Day 2
Set off along the west coast for a glamorous day in St Tropez or visit Grasse, the city of perfume, and the Lérins Islands to sample wines produced by the resident Cistercian monks.
Morning
Catch up on the courts Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc is like a “country club” for the local elite with fantastic clay courts and excellent coaching by appointment. Alternatively, you might prefer an invigorating swim round our bay or a few laps of the pool.
Lunch & afternoon
Glittering Cannes Drop into Cannes, the town which defines so much of the character of the Côte d'Azur, attracting a host of stars to the annual film festival and the amfAR charity gala hosted by Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. La Croisette is a boulevard of chic boutiques and private beaches while Le Vieux Port has quaint fishing boats bobbing next to sleek yachts.
Wine tasting at an abbey Take a 20-minute boat ride from Cannes to the Lérins Islands, where you can sample the wines made by the Cistercian monks of St Honorat. Their abbey has been refining production since the Middle Ages, and produces seven cuvées from its unique island terroir. You can take one of the elegant classic Riva speedboats or a more leisurely sailing yacht, and stop for lunch on a secluded shore, enjoying the island’s fresh lobster.
St Paul de Vence Visit the cobbled streets of this medieval hilltown surrounded by historic ramparts. The streets are an open-air gallery alive with artists and their work. It is home to the Maeght Foundation, one of the foremost contemporary art collections in Europe, and just outside town, near Vence, is the Chapelle du Rosaire. Created by Matisse when he was 77 years old, he proclaimed it his masterpiece.
Evening
Dinner at Le Saint-Martin Château Saint-Martin & Spa is our sister hotel in Vence. The restaurant Le Saint-Martin is a gourmet restaurant and the hotel is renowned for its extraordinary hilltop setting with sweeping views of the Côte d’Azur. The Château’s wine cellars are reputedly some of the finest in the region.
All that jazz Some will return to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc for some chilled music overlooking the Mediterranean at the Eden-Roc Lounge, others might head out for a little night-time jazz. In July there are two world-class jazz festivals to enjoy. In fact Nice claims to have introduced the world to the jazz festival concept in 1948, hosting Louis Armstrong, Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.
