The French Riviera wants no introduction. This alluring stretch of shoreline— referred to as the Côte d’Azur since poet Stéphen Liégeard coined the phrase in 1887—is bathed by the Mediterranean and blessed with sunshine. It’s a spot to see and be seen: a longtime playground for film stars and creatives (Brigitte Bardot and F. Scott Fitzgerald amongst them) and a catwalk for the style set. Bien sûr, there’s unabashed luxurious (cue the tremendous yachts cruising offshore) and next-level hedonism (image bronzed revelers on Saint-Tropez’s Plage de Pampelonne). However there’s additionally loads of laid-back hospitality and idyllic nature for outside adventures.
Over almost 20 years of dwelling in France, I’ve escaped to this area many instances to take in the solar, sea, and Mediterranean good life. For the newest installment of Afar’s Inns We Love sequence, I’ve chosen the locations I am keen on most—all of which replicate the sweetness and spirit of this legendary place. Be mindful the Riviera’s seasonality; some resorts shut within the winter.
Airelles Château de la Messardière
- Location: Saint-Tropez
- Why we find it irresistible: A singular setting and top-notch youngsters membership
- From: $1,365
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The wow issue kicks in instantly upon arrival at Airelles Château de la Messardière, which instructions a hilltop above Saint-Tropez. The arbor on the entrance is festooned with inexperienced vegetation that complement the encircling forest of parasol pines. From this setting, you may soak up 360-degree views of the Med—from the Bay of Saint-Tropez to the Plage de Pampelonne. The château dates from the Nineteenth century when a cognac service provider constructed it as a marriage present for his daughter and her cavalry officer husband. Later it turned a resort that’s been a part of France’s ultra-luxe, nine-property Airelles resort assortment since 2021. (The unique Airelles Resort helped set up Courchevel as a luxurious ski vacation spot par excellence.)
Steeped in high-octane glamour, the 99-room Château de la Messardière encompasses 32 acres studded with shimmering swimming pools, tennis courts, a marble-clad Valmont spa, and jasmine-scented gardens. There’s a staggering lunch buffet at La Desk—with pastries by star pâtissier Cédric Grolet—plus Japanese and Latin American delights from chef Nobu Matsuhisa at his eponymous Matsuhisa restaurant. Or go for Mediterranean fare by one other prime chef, Jean-François Piège, on the Jardin Tropezina seaside membership (transfers are by Rolls-Royce).
Households ought to pay attention to the children membership, Airelles Summer season Camp, one of many Riviera’s finest. Younger vacationers are picked up within the morning by a petite practice that transports them to the intensive amenities, together with a LEGO room, artwork studio, petting zoo, sprawling tree home, and an arcade for teenagers. Demand is so excessive for Airelles Summer season Camp, there’s typically a ready listing for guests who aren’t resort visitors (although resort visitors are assured a spot).
Anantara Plaza Good Resort
- Location: Good
- Why we find it irresistible: Distinctive visitor experiences and a city-center location
- From $384
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Debuted in January 2023, the Anantara Plaza Good Resort was the primary in a wave of latest resorts in a metropolis that was beforehand missing in luxurious resorts. Courting to 1848, this golden-hued edifice close to the Place Masséna was sloughed and buffed for 2 years. The primary French property for the Bangkok-based resort group is all about cultural immersion, and to that purpose, the 151-room resort devises Riviera visitor experiences that reveal the vacation spot. You are able to do a half-day free-diving lesson with world champion Arthur Guérin-Boëri off the coast of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, partake in a chef-led market tour and cooking class, or make a journey to the wine-producing château that impressed Coco Chanel’s monogram.
After a day of exploration, return for a therapeutic massage within the Anantara Spa, which makes use of important oils crafted by an area perfumery, then head to the rooftop restaurant, Seen by Oliver, for eat-your-heart-out views of the Albert 1er gardens and the Med. Be sure you strive the Bellet wine classic created by the Château de Cremat vineyard completely for the resort.
