Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel

The Carlton has presided over La Croisette since 1913, its long white façade and famous twin cupolas forming the definitive image of Cannes. This is the hotel of film-festival legend: Grace Kelly and Cary Grant filmed scenes from To Catch a Thief here, and every May its terrace becomes the most photographed pavement in cinema. The building is protected as a historic monument, and its recent multi-year restoration under the Regent flag has returned the interiors to genuine palace standard.

The renovation added a calm inner garden with a sizeable pool — a rarity on this stretch — alongside new suite wings, so the Carlton now pairs its Belle Époque bones with the amenities of a modern resort. Rooms are dressed in soft Riviera tones with brass and marble detailing, and the sea-view categories look across the bay towards the Lérins Islands.

Dining runs from Mediterranean cooking on the grand front terrace to a rooftop bar with a wide sweep of the coastline, while the hotel's private beach club across the boulevard handles languid lunches. The Carlton trades on glamour, and does so knowingly; outside festival and congress weeks it settles into a surprisingly relaxed seaside rhythm.