Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, French Riviera

BACKGROUND

Immortalised in F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel Tender is the Night and frequented by stars and statesmen, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has long been one of the most luxurious addresses on the Cote d’Azur. It opened as a hotel in 1889, although its grand main building turns 150 this year. The 2020 season, due to begin this month, has been delayed. It is a member of the Oetker Collection.

WHERE IS IT?

On the southern tip of the Cap d’Antibes, half an hour’s drive from Nice airport and 20 minutes from Cannes.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

Corny as it may sound, you do feel like a film star from the moment you pull off Boulevard J F Kennedy into the driveway. That feeling is amplified when you descend its grand staircase dressed for dinner, or lounge around its legendary pool, blasted out of basalt rock in 1914. If you have the means then this is a place where you come to live your best life.

It’s about understated luxury rather than screaming opulence, though. Helped from my car by a typically charming member of staff, I was welcomed warmly into the lobby lounge of the main château, an airy space in shades of cream and pale blue that keep the focus on the sea views beyond. A door at the far end leads down to the 179-metre Grande Allée – the property’s “boulevard to the sea”, flanked by fragrant pine and palm trees. At the seafront is the Eden-Roc Pavilion, home to more guestrooms and most of the food and drink venues, and the pool. Walk left from here, through more of the hotel’s nine hectares of pine forest and gardens, and scattered along the seafront are 33 private cabanas.

ROOMS

There are 118 rooms and suites across the main house, the Pavilion and the Les Deux Fontaines building. Room categories range from 25 sqm Tradition to 40 sqm, sea-facing Deluxe, and suite categories from 45 sqm Junior, some with terraces, to the 100 sqm Eden-Roc suite, offering fantastic views from its large terrace. Restful and elegant, interiors hark back to a bygone age, with floral prints and pastel colours. My first-floor room, located in the main building and overlooking the Grande Allée and sea, was in tangerine and cream and had a summery, classic feel. Bathrooms have tubs, walk-in showers and Bamford toiletries.

FOOD AND DRINK

Aside from the main building’s Bar Bellini, the restaurants and bars are in the Pavilion. There’s the EdenRoc Restaurant for lunch, which, new for 2020, will transform into Louroc restaurant for dinner, and the Eden-Roc Grill. Boasting glorious terraces at the sea’s edge, they are being redesigned for this season, with “a new dimension [being added] to the gastronomic experience”. For drinks, there’s also a bar adjoining the Eden-Roc Restaurant and a rooftop champagne lounge.

MEETINGS

Most venues are in the Pavilion and there’s a pontoon for access from the water. The Iles de Lérins ballroom divides in three and holds 200 guests for a banquet or 220 for cocktails, while its expansive terrace accommodates 150 for dinner or 200 for drinks. The Eden-Roc Restaurant and terrace can take 200 diners, while the Grill hosts 50 to 100 diners or cocktails for 200. The champagne lounge holds 100 for drinks. Cocktail parties are possible on the Grande Allée, and small gatherings in the cabanas. The hotel can be booked for exclusive hire, and as part of this, drinks for up to 450 guests can be held around the 700 sqm pool deck.

If you have the means then this is a place where you come to live your best life

LEISURE

Cut into the cliff, the heated seawater infinity pool has direct access to the sea. There’s also a La Prairie spa, a gym and five clay tennis courts.

VERDICT

A sensational property both for a decadent retreat or a memorable event. You won’t want to leave.

BESTFOR

Intuitive, spot-on service, old-school glamour and stupendous views

DON’TMISS

People-watching by the pool and sipping Provençal rosé as the sun sets at the Eden-Roc Grill

PRICE

Internet rates for a flexible overnight stay in May started from €850 for a Tradition room

CONTACT

Boulevard John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Cap d’Antibes; tel +33 493 613 901; oetkercollection.com