Hôtel Belles Rives
33 Boulevard Edouard Baudoin, Juan-les-Pins
In Juan-les-Pins is the small, storied, glamorous Hôtel Belle Rives—the Riviera home of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (there’s no better time to read Tender Is the Night). It’s a meticulously preserved, pastel Art Deco jewel box, with interiors that haven’t changed much since the Fitzgeralds were in residence. Lavish guest rooms with balconettes scented by the trailing bougainvillea look over the cobalt sea, while the pink marble lobby and wood-paneled bar filled with paintings summon a time when aperitifs were de rigueur and people dressed for dinner. Have breakfast on the balcony, then head down to the beach to reserve your sun bed and striped parasol. After a day swimming laps across the mirror-clear, calm bay, a massage in the spa sets you up for a long dinner in one of the many restaurants populating this particularly beautiful coastal stretch. A predinner champagne cocktail on the blue-and-terra-cotta-tiled terrace to a soundtrack of live jazz tinkling on the piano is what summer on the Riviera is all about.
