Côte d'Azur Luxury Holidays

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Accommodation in this Area

At a Glance

Area Description

The Côte d'Azur is one of the most famous resort areas in the world, the French Riviera stretches for more than 160km west from the Italian Riviera and Menton through Monaco, Nice, Antibes and Cannes, along the Mediterranean coast of the Alpes-Maritimes département to Hyères.

The French Riviera is dotted with glitzy legends such as St Tropez, Monte Carlo, Cannes and many less well-known idylls, such as Eze and Vence. Histroy has attracted aristocracy, artists and actors for many years, drawn by the extravagant establishments, the sensual coastline and exceptional light. It is famous is for its large and rather affluent tourist clientele, the cities and coastline boast first class hotels, exceptional restaurants, chic boutiques,private beaches and luxury houses and villas. Cannes is host to the annual presentation of the Palme d'Or, which attracts movie stars from around the world. Nice is famous for its belle époque architecture, beachfront promenades and landmark hotels. It is not as glitzy as other Riviera hotspots but is one of the liveliest cities along the coast and an ideal spot for exploring the rest of the Côte d'Azur.

The Alps act as a bodyguard against inland winds and the sultry Mediterranean warming the breezes and providing the Côte d'Azur with almost a tropical climate. This is where the memorising azure waters and indigo skies, make the perfect setting against balustraded white villas edged by the blue horizon. Evening air is perfumed with jasmine and mimosa with picture perfect umbrella pines silhouetted against sunsets of ripe apricot and gold. The Côte d'Azur is characterised by happiness, a state of being the world pursues with a vengeance. There is year-round activity in the Côte d'Azur, the summer months are filled with visitors from all over the World. Off-season from the end of October to the end of March is a lot quieter, explore wine festivals in October and circuses in December; other winter attractions are the Electric Car Rally in Monaco and opera in Nice.

With Côte d'Azur, the Jazz age dream confronts modern reality; on the hills that swell along the blue water, every cliff, ravine, and plain bristles with cubes of hot-pink cement and iron balconies, each twisted to catch a glimpse of the sea and sun. Like a rosy rash, these crawl and spread, outnumbering the trees and blocking each other's views. There has always been a rush to the Azure Coast, it started with the ancient Greeks, who were drawn eastward from Marseille to market their goods to the natives. The 18th-century attracted English aristocrats who claimed it as one vast spa and the 19th-century Russian nobles who transformed Nice into a tropical St. Petersburg. The 20th-century bought American tycoons who cast themselves as romantic sheiks, the beckoning coast became a blank slate for their whims. From then onwards, modern vacationers also left their mark with villas, shrines and temples, all to the sensual pleasures of the sun and sultry sea breezes. Artists too contributed to the Côte d'Azur, through the legacy of Picasso, Renoir, Matisse, and Chagall.

Visit animated St Tropez; the Belle Epoque aura of Cannes and the urban charms of Nice. Here you will find several spots where the per-capita population of billionaires must be among the highest on the planet, along with Cap d'Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Monaco. The beauty of the Côte d'Azur coastline is not the only reason to visit, there is lots to explore in the more ascetic region up in the hills. Medieval stone villages and cap rocky hills play out scenes of Provençal life. Play a game of boules, taste the slowly savored pastis (the anise-and-licorice-flavored spirit mixed slowly with water), visit the farmers' market and feel as if the ocean were a hundred miles away, loosing yourself in a cobblestone maze.

Luxury Villa Holidays in association with Luxury Ski Chalets