Cap d’Antibes Seaside Resort
- Location: Cap d’Antibes, between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins
- Why we find it irresistible: A Relais & Châteaux property on the sand
- From $500
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Whereas the Riviera coast between Good and Cannes can really feel city and developed, the Cap d’Antibes peninsula is a haven of greenery. (The Jardin Thuret, which Georges Sand known as “the loveliest backyard I’ve ever seen,” was the place a Nineteenth-century French botanist experimented with unique vegetation; lots of them now outline the Cote d’Azur panorama.) The Cap d’Antibes Seaside Resort sits proper on the sand, the low-slung buildings channeling the midcentury-modern architectural vibe of Palm Springs. For a redesign unveiled in 2023, Belgian architect Bernard Dubois performed up the modernist leitmotif with white stucco partitions, geometric patterns, and bespoke mahogany tables within the foyer. All of the furnishings was customized within the 35 rooms—from the mahogany closets to the mirror-lined bars. The pink marble loos distinction with grey granite flooring. The most effective room in the home is Le Cap Suite, with a sea-facing terrace and a Jacuzzi within the lavatory. (Deluxe and privilege rooms overlook personal gardens or terraces.)
Direct entry to a seaside is uncommon right here—a busy roadway separates resorts from the water in Good and Cannes—however you may tumble out of your room to a pink-cushioned lounger the place an attendant units you up with a towel, parasol, and glass of rosé. (Seaside loungers, which value a premium on the Cote d’Azur, are included in your room charge.) Cool off within the Med or within the small swimming pool, or be a part of a yoga session in one of many backyard pavilions (there’s additionally a pavilion for spa therapies).
At sundown, the Baba Bar gives cocktails as electrical because the soundtrack. The adjoining Baba Restaurant from Israeli chef Assaf Granit, identified for his spirited Paris eating places, options such tasty objects as heat kubaneh bread, fish and seafood shawarma with caramelized onions, and hen mesachen atop confit greens on an amba crepe. Even earlier than the resort existed, this spot was famed for Les Pêcheurs restaurant, now a Michelin-starred Riviera establishment. To place collectively his menu, chef Nicolas Rondelli fields calls from an area fisherman, who reveals his day by day catch.
Carlton Cannes, a Regent Resort
- Location: Cannes
- Why we find it irresistible: A Belle Époque icon
- Loyalty program: IHG One Rewards
- From $380
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The Carlton Cannes, a Regent Resort, is a part of the historical past of Cannes. The cream-colored confection—its twin domes mentioned to be impressed by a well-known courtesan’s breasts—was the primary luxurious resort to open in 1913, successfully making Cannes a summer time seaside vacation spot. Through the years, the star-studded visitor listing has included Hollywood’s crème de la crème, beginning with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant when Alfred Hitchcock filmed To Catch a Thief, and to at the present time, it hosts the jury of the distinguished Cannes Movie Pageant.
Reopened in 2023 after a five-year restoration venture, the 332-room resort is making waves anew on La Croisette. There are two new wings, a Mediterranean backyard, an infinity pool, and the C Membership Health and Spa, which options town’s first boxing ring. Designer Tristan Auer recruited the best French craftspeople to revive the gold leaf, chandeliers, and acres of marble. When you must recharge, there’s no higher vantage level to admire the Huge Blue than the love seats in entrance of the French home windows (72 rooms have sea views).
Château de Théoule
- Location: Théoule-sur-Mer
- Why we find it irresistible: A fantastical citadel overlooking the Bay of Cannes
- From $393
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Simply eight miles from Cannes, the seaside village of Théoule-sur-Mer appears like a secret. Set beneath the red-rock mountains of the Massif de l’Estérel, it’s surrounded by protected pure areas threaded with mountaineering trails. Subsequent to the picturesque port, the French Millésime Assortment debuted its extremely anticipated Château de Théoule in March 2024. The retreat was constructed as a cleaning soap manufacturing unit within the seventeenth century—subterranean vaulted vestiges stay—and transformed right into a citadel by a Scottish lord within the Nineteenth century. The château’s almost two-year transformation resulted in 34 rooms and 10 suites unfold amongst three buildings: the château, adjoining villa, and Maison des Pêcheurs, which homes three suites. For the colour palette within the sea-facing rooms, the group’s designer Marie-Christine Mecoen drew inspiration from aquatic life. Eclectic touches embrace seashells common as artwork and palm tree lighting fixtures.
