Of all the grand and exclusive hotels along a grand and exclusive coast, the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc is the grandest of them all. With rose gardens, tennis courts and long green lawns it has oceans of space - a wide promendade leads down to the sea, and its 170 guestrooms are mostly large and airy. Apart from the airyness, this affords space for its many celebrity guests to melt away, so the place has a somnulant hush in the middle of the day. Gold and black uniformed staff are from the old school, discreet and efficient; rooms boast tall ceilings, antizzue furnishings, and original oils, with nothing so vulgar as a tv or a minibar - or mobiles in public areas. Rooms are arranged on five floors of a large, chateau-style building - the first and second being the most desirable, with their taller ceilings, while the 3rd-5th floors (the latter in the eaves), can feel hot in the summer - while a further 20 rooms are in the adjacent Deux Fontaine building, with no seaviews - the least expensive. Decor is subdued - cream plus a colourway - both old fashioned and effortlessly tasteful. No interior design makeovers here, nor particularly swish marble mist-prrof bathrooms. A third, the Eden Roc itself right by the sea, has only enormous junior suites with large terraces - this is where the most demanding movie stars stay. Within this building on the ground floor is the famous Eden Roc restaurant, with its plate glass windows looking over the rocks, and beside it the large infinity pool.
The one element lacking is a beach - sea swimming is off a rocky platform - but being on the end of the promontory the views, and sea conditions off season, are spectacular. Best months to come - the only months to come unless you are an habitue - are april, september and october. But be warned - they have other zzuiks, such as not taking credit cards. As Bing Crosby says on the sign at the desk - no, they're not kidding...