The best hotels in the French Riviera
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Henri Matisse summed up the appeal of Nice thus: “Do you remember the light through the shutters?” he said. “It came from below, as if from theatre footlights. Everything was fake, absurd, amazing, delicious.”
And while it's true that the coastal Riviera is still a show-off's paradise, a place of dazzling spectacle and bravura performance, inland the region is also home to quieter, more authentic pleasures. Last summer I braved the steep roads north of Menton to attend a sit-down feast celebrating a bountiful chestnut harvest. We consumed vats of creamy polenta, wild boar stew, sweet marron pastries and robust red wine. It was a joyous event, and only cost €10 per person.
As soon as temperatures rise, residents head for the hills, to walk through cool forests of truffle oaks, swim in waterfalls and sip rosé en piscine (with ice cubes) on a shady village square. One of my favourite escapes is to jump on a ferry to Ile Saint-Honorat for a lunch of fresh, grilled lobster, or go to Théoule-sur-Mer for a swim at one of the tiny inlets along the craggy coastline. The real French Riviera is still here, even in peak season. You will find it if you look beyond the glare of the bright lights; it just takes a little prompting to find it.
How we choose the best hotels in the French Riviera
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We're always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
Christophe CoenonLa Pérouse, Nice
Talk about location. Carved into the rock, flush with Nice’s leafy hilltop Parc du Château, this artfully reinvented 50-room landmark hotel sits above the seafront Promenade des Anglais from the city’s most enviable vantage point. Steps away from the cobblestone labyrinth of Old Town, you wake to birdsong and a sweeping view — red-tiled rooftops, a dazzling swathe of turquoise and the cerulean sky. Add to that the stylish Riviera 50s-inspired uncluttered interiors by Studio Friedmann and Versace that bring the sea inside — coral-shaped ceramic lamps, shell-patterned tapestry headboards, beachy ocher and white striped curtains and armchairs — plus the new citrus-tree shaded Patio, a Mediterranean-style restaurant headed by chef Damien Andrews. Highlight: cocktails on your terrace at magic hour, when the lamps blink, and the curve of the Bay of Angels turns into a shimmering pearl necklace.
Price: From about £406 per night
Via TolilaMaybourne Riviera, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
There’s something hypnotic about the luminous blue air of this ultra-stylish Riviera gamechanger: the dizzying views from the 69 rooms and suites (some with private pools) are in High Technicolor, but other surprises abound. The mix of modernist-inspired big-name interior designers, original art and outstanding seafood at rooftop restaurant Ceto, helmed by Michelin three-star chef, Mauro Colagreco is artfully balanced with the guests’ well-being. There’s a holistic-meets-high-tech spa, featuring a metabolism-boosting FaceGym workout – exclusive to France – and an Instagram eye-candy turquoise pool jutting out over the void, where you can snack on chef Jean-George Vongerichten’s kale salad and roast vegetables. And if the sea calls out to you, jump into the shuttle to the newly refurbed beach club.
Price: From about £650 per night
Address: Maybourne Riviera, 1551 route de la Turbie Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Christian HoranGrand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Set back above the rocky coast of lush Cap Ferrat, nothing quite tops the period piece grandeur of this white 1908-built seaside palace and 14-acre sprawl of manicured gardens and pines, or the glam Dolce Vita vibe of the Club Dauphin’s heated seawater Olympic-size pool. But add to that an ever-evolving reinvention of old and new— Belle Époque allure mixed with clean line modernity, from the sunlit Pierre-Yves Rochon designed suites to two meticulously restored 1900s-built private villas, tucked away near the lighthouse. For a memorable in-the-garden dining experience, the new La Table du Potager, perched on the edge of bluff in the neighbouring heights, is where Michelin-star chef Yoric Tièche works wonders with freshly plucked herbs, fruit and vegetables.
Price: From about £772 per night
Anantara Plaza-Nice Hotel, Nice
Centrally located in Nice’s “Golden Triangle” and steps away from the sea, this artfully renovated landmark hotel is the city’s first-of-a-kind luxe property: an elegant medley of muted earth tones, contemporary curvy lines and sweeping views, with 151 rooms and 38 suites, plus a sun-drenched rooftop terrace bar (try the wildly creative craft cocktails) and restaurant, SEEN by Oliver, with an innovative menu of Asian-inspired meets Niçois fusion of flavours and traditional recipes, headed by executive chef Denis Gamard. High points: the spa, which features an extensive menu of re-boosting treatments with organic seaweed and essential oils from small family-run companies and wine-tasting at Château de Crémat, in the nearby hills.
Price: From about £333 per night
Address: Anantara Plaza-Nice Hotel, 12 Avenue de Verdun, Nice
Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes, Oetker Collection
This storied Belle Époque landmark seaside palace, surrounded by 9-acres of landscaped flowering gardens, rates sky-high when it comes to timeless glamour but has cranked up the glitz factor one more notch with a contemporary refurb of Eden-Roc Pavilion’s 32 luminous sea-facing junior suites in cerulean blues, pale sage and cream, decked out with Francis Fontana-designed two-tone wood furniture. Add to that a uber-stylish new Dior Spa (think rose or jasmine-infused shea butter treatments), plus a private gauzy gazebo and gussied-up beach cabana for massages. And for guests only: Giovanni’s, the hotel’s latest casual eatery, serves up pizza and pasta under the windswept towering pines.