There’s a pool, spa providing therapies by Kos Paris and MyBlend by Clarins, plus the seaside membership dotted with white parasols. However no matter you select to do, don’t miss a meal at Mareluna restaurant. Chef Francesco Fezza—who’s labored with the Alain Ducasse Group in Paris and Japan—doesn’t conceal his Michelin ambitions in a vacation spot identified for superlative eating. Dishes just like the tagliatelle comprised of cuttlefish, and the Brittany crab—adorned with Oscietra caviar and a crab-shaped chip—showcase each his culinary prowess and playfulness. As you dine, admire the lights of Cannes glittering throughout the water.
Resort du Cap-Eden-Roc
- Location: Cap d’Antibes
- Why we find it irresistible: A French Riviera legend with a way of historical past
- From $1,854
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At this 150-year-old grande dame, old-school glamour mingles with Riviera hedonism on its manicured, pine tree–studded grounds. Effectively-heeled regulars, returning season after season to Resort du Cap-Eden-Roc, respect the loyalty of long-term employees. Throughout the Cannes Movie Pageant, tycoons and oligarchs characteristic on the visitor listing, rubbing shoulders with high-profile celebrities who loosen up with croquet video games between press junkets. A part of the Oetker Assortment, the resort made an look in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Evening; Picasso as soon as designed the menus; in 2011, Chanel introduced its annual travel-inspired Cruise assortment within the Grande Allée.
It’s that sense of historical past, coupled with fantastic service, that distinguishes the Resort du Cap. In 2024, an extra 34 (of 111) rooms had been touched up with unique art work and new materials by Pierre Frey materials to enhance unique particulars akin to chandeliers and Louis XV furnishings. The 31 seaside cabanas additionally bought a glow-up. There are new enticements, too: a Tequilaria Bar overlooking the Med and unique therapies from Dior on the spa.
Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxurious Assortment Resort
- Location: Good
- Why we find it irresistible: A historic convent, restored to perfection, overlooking Outdated Good
- Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
- From $420
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A decade within the making, a centuries-old convent—deserted for years—has been given a brand new lease on life as a resort within the heights of Outdated Good. Even many Niçois weren’t conscious of the big backyard that abuts the hilltop citadel. Summit the Outdated City’s cobbled staircases (or ask the resort to select you up in a golf cart) and also you’ll arrive at a discreet entrance that offers solution to a courtyard planted with orange bushes and terraced gardens. In some ways, the Hôtel du Couvent—the results of a 93-million-euro funding—is a logo of Good’s renaissance as a vacationer vacation spot. Town underneath Mayor Christian Estrosi has sought to put money into the hospitality sector, bringing vitality to town that’s thought-about the gateway to the Riviera.
The venture is from French hotelier Valéry Grégo. A staff of architects and designers plunged into the historic archives, and visited different monasteries, to create an aesthetic that’s respectful of the positioning’s heritage. The texture is minimalist to echo the place’s monastic origins. Each piece of furnishings was chosen with care, such because the desks custom-made from outdated timber ship masts, and the antiques sourced from throughout Europe. The 88 visitor rooms, unfold throughout 4 buildings, are styled in earth tones. Standouts embrace the two-bedroom Marguerite Suite—its backyard even comes with a barbecue grill—and room P25 (within the Pertus constructing) with a balcony overlooking the backyard. Be aware: Rooms don’t have TVs.
From backyard lunches at La Guingette to the spa impressed by historic Roman baths, the resort amenities additionally draw locals. Churning out croissants and focaccia, the bakery was constructed across the convent’s unique oven. The apothecary-style L’Herboristerie—its wood-paneled partitions stocked with jars of herbs—is a collaboration with an area herbalist who’s been foraging within the close by mountains for many years. Quickly, the cloister will host a weekly farmer’s market.
Hôtel Les Roches Rouges
- Location: Saint-Raphaël
- Why we find it irresistible: A modernist ode to the Mediterranean
- From $317
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You’ll be able to’t get any nearer to the ocean than this photogenic property constructed on the water’s edge within the Fifties. Remodeled right into a resort in 2017, Les Roches Rouges is called for the pink rocks within the surrounding Massif de l’Estérel. The unique modernist constructing—harking back to a California motel—homes 44 balconied rooms that exude retro type: mini polaroids of classic seaside scenes are pinned to the whitewashed partitions, Fifties items sit on the concrete flooring, and there’s a pair of canvas chairs on the balcony, the place views are a continuation of your room’s azure, ochre, and white coloration palette. Down beneath, a lap pool sparkles subsequent to the pure seawater infinity pool carved from the rocks.
