What with the May film festival, a plethora of conferences and the hectic
summer season coming up, it’s tough to find a pleasant, affordable hotel
room in Cannes — and with more than 100 hotels to choose from, it’s hard to
know which one to book. Pick badly and you could end up spending your
holiday overlooking a busy road in a room that makes you feel positively
itchy.
In the past six months, I’ve visited hotels with stained armchairs, loud
bedcovers and grubby carpets, some in particularly ugly locations, but these
six are, by contrast, good value for money and a pleasure to stay in.
As with budget airlines, the main difference between cheaper accommodation and
hotels at £100-plus is the absence of frills: porters and room service are
rare, with the exception of the Château de la Tour.
CHÂTEAU DE LA TOUR
This 19th-century château built for the Comtesse de Granville is a four-star
hotel at three-star prices. M and Mme Bourgueil opened it in May 2005,
having transformed a two-star into a stylish four-star hotel, with 34
bedrooms, indoor and outdoor restaurants, two bars, room service, a smart
Palladian-style pool, and a wine cave for tastings.
Everything’s new; smart short-pile carpets, expensive wallpapers, silk drapes
and cream Rococo furnishings. Decor is “Designer Provence” but the staff are
real. Friendly, “nothing’s-too-much-trouble” reception, restaurant, bar
staff and an excellent chef make staying here a real treat.
It’s in the smart Croix des Gardes area, a ten-minute drive to the centre of
Cannes and the Palais des Festivals, but miles away from the chaos. Taxis
cost about £5 each way, so what you’ve saved on your room, you could spend
on transport into town.
Château de la Tour, 10 Avenue Font de Veyre (00 33 4 93 90 52 52, www.hotelchateaudelatour.com).
Double “Tradition” rooms from £63-£108. Larger, “Classic”, “Executive” and
“Deluxe” rooms from £83-£191. Breakfast £10.
LE VENDÔME — VILLA CLAUDIA
Set back off a busy road, double-glazed and edged with a pretty garden, this
pink and white Belle Époque villa has family-run charm. Admiral the dog and
Mme Bohler greet you, provide keys, entry codes, and thereafter it’s like
staying in a private house.
Bedrooms have an air of faded grandeur — old-fashioned except for wi-fi access
— and the carpets would benefit from a good vacuuming, so don’t expect
luxury. But the original collection of antiques and art in guest rooms and
hallways — ebony Dogon sculptures from Mali and 1930s green leather
armchairs — makes staying here like being in a museum.
Villa Claudia boasts the prettiest breakfast room, housing eclectic objets and
a stunning nude by a painter of the Léger school. You’re also encouraged to
eat on the pretty wrought iron-furnished terrace — not many hotels would
allow that.
It’s two minutes to the shopping of rue d’Antibes, 15 minutes to the Palais
des Festivals and parking is free.
Hotel le Vendôme — Villa Claudia, 37 bd d’Alsace (93 38 34 33, www.cannes-hotels.com/vendome).
Double rooms from £56-£94, junior suite from £90-£111. Breakfast £6.
HOTEL CANBERRA
Entering the brown and white striped entrance, up marble stairs to collapse on
to white cotton sofas by the dark-wood bar, you’d be forgiven for thinking
you’ve arrived in a chi-chi boutique hotel. The 41 bedrooms are simple and
stylish, with white-wood panelling, quality upholstery in shades of red,
blue or brown, white Provençal furnishings and chocolate-brown carpets.
Bigger rooms are spacious, with baths, but for “garden” read car park view.
Rooms at £60 in low season are excellent value, the only differences with more
costly establishments are a few paintwork scuffs and limited service.
Located in the best shopping street, it’s a three-minute walk to the beach
and 15 minutes to the Palais des Festivals.
Mod-cons include satellite TV and wi-fi. The cheapest “Traditional with
Shower” rooms are just as lovely as the rest, but a bit smaller. A smart
little hotel for a good price.
Hotel Canberra, 120 rue d’Antibes (97 06 95 00, www.hotels-ocre-azur.com).
Double rooms from £73-£94, bigger “Privilege” rooms from £116-£127.
Breakfast £11.
HOTEL DE PROVENCE
Having trawled Cannes’ hotels I haven’t found any other in this price range
offering centrally located, well-kept bedrooms in such pretty surroundings.
Palm trees, flowers and oranges fill the entrance garden overlooked by
double-bedded rooms with lovely views: a must-have.
Bedrooms are small but perfectly formed, with bright Provençal fabrics,
paint-distressed woodwork, pretty upholstered chairs and balconies with
lavender-blue shutters overlooking the palms below. Bathroom suites are
porcelain and breakfast can be taken in the garden or breakfast room, next
to the cosy lounge with flat-screen TV and 24-hour bar.
Guests understandably keep returning to this three-star Logis de France
property between the Noga Hilton and rue d’Antibes, where owners M and Mme
Portier and their staff are friendly and helpful.
Hôtel de Provence, 9 rue Molière (93 38 44 35, www.hotel-de-provence.com).
Double/twin with garden view £57-£71.
VILLA D’ESTELLE
This chic new hotel-residence opened a year ago. “Classic loft studios” are
attic rooms in Provençal style, with beams, dormer windows, antique
furniture, terracotta tiles and cotton bedspreads. But “Deluxe” New Wing
rooms are wonderfully contemporary, freshly painted in cream and white, with
pale limestone bathrooms and quality modern furnishings. Junior Suites have
sofa bed, desk, flat-screen TV, fluffy bathrobes and balcony, while “Deluxe
Deux Pièces”, with lounge and kitchen, are one-bedroom apartments you would
be proud to own in London.
All have fully fitted kitchenettes, dishwasher, washing machine, microwave,
TV, CD and broadband.
Backing on to Notre Dame cathedral, it’s 50m from the beach, the Croisette and
the convention centre and when Cannes is heaving, the decked area by the
small pool is a great place to chill out.
Villa d’Estelle, 14 rue des Belges (92 98 44 48, www.villadestelle.com).
Classic Studio Loft, £42-£100; Classic Deux Pièces (one-bedroom) £56-£132;
Deluxe Junior Suite £63-£174; Deluxe Deux Pièces £73-£215, excluding
breakfast. Prices vary according to season, duration and cleaning formula.
“Hotel Formula” includes daily maid service; “Residence Formula” bed, bath
linen and final cleaning only.
HOTEL BEST WESTERN MONDIAL
The stylish cream and pink Art Deco architecture of the Mondial, with its
dark-green ironwork, nestled between the Belle Époque buildings on the busy
shopping street of rue d’Antibes, is a splendid sight, fully restored last
year.
Enter the vast lead and glass doors continuing the Art Deco theme, reminiscent
of a cruise liner, with bunch-of- grapes lampshades and leather armchairs in
the lobby and frescoes in the breakfast room.
Bedrooms are ordinary but clean, with faux-wicker furnishings, pretty lamps,
cream, beige and green or purple colour combos, some with original frescoes,
and the slightly bigger “Confort” rooms offering a sea view over the
rooftops of Cannes.
Best Western Mondial, 77 rue d’Antibes (93 68 70 00, www.hotellemondial.com).
Double rooms £76-£90, Confort £87-£125.
Need to know
Getting there: easyJet (0905 8210905/65p a minute,
www.easyjet.com) offers daily flights from seven UK airports to Nice from
£33.63 return; bmi (0870 6070555, www.flybmi.com) has flights from Heathrow
to Nice from £49.98 return.
Staying: During the film festival prices virtually double,
and most hotels are booked up a year or two in advance.
