The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has been the pole star for luxury hotels on the French Riviera since its opening in 1870. In 1936, it became the inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hôtel des Étrangers in Tender is the Night, where he wrote: “On the pleasant shore of the French Riviera, about half way between Marseilles and the Italian border, stands a large, proud, rose-coloured hotel.” The author described it as being the summer resort of notable and fashionable people–a reputation it still manages to maintain, not simply with its star-studded roster of visitors but through remains of its glamorous past immortalized throughout the property, such as the restaurant’s menus designed by Pablo Picasso in 1955 following his very simple request for paper, ink, and a quiet table to sit and work.
Amenities: Restaurants, bars, pool, spa, fitness center, beauty salon, kid’s club, sea access
Insider Tip: Don’t forget to book a treatment at the new Dior Spa Eden-Roc, just opened last season.
Address: 167-165 Bd J. F. Kennedy, 06160 Antibes
Photo: Courtesy of Pan Deï Palais
In the heart of the village of St. Tropez, Pan Deï Palais forms a private residence originally built by General Jean-François Allard as a gift to his beloved, the Indian princess Bannu Pan Deï in 1835, and ultimately became their family home where their five children were raised. Today, the 12-room luxury boutique hotel preserves that same romantic spirit and warm atmosphere. Like all Airelles hotels, rooms are elegant and understated, and each feature direct access to the blue tile mosaic pool set in a fragrant garden shaded by palm and olive trees. Mini-Moke jeeps and the property’s signature Rolls-Royce are available to shuttle guests to the hotel’s private beach, Jardin Tropézina situated on the famed Pampelonne Beach.
Amenities: Restaurant, bar, pool, private beach, shuttle beach service, spa, fitness center, kid’s club
Insider’s Tip: Have the chef prepare you a picnic to enjoy in the gardens.
Address: 52 Rue Gambetta, 83990 Saint-Tropez
Photo: Courtesy of Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel
Opened last summer halfway between Cannes and Nice, the 35-room Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel is Antibes’s buzziest newcomer, making its marks with bubblegum pink sun loungers lining its private beach club and retro Palm Springs-inspired interiors subtly popping up on our Instagram feeds. At Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel, guests also have access to the lively Baba, the hotel’s beachside restaurant, in addition to the Rotunda bar located on a balcony overlooking the sea. If that wasn’t enough, the hotel is also host to Les Pêcheurs, the Michelin-starred fine dining seafood restaurant helmed by Nice native, chef Nicolas Rondelli. While there’s no spa on site, there are two wellness cabanas where guests can book facials or massages on request and yoga classes hosted in the hotel’s private garden or on the rooftop terrace.