What it is

A 45-room gem of the Cote d’Azur with a glitterati-lined rooftop pool and bar.

What it isn't

Sans a private beach. The nearby Plage du Festival allows Five Seas Hotel guests to lounge at their leisure on theirs, with sun beds, towels, parasols...and that too-perfect-for-pictures turquoise sea.

What we think

Cannes’ reputation for glamour lives on in this intimate boutique hotel, where even “standard” rooms are anything but. You’ll find leather trunks, canopy beds and towering ceilings galore; upgrade to a Terrace Suite for a loaner iPad, gratis mini bar and your own al fresco, glass-walled and stainless steel jacuzzi that would satisfy Bond—James Bond. The property’s many repeat guests rave about the Cinq Mondes and Carita spa, where treatments include Ayurvedic rituals and the black and white interiors could have been conjured by Coco Chanel herself.

You're here because

Unlike some Cannes hotels, Five Seas maintains five-star-worthy air-conditioning. Phew!

The Moment

You feel a bit of wistful sadness leaving the beach today, perhaps because you love rubbing taut and tanned elbows with Francophiles and locals splayed out along the shore. No matter. Because as soon as you ascend to the hotel’s Roof Bar at sunset, you realize they’re all here—freshened up, sipping mixologist-made cocktails, and tapping to the sonorous beats of staff DJ Jalmain. Stay for another drink? Yes, you Cannes.

Restaurants & Bars

SeaSens Restaurant - Gastronomic market cuisine by Arnaud Tabarec

SeaSens Brasserie - Designed around fresh market produce, while retaining a Mediterranean touch

Bar SeaSens - Offers a selection of cocktails to share between friends

Location

On the posh Rue Notre Dame in downtown Cannes, just a three block saunter from the beach. Seven blocks west along the shore: the Musee de la Castre, where 19th-century regional art is cloistered in a medieval tower with a bird’s eye view of the harbor.