Coolest places to be seen in Antibes

Synonymous with high glamour and the celebrity history of the French Riviera, the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc easily tops this list as the coolest of cool venues in Antibes (and quite possibly the entire French Riviera). This grand villa perched on the exclusive Cap d’Antibes is surrounded by exotic gardens and offers a breathtaking view across the Bay of Angels from the hotel’s famous seaside pool carved into the rock.

This swanky hotel has some serious celebrity credentials, for not only does it play host to a regular parade of the rich and famous, but one might even say it was the birthplace of the French Riviera as we know it. Up until the 1920’s, the French Riviera was exclusively a winter resort until the Murphys, a New York socialite couple, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, of Great Gatsby fame, convinced the hotel to stay open for the summer one year. The Murphys invited their friends (among them Hemingway and Picasso) to join them on the Cap d’Antibes for an unforgettable summer of sunbathing and glittering parties under the pine trees. And so the Riviera was magically transformed into the place to be in the summertime, and this marvellous Hotel du Cap was where it all began.

Whether you have a weekend stay, a meal in the restaurant, a cocktail on the deck, or a spa in a cabana overlooking the sea, a visit to the Hotel du Cap is simply the epitome of Riviera cool.

Antibes is going through a bar scene revolution, and the latest brilliant offering is the funky Café Brun. With old bicycles hanging from the ceiling, big leather armchairs, a wood-and-brick décor and some stylish artwork adorning the walls, this bar is an extremely cool place to spend an evening. Hang out in the front bar under the bicycles, enjoy the summer air outside on the terrace, have dinner in the atmospheric dining room, or hunker down in the little den under hundreds of eclectic lampshades.

This lovely little beach club nestled in the corner of Plage du Ponteil is the perfect place to sun-worship, eat delicious seafood, and watch the beautiful people drink Magnums of rosé and splash about in the Mediterranean. While glamorous, it’s still pretty low-key and fun, so you can easily just head there for a sunset cocktail and relax on the deck lounges.

If you’re after a more refined air and better celebrity-spotting, head to the Plage Keller beach club on Cap d’Antibes or, if you want a bit more variety, you could walk over the hill to the seaside resort of Juan les Pins, where you’ll find a whole stretch of beach clubs to choose from.

Just across the road from Royal Beach Club is the Royal Hotel, where the entire ground level is taken up by a beautiful terrace restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. The décor is a stylish combination of coastal chic on the sunny deck and Hollywood glamour inside, and the cocktails served in the evenings are the very best for many miles around. If you’re lucky you’ll go on one of the evenings where a saxophonist plays jazz on the terrace, adding to the decadent mood. This is also a fantastic place for a Continental breakfast or modern Italian lunch while sitting in the sunshine and watching the world go by.

The jury is out on why it is that Pam Pam is cool but, no matter whether you love or hate this rather special tiki-themed cocktail bar and restaurant, there’s still no disputing that Pam Pam is a Riviera institution and therefore very cool. Grab a table on the terrace to see all of the Riviera’s nocturnal inhabitants come out to play, and enjoy that tacky (but still tasty) cocktail served in a coconut. Just go with it, because Pam Pam is definitely the place to be seen as the evening heats up.

If you’re looking for late-night glamour, then head over to Juan les Pins where there are several clubs to choose from. Le Village is the largest and has the big name DJs but Kiss, with its sleek and trendy design, is the one that's extremely fashionable.