Our new travel designer Dominika Hüttnerová inspects the freshly renovated Carlton Cannes, explores the French Riviera and makes her own perfume (it didn’t smell good).
That was part of a perfume making workshop in Grasse, one of the experiences on her late-season holiday to the south of France.
More important than Dominika’s nose is her talent as a travel designer. In this article she reports back on the new Carlton Cannes and gives her personal recommendations for a French Riviera holiday.
When is Best to Visit the French Riviera?
I was in the French Riviera in late September and it was just perfect. There were lots of people around and Cannes had a great energy and ambiance. But it wasn’t crowded.
It was sunny all day, around 25 degrees with a nice breeze too.
Hotel managers told me this was completely different to July and August, when it’s uncomfortably busy and hot. They said it’s hard to even find a spot to eat in mid-summer.
EliteVoyage co-owner David Eder did a road trip to the French Riviera back in May and had a similar experience. He said:
The French Riviera is a fantastic destination in spring and autumn, outside the main peak season of July and August.
Direct flights between Prague and Nice operate on Thursdays and Sundays, from late-March to mid-October.
That means there are still two remaining weekends for a sunny beachside holiday in chic Cannes, this year! Or save the Riviera for your spring holidays.
Inspecting the Royal-Riviera Hotel in Nice
I spent a night at the Royal-Riviera Hotel in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the exclusive coastal neighbourhood just outside Nice.
Overall I found it to be a fairly standard five-star property with an unbelievable location. It’s so green and beautiful there.
I recommend staying in the hotel’s newer second building, Villa l’Orangerie, instead of the main building. It’s more private and has the hotel’s best suites.
Rooms at the Newly Renovated Carlton Cannes
Nice to Cannes is less than an hour with chauffeured transport and I was excited to inspect Carlton Cannes. It’s a famous hotel, fresh from a two-year renovation.
I stayed in a classic room with sea view on the fourth floor. And the sea view was the highlight of my stay!
Some rooms and suites have a garden view but I completely recommend a room or suite with a sea view. How can you holiday in the Riviera and not be looking out to such a stunning sea?
Classic rooms and premium rooms are very similar. Then they have one, two and three-bedroom suites, which are significantly larger.
Multi-bedroom suites are on the seventh floor and have fantastic terraces overlooking the sunset. Plus there’s a huge penthouse with its own rooftop garden which they’re very proud of, although it was occupied so I couldn’t inspect it.
Tristan Auer designed the interiors. He’s famous for the redesign of Hotel de Crillon in Paris, among other world-famous hotels. White and neutral tones prevail in Carlton Cannes, with rose gold details underlining the beauty of the whole. The style is elegant and traditionally French, without being cliche.
For families I’d recommend the one, two and three-bedroom residences on the other side of the hotel. These are similar to the suites, with the addition of a private kitchen and 24-hour butler service.
Exploring the French Riviera
We did a morning trip to Grasse, a French town famous for perfume. Molinard perfumery cooperates with Carlton Cannes and they led a scent-making workshop.
My perfume turned out pretty horrible! I was picking random stuff I liked, but when I mixed it all it was terrible. It’s not surprising though – professionals spend 15 years training to make their own scents.
After perfume we went for lunch at Carlton Beach Club and I loved it. It’s so chic, a live band playing all afternoon, plus great seafood and other Mediterranean dishes.
This was the best food experience of my trip, because it gave me such a classic French vibe, on the beach with the music and sea breeze.
Everyone at the beach club looked stunning but overall it has a casual ambiance, it’s not snobby or formal at all. You could lunch here in your bikini if you wanted.
The Beach Club doesn’t have cabanas, only sunbeds. Hotel guests are prioritised but none hotel guests also use these facilities. I’d recommend booking them in the morning with the concierge.
After lunch we did a beautiful boat tour in the bay, drinking Champagne and enjoying the sunset. How Riviera!
Service, Facilities and Dining at Carlton Cannes
I tried the hotel’s Riviera Restaurant, an elegant and typical French restaurant.
I also dined at Ruya Restaurant, a colourful Turkish option inside the hotel. It’s sharing-style food and the restaurant was popular with young people, so they turned up the music and made it a bit of a party.
The restaurant manager told me that they keep a lot quieter on evenings with mostly older clients.
This is something I really enjoyed about Carlton Cannes: they’re very proactive in personalising every stay and reacting to their guests.
Upon arrival they created personalised gifts for me, a nice beach bag and cosmetics bag with my name embroidered onto them.
I had one of the best massages of my life at the hotel’s Le C Club Spa. It was a massage fully personalised to what I needed, what I preferred in terms of oils, fragrances and style.
The spa offers a good range of facials too, although the spa itself is quite small. If you stay in a suite or residence they will do in-room treatments.
When our co-owner David Eder visited the French Riviera he reported that the overall service and attitude of people had really improved.
This was my first visit to the region so I can’t compare it with how it used to be. I can only say that the staff went a long way to creating a perfect experience for me.
The service was excellent on all levels. And if Carlton Cannes know a little about you before you arrive, they will have nice gifts and extras waiting for you.
Final Recommendations for the French Riviera
I can recommend Carlton Cannes for both couples and families, even though they don’t have a specific focus on children.
The residences are great for families, plus there’s a heating swimming pool and the beach. Carlton Cannes has an unbeatable location too, central to everything in the city.
Personally I would prefer to go just as a couple and stay for more than three days. I can easily imagine spending just two days around the hotel, which will always give you options for the odd rainy day.
I only glimpsed some of what the French Riviera offers, with city, beach, boat and perfume. Really I’d like to spend a week here, exploring more, from a great central base like Carlton Cannes.
It’s on my list for a return trip next year. It’s on your list for an upcoming holiday?
