Cannes: Glamour and celebrity draw the rich and famous at all times of year
Its a playground for the rich, a town where the best hotel suites can cost a small fortune particularly during its famous annual film festival, when thousands upon thousands of visitors jostle to catch a glimpse of Hollywood A-listers and young starlets on the red carpet.
No one can deny the buzz the Cannes Film Festival creates it really is tremendously seductive. But how will the glitzy resort cope when a far more sombre circus comes to town: the G20 summit?
The worlds most important leaders will descend on the area next month and, as I live just a hands reach away, I thought Id drive down through the fragrant hills to take a look at how things were shaping up.
Glamour: The harbour at Cannes
With tourism down and the euro in crisis, I was expecting to find an air of gloom. Not a bit of it. Workmen were beavering away well into the evening, even beyond a bloodred sunset that split across the sky and turned the pellucid waters of the Mediterranean a most startling shade of purple. Posters proclaiming The city of Cannes welcomes... were being put up on every corner.
So what does Cannes have to offer? Where should you stay and what should you see? Cannes was originally a winter resort for wealthy Britons. After the death of her son Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria spent four days here, although she left abruptly, so the story goes, because she disapproved of the immoral activities on offer.
Now Cannes is very much a summer favourite and has a vast selection of hotels in which to stay, and villas to rent. Many of the visiting film stars stay in the neighbourhoods of Super Cannes or La Californie. Here, elegant h! omes nes tle within olive groves and boast splendid views of Italy on a clear day.
I hear that Clint Eastwood rents a villa for 7,000 a night during the festival, while penthouse suites in central Cannes can set you back 20,000 a night thats 17,500.
On the more affordable side, a standard room at the four-star Le Cavendish boutique hotel costs from 130 a night, or 115.
Nice airport is just 12 miles away, and taking a sleek, spotlessly clean Mercedes taxi to Cannes costs about 85 75. Alternatively, there is a half-hourly bus service from the airport to the citys Gare Routiere bus station which costs 16, or 14.
Traditionally, November is a quiet month along the Riviera. Many of the restaurants and hotels tend to close after the summer season to prepare for Christmas. However, the majority will be open for the G20 summit.
Legendary: The city's Carlton Hotel where suites are named after film stars
Along the waterfront, the famous palm-lined Boulevard de la Croisette is where you will find the Hotel Splendid, Majestic Barriere (Charlotte Ramplings favourite, I believe), and J. W. Marriott which, when it was called the Noga Hilton, was at the heart of a gambling scandal that landed a former Cannes mayor in prison.
At the legendary Carlton (now an (Intercontinental), suites are named after such luminaries as Sophia Loren and Sean Connery. Its bar, Bar des Celebrities, is now more frequently chocked to the gills with businessmen, but to sit out on its terrace and sip champagne ros while watching the sun slip beneath a tranquil Mediterranean dotted with razorsharp yachts is an experience worth forking out for at least once in a lifetime.
Fans of Alfred Hitchcock will recognise this hotel as one of the locations in his thriller To Catch A Thief, which starred Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. It is said that Grant was preparing for h! is retir ement when Hitchcock approached him about taking part in the film. It was the fact that they were shooting in the South of France that persuaded Grant to accept.
Kellys story is the stuff of dreams. In 1955, she appeared at the Cannes Film Festival to promote The Country Girl (for which she won an Oscar) and was introduced to Prince Rainier III. She married him in April 1956, taking the title Her Serene Highness the Princess of Monaco.
Such tales are exactly what this town trades on, and few do it better. Even Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana were memorably photographed here in 1997, blissfully happy and enjoying precious time together, just days before their deaths.
Among the top hotels, the Martinez, with its Art Deco furnishings and facade, is my favourite, particularly during the film festival when, late at night, its piano bar is full of elegant folk in evening dress drinking champagne.
Included within the Martinez are two renowned restaurants. Le Relais is rather good, while at the two-Michelin-starred La Palme dOr, Christian Sinicropi, one of Frances finest chefs, has created a series of delicacies
celebrating the big screen. E.T. is a lamb dish, while Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is, not surprisingly, a chocolate extravaganza that also includes aniseed and basil. Ah, the theatricality of Cannes it rarely lets you down.
A stroll along the Croisette is a must, and the perfect place to pause for a coffee or glass of chilled wine is one of the beach-facing bars.
Haven: The monastery on peaceful St Honorat
The Caffe Roma serves pretty good pizzas, and in the street alongside it is a public telephone booth fashioned out of bronze and resembling a strip of spool-wound 35mm film. Its yet another reminder that outside Hollywood, you are in the cinema capital of the world.
The festival itself is h! eld at t he exceedingly ugly Palais des Festivals, nicknamed Le Bunker. In 1983, the original and far more elegant building was knocked down to make way for todays monstrosity.
During the festival, hundreds of press photographers dressed in tuxedos the obligatory dress code line the red carpet to get shots of the actors.
While in Cannes, it is worth visiting the cobbled, winding streets of Le Suquet, the old quarter that was once the neighbourhood of fishermen. You will find dozens of good restaurants here, but make sure you also climb to the very top of Le Suquet because the view of the entire length of the Bay of Cannes is astounding.
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You should also make time to go inland. Take a 1 bus ride to Le Cannet, where youll find the newly inaugurated Bonnard Museum. Pierre Bonnard spent the last 25 years of his life in this village and the colours and Mediterranean light were the inspiration for his exquisite paintings. Rita Hayworth was also a resident.
And a trip out to the islands is an excellent antidote to the brashness of Cannes. The Lerins are a cluster of four sitting off the bay. Two are uninhabited, but the larger pair are well worth a visit. Ile Ste Marguerite has a fortress where the Man in the Iron Mask was held for 11 years.
Many films have been made and books written about this mysterious, possibly noble gentleman whose identity was never discovered. The second island, St Hono! rat, is inhabited by Cistercian monks and they run the only ferry service to the island. Theirs is a silent order and they divide their time between working their vineyards and prayer.
They distil their own wine, make herbal liqueur, keep bees for honey and grow lavender. There is a shop alongside their church where you can stock up.
St Honorat has a peaceful vibe so is perfect for walking and contemplation. The monks accept guests for week-long retreats, which might be just what you need after a few crazy days in Cannes.
- Carol Drinkwaters book Return To The Olive Farm, published by Phoenix, is out in paperback, priced 7.99.
Travel facts
BMI (www.flybmi.com) flies daily from Heathrow to Nice. Return fares start at 99. Tour operators to Cannes include Pierre & Vacances (0870 026 7144, www.pv-holidays.com) and Seasons (01244 202002, www.seasons.co.uk).
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