Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat Four Seasons

Work on the hotel began in 1908 with two wings set at an open angle to each other, and a loggia dining room and the central Rotunda followed a year later. Soon afterwards the Grand-Hôtel was bought by Madame Ferras, a widow whose grandson was the violinist Christian Ferras. In 1922 two professional hoteliers, Henri Dehouve and André Voyenne, took a majority stake in the company and ran it for more than twenty years.

Club Dauphin followed in 1939 and has been a Riviera icon ever since; the hotel notes that it is celebrated as one of the world's most beautiful swimming pools. In the post-war years European royalty, English lords and barons, leading figures of finance and industry, and writers and artists returned, and guests included the novelist Somerset Maugham, Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and Aristotle Onassis. The swimming instructor Pierre Gruneberg gave lessons to Picasso and to the children of Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra in the heated 33-metre saltwater pool.

A 2009 renovation added a new wing, designed by the architect Luc Svetchine, with terrace rooms and suites with private pools. The Paris-based interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon led the interior design, which he describes as classic French, reminiscent of the Riviera of the 1940s and 1950s, and he designed the new wing's terrace rooms and pool suites. In the rooms, gleaming white marble and a palette of white and beige textures leave the blue of the sea to take centre stage. On 8 May 2015 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts took over the management, and the hotel became the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel.

The landscape designer Jean Mus has added his touch to the hotel's gardens and to those of Villa Beauchamp, which Luc Svetchine designed with interiors by Sybille de Margerie; in its master bedroom, the bathroom mosaic floor has patterns inspired by the work of Jean Cocteau. Villa Clair Soleil was built in the early 20th century, with white-washed walls and exposed stonework.

The hotel stands at 71 Boulevard du Général de Gaulle in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, on the Côte d'Azur, in landscaped gardens facing the Mediterranean, and looks out to sea from the furthermost tip of the peninsula that gives it its name. Its rooms and suites are divided between the Heritage Building, with sea views from Nice to Monaco, and Les Terrasses du Cap, which the hotel describes as a sanctuary within lush gardens.

The hotel puts Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 25 minutes' drive from Monaco, 30 from Nice and 50 from Cannes, and it stands steps from the promenade du Cap, which looks out over the cliffs along the Mediterranean. Beyond the cape, as the MICHELIN Guide points out, any excursion requires a journey by car or train. Club Dauphin, the hotel's pool club, is open to visitors as well as to hotel guests, with convenient access to the hotel's parking.

The Superior Pinewood Room, 27 to 34 m², has a king bed and sleeps two adults, or two adults and a child aged three or under. The Palace Sea-View Room, 30 to 38 m², adds a sitting area looking onto the Mediterranean, and select rooms have a private terrace. On the first floor, the Deluxe Terrace Room measures 41 m² with a 9 m² terrace and outdoor space immersed in greenery; it sleeps three adults, or two adults and two children, with a sofabed or crib on request.

The Palace Pinewood Suite, in the Heritage Building, measures 50 to 75 m², with separate living and bedroom areas, a full marble bathroom, works of art and views over the pine grove and gardens. The Palace Sea-View Suite, also in the Heritage Building, measures 55 to 56 m² and likewise has a full marble bathroom. The Pool Terrace Suite, 82 m², comes with its own swimming pool surrounded by greenery and a 30 m² terrace shaded by Aleppo pines. The Cap-Ferrat Suite, 101 m², pairs soft Côte d'Azur tones with views of sea and gardens through large windows.

The Panoramic Suite has 85 m² indoors and a 90 m² terrace, while the Penthouse offers 120 m² inside and 110 m² of terrace, with a connecting room, for four adults and two children. The Grand-Hôtel Suite, 70 m², and the French Riviera Suite, 100 m², have terraces of 16 m² and 26 m² respectively.

Villa Beauchamp, on the hotel grounds in a private garden near the Heritage Building, sleeps twelve adults and has a 16-metre pool shaded by pine, fig, laurel and cypress, plus a hammam, sauna, home cinema and personal attendant service. Villa Rose Pierre, for ten adults, has an infinity pool with a pool house, its own synthetic clay tennis court, a rooftop terrace, and bedrooms that each open onto a sea-view balcony. Villa Clair Soleil, steps from the hotel, offers a quiet spot with sea views, a terrace with a swimming pool and a private gym.

At Le Cap, Executive Chef Yoric Tièche, awarded one Michelin star, cooks maritime-influenced food, reinventing Provençal and Mediterranean dishes with fresh ingredients, some grown in the hotel's gardens. The wine list runs to 1,200 wines from France's top vineyards, with Italian and Spanish selections alongside.

La Véranda is a French Riviera bistro with Italian and Mediterranean influences and a relaxed tone. It serves Sweet O'Clock afternoon tea from 6 March to 15 November 2026, 14:00–18:00, and Sundays at La Véranda runs every Sunday from 10 May to 18 October 2026, 12:30–15:30. Executive Pastry Chef Pierre-Jean Quinonero creates the pastries and desserts here, at Le Cap and at Club Dauphin.

At Club Dauphin, a Mediterranean grill serves freshly grilled fish, vegetables and Provençal flavours in an open-air setting designed for long lunches. Le Bar, open seasonally, pours champagne cocktails and single malts in the library or on the terrace, serving 12:00–23:00 with Aperitivo from 17:00 to 22:00. In-room dining runs around the clock, so breakfast can be taken in bed or on a private terrace.

Guests have complimentary access to Le Spa's facilities and to Club Dauphin, whose heated seawater pool comes with deckchairs facing the Mediterranean and private cabanas to rent. The spa's hydrotherapy circuit has separate steam rooms and saunas for men and women, along with a sensorial shower, a whirlpool bath and an ice fountain, and there is an indoor lap pool with a countercurrent system. A floating bed suspended above 600 litres of Epsom salts comes with guided meditation, and indoor and outdoor cardio fitness studios cover training.

Treatments use Dr Burgener and Biologique Recherche products, taking place in treatment rooms, a VIP suite for couples or outdoor cabanas set amid fragrant gardens. The signature facial, Les Jardins du Cap, uses rose petals from the hotel's garden. A Kids' Spa offers Bonpoint treatments, among them a Fairy Care facial and a Dreamy Massage.

The Sea Explorers Kids Club overlooks the Mediterranean and is run by a dedicated team of childcare professionals. Family activities include mini car experiences, mocktail workshops, children's spa treatments and educational tours, and the hotel also offers swimming lessons.

Food lovers can join Chef Tièche on a Garden-to-Table Cooking Class, for which he takes guests around the kitchen garden to pick herbs and greens, or book a private Michelin-starred dinner in the Secret Garden and a private tasting of Mediterranean wines. Morning sports activities are complimentary, and the hotel has a tennis court.

The sea sets the rest of the programme: boat days to Saint-Tropez or to Antibes and Cannes, a half-day local cruise and a sundowner by yacht. Above it, a panoramic helicopter flight and a private flight to Milan are available, and on land there is vintage car rental.