Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel
By Titina Penzini and Louis Voltaire
On the Côte d’Azur, some addresses become part of the trip itself. Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel is one of them.
Set directly on the Mediterranean, between Cannes and Nice, the hotel has only 35 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a bar, an infinity pool and its own private beach. The scale is intimate, the setting is easy, and the whole place feels closely connected to the sea.
We had first met Hortense Desteve, who handles PR for the Chapitre Six hotel group, around the opening of Bus Palladium in Paris. Through her, we later had the opportunity to discover another side of the collection in the South of France.
Chapitre Six currently has two properties on the Côte d’Azur, Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel and Hôtel La Ponche in Saint-Tropez, with Cannes soon to become another address for the group.
Through Hortense, we were introduced to the general manager and the team at Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel, and we discovered the property over two visits.
The first was for lunch at BABA. The second gave us more time to experience the hotel, the beach and the rhythm of the place.
One of the first things we noticed was the architecture. Belgian architect Bernard Dubois reimagined the hotel with simple geometric lines, pale stucco, stone and raw wood. There is something of Palm Springs in the mood, almost a déjà vu, but the Mediterranean light, the pines and the coastline immediately bring you back to the French Riviera.
The same approach continues in the rooms and suites. The furniture was designed specifically for the hotel, and the interiors combine stone, mahogany, chrome, mirrors and touches of pink marble. Some rooms open onto private gardens, while others have terraces facing the sea.
For us, however, the real introduction to the hotel happened around BABA.
The restaurant sits right beside the beach, with its circular bar, open kitchen, palms and shades of pink and salmon. It feels relaxed without becoming too casual, and it works particularly well for the kind of lunch that slowly becomes part of the afternoon.
The menu brings together Mediterranean and Levantine influences with local products. There are mezze, vegetables, fish and grilled meats, with plenty of dishes made for sharing.
Our first lunch was enough to make us want to return.
On the second visit, we were able to experience the private beach as well. The beach and sunbeds are reserved for hotel guests, which makes them part of the pleasure of actually staying at the property.
Baptiste looked after us there, and one small moment probably says more about the service than a long description could.
When he came to adjust the parasol, he did not simply ask whether we wanted shade. He asked which part of our bodies we wanted protected from the sun. Face only? Shoulders? More?
We looked at each other because neither of us could remember a beach boy ever asking us that before.
It was a small detail, but exactly the kind you remember. Service at the beach is often about towels, water and moving an umbrella. Here, someone was actually paying attention to how we wanted to spend the day.
Lunch gave us another reason to like BABA.
After several days of fish and seafood along the coast, the schnitzel with a very generous green salad was a welcome change. Simple, generous and very good. The crispy calamari were another favorite, and we finished with ice cream before heading back towards the water.
That is probably the best way to describe BABA. It does not make lunch feel complicated. The setting does most of the work.
In the evening, the hotel changes personality with Les Pêcheurs.
The Michelin-starred restaurant combines mahogany, chrome and red travertine with large windows overlooking the Mediterranean. There is a slightly seventies feeling to the room, somewhere between a Riviera dining room and the interior of an elegant yacht.
Chef Nicolas Rondelli works closely with local products and the catch of the day, giving Les Pêcheurs a completely different rhythm from BABA.
The contrast works well. BABA is open and relaxed, connected directly to the beach. Les Pêcheurs is more intimate and made for the evening.
Even if you are not staying at the hotel, you can still discover part of its atmosphere by booking lunch at BABA or dinner at Les Pêcheurs.
Staying at the hotel, of course, gives you another experience altogether. The private beach and sunbeds are reserved for guests, and so is breakfast at Les Pêcheurs. Starting the morning there, facing the Mediterranean before the hotel settles into the rhythm of the day, is one of those small privileges that makes spending a night or two particularly appealing.
The location also deserves attention.
Antibes is close by and is one of those towns that is easy to enjoy without much planning. The old town, the ramparts, small streets, terraces, shops and the Picasso Museum make it worth spending a few hours there.
Then there is the drive around the Cap itself.
The boulevards along the sea, the small coves and the changing views of the coast are worth taking slowly. Continuing towards Juan-les-Pins and Golfe-Juan is part of the pleasure. This is one of those stretches of the Riviera where the road is not simply a way of getting somewhere. It becomes part of the day.
That is why we see Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel as more than an isolated hotel.
If you are staying in Cannes, Nice, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat or Monaco, it is an address worth remembering for lunch or dinner.
And if you are doing a road trip along the Côte d’Azur, it makes even more sense as a stop for a night or two.
You can arrive from Cannes, spend some time around Antibes and the Cap, stay by the sea, have dinner without having to go anywhere else, and continue the following day towards Nice, Cap-Ferrat or Monaco.
It changes the rhythm of the trip in exactly the right way.
For us, Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel became one of those Riviera addresses worth keeping on the list, whether for a meal, a couple of nights, or simply as a reason to make the detour.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel
10 Boulevard Maréchal Juin
06160 Cap d’Antibes, France
+33 4 92 93 13 30
contact@cabh.frRestaurants
BABA, lunch
Les Pêcheurs, dinnerBreakfast at Les Pêcheurs is reserved for hotel guests.
@capdantibesbeachhotelWebsite
capdantibes-beachhotel.comChapitre Six
chapitresixhotels.com