetty which I have seen countless pictures over the years of a listers arriving on, I couldn’t believe my luck.
You may recall I made earlier reference to the Cannes Film Festival during our stay, which also explained the hoards of paparazzi that were camped out in the rocks adjacent to the jetty, desperate to catch a glimpse of somebody famous (who later turned out to be Leonardo DiCaprio lunching alongside us).
As we made our way out of the boat and up the stairs cut into the rocks, I felt like pinching myself. It was as I’d dreamed it. Crisp white furniture laid out on the most fantastic deck of the Grill Restaurant where we had lunch and gazed out at a mixture of the glistening sea and flashes from the cameras of the paps. This was not an everyday experience.
The iconic pool built into the side of the rocks as amazing. Only regret: not having time for a dip. There’s always next time!
Baoli Cannes
I couldn’t finish my post without paying hommage to French Riviera nightlife. Baoli is at the far end of the Croisette. We booked a table for dinner and had cocktails overlooking the main bar area. You can also eat under the huge white canopies outside. The vibe is fairly chilled here until 11 pm when the restaurant turns into a club and they set the bar on fire. Yes, that’s right. The bar gets set on fire.
Reserving a table in the club can be tricky, so getting a table for dinner and hanging around afterwards is the way to go. Parfait.
What a trip! Already planning my return.
Aurevoir luxury lovers.
Sophie x