Hôtel The Maybourne Riviera

The site was once occupied by a tea room in a wooden chalet built in 1870, and the hotel that stands on it opened in 1950. In 1963 it was rebuilt by the architect André Minangoy and his associate Michel Neron, who also designed Marina Baie des Anges at Villeneuve-Loubet. The German industrialist Max Grundig bought it in 1978 and gave it the name Vista Palace, and in 2005 it passed to the Italian investment fund Tank. Over the years, the hotel says, it has hosted cinema legends and music icons.

In 2021, after several years of work, the renovated hotel reopened as The Maybourne Riviera. It belongs to the Maybourne Hotel Group, formerly the Savoy Hotel Group, which runs luxury hotels in London; after a long legal battle, the Barclay brothers' stake in the group passed to the Qatari royal family. For its architecture and design today, the hotel cites Jean-Michel Wilmotte's architectural vision, which it says carves the building into the cliffside with pure lines that embrace the rock. It has also worked with the designers Bryan O'Sullivan and Rigby & Rigby, and Michelle Wu's artistic direction draws their work together, balancing light, textures and artworks.

The MICHELIN Guide calls the hotel a modernist marvel standing on a rocky cliffside in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, sums up its atmosphere as 'Modern Design & Happening' and has awarded it Two MICHELIN Keys.

The hotel is in France, not in Monaco: it stands at 1551 Route de la Turbie in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a commune between Menton and Monaco, and promises plunging views out to the azure waters. Because the surrounding roads are busy, the hotel advises allowing 30 minutes to reach it from Monaco or from Menton; Nice Côte d'Azur Airport is 35 minutes away, and the hotel describes itself as easily reached by road, rail or air.

Stays include an arrival transfer from the Nice area, except on group or negotiated rates, and the hotel's chauffeur and transfer service handles arrivals and departures. A complimentary shuttle runs to and from Monaco and to the hotel's private beach club.

Every suite and studio opens onto a private balcony with sweeping views of the Mediterranean, and the hotel quotes an average size for each category. The Sea View Studio averages 55 m² for up to two guests and the Panoramic Sea View Studio 65 m² for up to three. The Grand Sea View Studio, designed by Bryan O'Sullivan and Michelle Wu, pairs 45 m² inside with a 20 m² private furnished terrace facing the sea; it has a king bed or twin beds, sleeps three with an extra bed, and has a freestanding marble bathtub with a sea view, a rainfall shower and a Japanese Toto toilet.

Among the suites, the Sea View Junior Suite averages 90 m², the Sea View Duplex Suite 100 m² and the Surrenne Suite 115 m², each for up to three guests. The Sea View Suite measures 110 m² with one bedroom or 180 m² with two and sleeps up to five, while the Panoramic Suite runs from 150 m² with one bedroom to 230 m² with two, for up to six.

Two suites have pools of their own. The Infinity Pool Duplex Suite has 80 m² indoors and 25 m² outdoors, with a private furnished terrace, a private infinity plunge pool and panoramic views over the Mediterranean. The Infinity Blue Suite has 90 m² indoors and 40 m² outdoors, with a private furnished terrace and plunge pool, and its views take in Monaco as well as the Mediterranean. Both are split-level and share the signature 'diving board' bed credited to Bryan O'Sullivan, which seems to float above a bespoke carpet inspired by native flowering cacti; both bathrooms have a freestanding marble bathtub with a sea view, a rainfall shower, a Japanese Toto toilet and a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer. Each sleeps up to three adults or two adults and two children, using a sofa bed in the Infinity Blue Suite, whose guests also have a butler on call 24 hours a day.

The one-bedroom Azur Suite averages 190 m² for up to three guests. For larger groups, the three-bedroom Horizon Suite averages 380 m² for up to nine, and the Private Floors 391 m² with five bedrooms for up to ten. Every stay includes a minibar stocked with complimentary soft drinks and snacks and, except on group or negotiated rates, a seasonal welcome amenity with a bottle of champagne served chilled on arrival.

abc kitchens riviera, inspired by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's New York concepts, came to the Côte d'Azur after a successful launch at The Emory in London. Its menu is built on locally sourced, market-to-table ingredients with Mediterranean, Latin and vegetarian flavours, and signature dishes include a kale salad with serrano pepper and grilled octopus with cashew romesco sauce. It is closed on Tuesdays; on other days dinner is served from 19:00 to 22:00 and the bar is open from 17:00 to midnight.

On Sundays abc kitchens also hosts the Soleil et Saveurs brunch, with two seatings, at 11:00 and 13:30. It is an all-inclusive buffet with live cooking stations, seafood from a traditional écailler, charcuterie sliced by a cortador, ceviche, viennoiseries and caviar with champagne, and children have entertainment of their own.

The Riviera Restaurant sits beneath a glass canopy with 360° views of the sea and the mountains, with a terrace as well as a dining room. Chef Guillaume Boumati's cooking there is guided by the seasons and inspired by the Mediterranean. Breakfast is served daily from 07:00 to 11:00, and every stay includes a daily English breakfast, in the suite or studio or at the restaurant; lunch runs from 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:00.

Le 300, the bar, is framed by sweeping views of the Mediterranean and open daily from 10:00 to midnight, with tea time from 15:00 to 18:00 and favourites such as a club sandwich, truffle pizza, a signature burger and the pastry trolley. La Piscine, beside the infinity pool, serves pizzas with fresh juices or cocktails through the afternoon. Down on Cap Martin, the beach restaurant La Môme Riviera is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, its kitchen serving from 12:00 to 16:30 on weekdays and until 17:00 at weekends, with lunch dishes such as crudo, king crab salad and tagliolini with spiny lobster. In-room dining is available around the clock.

Surrenne Riviera, the hotel's next-generation wellbeing and longevity destination, was designed by Michelle Wu. Five treatment sanctuaries, bathed in soft light, offer tailor-made rituals for body and face that draw on traditions running from deep-tissue and Thai massage to Ayurveda and Shiatsu. There is also a couple's suite with a sea view, a signature massage that combines lymphatic drainage with maderotherapy, and a contrast therapy zone with a hammam, a sauna and a cold bath.

The spa is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00 and the fitness centre from 07:00 to 21:00, while the infinity pool opens from 09:00 to 19:00. Guests in the Infinity Blue Suite receive a complimentary 60-minute signature massage per person at Surrenne Riviera.

La Môme Riviera, at the tip of Cap Martin and not far from Monaco and the Italian border, is the hotel's private beach club and restaurant. In the summer season, guests have exclusive access to the beach club, with complimentary sun loungers subject to availability. Every stay also includes a selection of complimentary activities and masterclasses, among them Lagree classes facing the sea, Riviera-inspired culinary workshops and guided hikes.

Infinity Blue Suite guests are offered a two-hour Mediterranean sunset cruise from June to September and a sunset aperitif prepared by the mixologists and served at Le 300; Infinity Pool Duplex Suite guests receive the same sunset aperitif.