Price: From about €1000 per night
Address: Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc, Boulevard J. F. Kennedy, Antibes
Hôtel Belles Rives, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes
When Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald returned to the French Riviera in 1926 and rented the beachside Villa Saint-Louis, little did they imagine that almost a century later, guests would be sipping “Sparkling Scott” champagne cocktails in the handsome newly refurbished Deco bar of their former digs, converted into a family-run hotel ever since 1929. With 43 elegant rooms and suites, a Michelin-star restaurant, La Passagère headed by a chef Aurélien Véquand, plus a private beach and waterskiing school, the Tender-is-the-Night enchantment of the prettily preserved 30s décor still prevails. Book room 50, where Scott and Zelda slept – a love nest of soft gray and cream, antique mirrors and the dreamiest vista this side of paradise.
Price: From about £736 per night
Address: Hôtel Belles Rives, 33 Bd Edouard Baudoin, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes
Giulio GhirardiCap d’Antibes Beach Hotel, Cap d’Antibes
On a discreet bend on the coastal road, the sleek top-to-toe renovation of this white low-slung 35-room boutique hotel, newly acquired by the Adresses Hotel Collection (la Ponche, Saint Tropez), is a soothing mix of contemporary minimalism and Relais & Châteaux polish. Beyond the unfussy suite décor —panoramic sea views, nautical-inspired furnishings in polished woods and shades of white and taupe — the turquoise shallows and perfect curve of powdery sand are just a tumble out-bed away. Everything – from the subtropical gardens and lively beach bar deck with a Levantine-style eatery, Baba, to the superbly spruced up one-Michelin-star restaurant Les Pêcheurs, headed by chef Nicolas Rondelli – is an ode to the Mediterranean.
Price: From about £376 per night
Address: Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel, 10 Boulevard Maréchal Juin, Cap d’Antibes
OberstThe Mondrian, Cannes
After a massive seven-month renovation and under new management, the Mondrian (formerly the Croisette’s 1863-built Grand Hotel) has now invented Cannes’ first affordable luxe “lifestyle” hotel. Call it a clever mix of eye-catching Art Deco geometry, 75 spacious soft-toned rooms with gleaming marble bathrooms and private terraces, a superb French-Japanese fusion restaurant, Mr. Nakamoto, a sprawling palm-shaded grassy garden for cocktails (including four kinds of Martinis), a high-tech gym, plus an exuberantly flavourful Italian menu at their private beach club, Hyde Beach, across the street. Boasting the highest rooftop in the town, the hotel’s two panoramic 11th floor luminous suites are anyone’s dream pied-à-terre, with sea-facing decks, a mini-botanical garden and Jacuzzi, and an unbeatable view.
Price: From about £738 per night
Christophe GoussardLa Commanderie de Peyrassol, Flassans-sur-Issole
Hidden away in a forest of truffle oaks, an hour’s drive west from Cannes, this 950-acre wine estate, museum-quality contemporary art gallery and colossal sculpture garden, owned by Belgian entrepreneur and collector Philippe Austruy, not only produces award-winning vintages, but the luxury-is-nature philosophy extends to a good night’s sleep. Forget palace standards: the 12-room former hunting lodge, La Rouvière, plus a rustic five-room stone manor house, awash with country antiques, open-beam ceilings and terra-cotta tiled floors, conjure the simplicity of a Provençal country home. Highlight: the new wood cabin-style gastronomic restaurant, Chez Jeannette, overlooking the vines, where chef Michel Porto whips up delectable dishes with organic asparagus, artichokes, and strawberries from the kitchen garden.
Price: From about €152 per night
Address: La Commanderie de Peyrassol, RN7 83340 Flassans-sur-Issole
Carlton Cannes, A Regent HotelCarlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel, Cannes
After seven years of painstaking restoration, the spectacular revival of this century-old grand dame focuses on today’s essentials. Rebranded as a Regent Hotel and part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio, the Carlton’s polished comeback includes everything from the deeply comfortable remodelled Deco cream-and-black rooms, seven new suites and a sprawling penthouse to the neo-regal lobby, aglow with marble stucco columns, newly-found frescoes and a contemporary-style concierge and reception desk. Also hogging the limelight: a cutting-edge C-club fitness and spa, an Anatolian restaurant, Rüya, and the elegant Bar 58. And then, the hidden showstopper: an enormous landscaped peristyle courtyard and fragrant garden jazzed up with a splash of blue – the city’s largest infinity pool.
Price: From about £883 per night
Address: Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel, Cannes, 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes
PHILIPPE HAHN,philippe_hahnChâteau Eza, Eze
Talk about a veritable cliff-hanger. Built into the rock, atop the medieval cobblestone maze of Eze Village, this uber-romantic castle hotel-restaurant (the Prince of Sweden’s former digs), is a mini-hamlet of 14 rooms in all shapes and sizes, perched some 400-odd meters above the shimmering Mediterranean. With a private balcony (some with Jacuzzis) and fireplace in every room, plus the new sprawling presidential suite – a contemporary-style medley of marble, wood and stone and a private pool – another draw is the recently awarded Michelin-star restaurant, helmed by chef Justin Schmidtt. Expect delectable seafood-themed tasting menus with signature dishes like roast octopus in a creamy corn and smoked whiskey sauce, topped off by a swoon-worthy view.
Price: From about £2,451 per night