Cannes

Known around the world for its legendary film festival, Cannes offers far more than a red carpet. The Croisette, Belle Epoque landmarks and refined seaside rhythm create a destination where international culture, Mediterranean leisure and old Riviera elegance meet throughout the year.

Cannes owes its resort life to Lord Brougham, a British statesman who stopped here in 1834 and built a villa. A winter colony followed, then the grand hotels along the Croisette, the seafront promenade that curves around the bay from the Palais des Festivals to Pointe Croisette. Above the old port, the hill of Le Suquet keeps the original fishing town, its church and castle museum.

Offshore lie the Lérins Islands. Sainte-Marguerite holds the fort where the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned; Saint-Honorat is still home to a Cistercian community whose monks tend vines and make wine. On land, Rue d’Antibes and the Forville market give the town an everyday rhythm behind the glamour.

Cannes is a town of events. The Festival de Cannes fills the Croisette in May, followed in June by Cannes Lions, the advertising festival; in September the Cannes Yachting Festival brings hundreds of boats to the Vieux Port and Port Canto. During these weeks hotels are booked far ahead and largely taken by the industries involved, and minimum stays are common. Spring also brings MIPIM, the property fair, in March.

For a leisure stay, June and September offer the best balance of warm sea, open beaches and calmer streets. July and August are hot and lively. Winter is mild and bright, with the mimosa flowering in the hills behind the town from January to March, and the Croisette is at its most local and unhurried.

Three grand hotels face the sea on the Croisette: Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, opened in 1911 under its famous cupolas; Hôtel Martinez, in the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, an Art Deco landmark from 1929, awarded the Palace distinction in June 2026; and Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes, directly opposite the Palais des Festivals. Each keeps its own private beach on the sand across the promenade, with loungers, a restaurant and service through the day.

LVXE books the Carlton through IHG Destined — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges the programme attaches to the stay. For the Martinez and Le Majestic, LVXE advises on rooms and dates and arranges the stay directly with the hotel. For festival weeks, requests are best made many months in advance.