There are hotels and there are Magic places named hotels. And when I write Magic I mean those destinations that have the power to make your imagination fly high.
The French Riviera is the perfect holiday destination from any perspective you want to look. It has the nature, the perfect weather but, more, it has the unique French culture for the best foods and wines. You go there for the vibe and for the way the roads take you directly to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Then, one day, a business meeting took me to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. This is how the dream began. I made a right from the main road in Antibes and entered the magic park of pines. Drove for a few seconds down an alley covered in a green peaceful forest and stopped in front of a white Palace. It was the doorman called Michelle who first told me Welcome to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. A tall, dressed in a cream jacket, extremely stylish man, in his 60s, took my car and showed me the way inside. I travelled in time as I walked towards the great terrace opening to the sea giving the impression of a luxury yacht. But not as far as I would feel lost, but as much as I needed to feel the real comfort of the last century and completely forget about the everyday worries.
I had lunch at the restaurant called The Grill and I felt like in a Fellini movie. The perfect bistro menu, the raspberry delicious dessert and the chic casual dressed waiters, everything seemed like a scenario prepared for a successful summer afternoon.
When thinking I have just seen the best part of the French Riviera style, I felt to spend another hour around the park that takes the hotel into a quiet dimension. A few steps behind the restaurant villa, there is the Napoleon III style building housing the rooms and the apartments of the 5 stars jewellery. But more impressive is the feeling you get around the trees and on the alleys drawn like in a romance novel through the perfectly trimmed grass.
I usually don’t get overexcited with hotels. It’s just that a few hours spent at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc made my imagination fly, high above everything I have ever seen on the French Riviera. For sure, a visit to the restaurant is just a glimpse of what you can experience at this Palace, so well taken care of by the Oetker family.
