Cap d'Antibes
France


The Experience

When American expatriate couple Gerald and Sara Murphy persuaded the owner of the sleepy seaside Hotel du Cap to stay open throughout the summer of 1923, little did they dream that it would become the Riviera’s glitziest, most outrageously expensive hotel. It's actually two hotels in one: the majestic Belle Epoque white chateau Hotel du Cap, and its exclusive all-suite seaside annex, Eden-Roc. The entire estate is hidden away in a 25-acre pine forest on the wild rocky coast of the Cap d’Antibes, but the glamorous find their way here to swan about the immaculately landscaped palm-shaded gardens and bronze at the pool or in private cabanas along the shore.

The Rooms

The minute you step into the antique elevator of the Hotel du Cap, the understated grandeur effect kicks in. Expect a mix of classic Louis XV and Louis XVI furnishings and thick carpets, plasma-screen TVs, huge double-sink marble bathrooms and sweeping views of the Lérins Islands and sea. Down at Eden Roc, the Hollywood set prefer the contemporary, airy white-on-white seaside junior suites (plus one very grand 2,700-square-feet suite), which are decked out with squishy sofas and armchairs, cheery floral prints and huge private terraces. For absolute privacy, Les Cèdres is a discrete villa hidden away in the garden.

The Service

Overrun by celebs during the Cannes Festival, the hotel’s 24-hour concierges are highly efficient but lay down the house rules. Forget noisy partying or parading around the lobby in a bikini -- you risk being forever banned from this paradise. For a decent table in the restaurant, you’re either on the A-list or an exorbitant tipper.

The Highlights

Since 2005, the new hotel director, Philippe Perd, has overruled some of the hotel’s longstanding audacious policies: Credit cards — at long last — are now accepted. TVs are finally free of charge, and you don’t have to fork out $9 for a bucket of ice anymore. Daytime action is at the pool deck, a concrete slab strewn with mattresses, and the magical saltwater infinity-edge pool, built into the cliff. There’s no beach, since the coast is too rocky, but the more adventurous (like Madonna) use the hotel’s Tarzan-like swing to drop into the sea. You can also work off the impeccable Mediterranean cuisine at the gym or the clay tennis courts. After hours, film stars and moguls schmooze on the white sofas of the intimate, paparazzi-free Bellini Bar, a Grecian-columned marble lounge in the Hotel du Cap.

-- Lanie Goodman

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