The setting alone is sufficient to e book a keep, however Les Roches Rouges additionally gives lots to do onsite: video games of Pétanque within the backyard are adopted by paddle boarding, vitality massages on the tranquil spa, and Levant Bleu cocktails at La Plage. The Michelin-starred Récif restaurant exhibits off the bounty of the Provençal larder with elements equipped by native farms and raphaëlois fisherman Olivier Bardoux.
A part of Beaumier Inns, a 10-property group named for a Nineteenth-century French explorer, Les Roches Rouges will quickly unveil an enlargement in a neighboring constructing with an extra 25 rooms, health club, and rooftop.
La Réserve Ramatuelle
- Location: Saint-Tropez
- Why we find it irresistible: Infinite blue waters, tranquil magnificence, and wholesome Mediterranean dwelling
- Loyalty program: Leaders Membership (Main Inns of the World)
- From $1,058
- Guide now
Only a 15-minute drive from the glamour of Saint-Tropez, the “palace”-classified La Réserve Ramatuelle channels Riviera magnificence with out ostentation, drawing devotees season after season. (The late Karl Lagerfeld used to hire a non-public villa yearly.) Ramatuelle is a protected pure space, and the resort’s architectural design by Jean-Michel Wilmotte—set throughout the pine-clad hills—blends harmoniously with the atmosphere. Unfold throughout three terraced ranges, the 19 rooms and eight suites maximize the Mediterranean mild with floor-to-ceiling home windows framing sea views; the dwelling area extends open air with furnished terraces. For a refresh in 2024, designer Jacques Garcia enhanced the impact of the Provencal mild with mirrors and impartial tones, whereas ornamental painter Delphine Nény created wall frescoes echoing Jean Cocteau’s folkloric type. The foyer is particularly placing as the daylight pours in by way of partitions of glass and displays on the gleaming white curtains, armchairs, and sculptures.
La Réserve Ramatuelle is a mirrored image of entrepreneur Michel Reybier’s discreet type of hospitality: visitors really feel at house in rooms kitted out with each consolation (Duravit heated bogs, yoga mats, well-stocked fridges, curated libraries), and the employees (400 in excessive season) interact with visitors in a pleasant, down-to-earth method. Wellness is one other cornerstone; La Réserve Ramatuelle is the birthplace of the longevity-focused Nescens model with the “higher growing older” motto, and regularly hosts boot camps and yoga retreats. Constructed into the rocks, the serene spa has sea-facing therapy rooms, a health club, a steam room, and a sun-dappled indoor pool.
It’s straightforward sufficient to hit up Saint-Tropez’s sultry scene through the courtesy shuttle, or pop all the way down to La Réserve à la Plage on the world-famous Pampelonne seaside. But it surely’s equally as tempting to remain ensconced at La Réserve, lounging by the outside pool, sipping wine in your terrace, or eating at La Voile restaurant. (Chef Eric Canino’s hen and lobster dish is so common, it hasn’t come off the menu in 13 years.)
Maybourne Riviera
- Location: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
- Why we find it irresistible: Sky-high views of the Med and Monaco
- From $709
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The Maybourne Resort Group made a splash in 2021 when it unveiled its first French resort, the Maybourne Riviera. The cliff-side location near 1,000 toes above Roquebrune-Cap-Martin gives panoramic views of Monte Carlo, the Mediterranean, and the shoreline curving into Italy. From each vantage level—the glass-enclosed eating places, the infinity pool loungers, suite terraces—the visible montage is on full show.
Maybourne tapped French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to remodel a vacant property right into a modernist hangout stuffed with head-turning art work—together with the foyer’s gleaming sculpture of two intertwined folks by Louise Bourgeois suspended from the ceiling. The 69 visitor rooms and suites are accomplished up in a up to date type—the suites characteristic furnished terraces that appear to drift between the ocean and sky. The pièce de résistance is the Michelin-starred Ceto restaurant, overseen by chef Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur fame. An ode to the ocean in its decor and delicacies, Ceto champions sustainable fishing. The marine theme continues in the summertime Ceto bar, the place cocktails just like the Circe (made with mezcal, fig leaf, Campari, and jalapeño) take their names from Greek mythology. There’s additionally a spa, day by day health courses, and a seasonal seaside membership known as Maybourne La Plage in Cap Martin.
