Getting there
Emirates flies from select Australian cities to Nice via Dubai (emirates.com). Antibes is a 30-minute drive from Nice.
STAY
**Hôtel Belles Rives
** Once home to F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, who often threw parties with the gregarious composer Cole Porter, the family-owned Belles Rives instantly evokes an air of carefree glamour. Each of the 42 guestrooms is individually decorated in Art Deco style, and no detail is overlooked – the leather-padded Fitzgerald bar has been meticulously preserved. Most magical, though, is the private beach lined with cabins named after famous guests, where water-skiing was invented and continues to be practised off the hotel’s pier.
33 Boulevard Edouard Baudoin, Juan-les-Pins, bellesrives.com
**Hôtel Mademoiselle
** Tucked away on a shopping street close to the beach, this boutique hotel, owned by a pair of former advertising executives from Paris, has 14 guestrooms decked out in a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek style that brings out the child in everyone. Guests are treated to cakes baked by co-owner and pastry chef Alexandra Dupoux. In summer, breakfast and drinks are served in a peaceful courtyard that feels miles from the bustle outside.
12 Avenue Docteur Dautheville, hotelmademoisellejuan.com
**
SEE**
Reopened after two years of renovation, the Musée Picasso displays works created during the 1940s when the artist lived and worked in the building, a medieval-era château. Picasso donated paintings, drawings and ceramics; the collection has been expanded with works by Nicolas de Staël and more recent donations of modern art. Just as spectacular as the art are the museum’s ocean views; it’s built on the acropolis of the ancient Greek city of Antipolis.
Place Mariejol, antibesjuanlespins.com
**
SHOP**
Don’t miss a stroll through the Marché Provençal (1828 Cours Masséna, Antibes), a riot of colour and earthy fragrance.
Pastry chefs thrive in this city of sweet-lovers. Lilian Bonnefoi, the pastry chef at the legendary Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, has a fairytale pâtisserie where his wife provides the smiling service (7 Avenue Robert Soleau, lilianbonnefoi.com).
Jean-Luc Pelé began his career in Paris before opening his eponymous pastry shops in Cannesand Antibes (27 rue de la République, jeanlucpele.com). He keeps the sugar and fat in his cakes to a minimum and uses organic ingredients where possible.
There’s plenty of clothes and souvenirs to be found in the Old Town, and original art in a cluster of galleries around the port, including RAJAC, a potters’ market housing the studios of nine young artists (20-21 Boulevard d’Aiguillon, rajacantibes.wix.com/ceramique).
**
EAT**
**La Passagère
** The light-filled main restaurant of Hôtel Belles Rives recently won its first star. Chef Yoric Tièche specialises in seafood treated simply, and has a top pâtissier.
33 Boulevard Edouard Baudoin, Juan-les-Pins, bellesrives.com
**Moonshine
** Run by the team behind the popular Son of a Bun burger truck, this cosy restaurant in the Old Town is dedicated to the American South. Join the expat community for the likes of pulled pork, grilled cheese sandwiches and peanut-butter pie.
8 rue des Palmiers, Antibes, facebook.com/moonshineantibes
**Romagna Mia
** Even after a recent renovation, this eatery’s fit-out with bare tables and tiny open kitchen could hardly be more modest. Yet it demands attention as one of the few authentic Italian restaurants on the Côte d’Azur and features the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna. Fresh pasta is served with seasonal toppings, including truffles and mushrooms – and don’t be surprised if the owners break into song mid-meal.
3 Boulevard Dugommier, Antibes
