RANCE
CANNES
HOTEL MAJESTIC BARRIÈRE
There comes a moment in everyone’s life when there is a pressing need to be near the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Perhaps your remarkable performance in the latest Hollywood epic is likely to ensure that the film wins the Palme d’Or. Or perhaps you are on the judging panel and need to be present for the screening of the contending entries. Or it might be that, like your correspondent, you simply love Cannes and therefore you just have to be in the heart of things, at the correct end of the Riviera’s most famous promenade, the Croisette. Whatever the reason, and whether your fame is world-wide, European, national or modestly domestic, you will want to be at The Majestic.
Since 1923, when the architect Théo Petit built the main part of this palace hotel and added another Art Déco masterpiece to France’s Mediterranean coastline, the rich and famous have flocked to this lofty expression of the finest in seaside hospitality. I could mention a few of their names, but it would be pointless. Just think of any film star or fun-loving potentate since the 1920s, and they will have been here. Recently, the Grand Old Lady has been fully renovated. I decided it was time to return to pay my respects to this vast confection of marble, gilt and shimmering silk.
I should say at once that the level of service I found at The Majestic Barrière was exceptionally high. Every member of staff I encountered – at the Reception, at the Concierge desk, at the porters’ station, in the restaurant and in the Housekeeping department – was unfailingly courteous, friendly and efficient. I do not know how the Manager, Emmanuel Caux, inspires his team, but he is clearly doing something very right.
The one thing you must demand of your hotel in Cannes is a marvellous view. At The Majestic this is pas de problème, for many of the hotel’s 305 rooms possess exactly that. Indeed, the panorama they share – of the glistening sea, of the palm trees, of the fort on the hill in the Old Town and of the yachts, pristine and white, gently swaying to the rhythm of the waves – was there for me, too, from the balconies of room 624. On the sixth floor, this was a Junior Suite Sea View, and therefore, according to season, 488 to 1,200 euros a night for two. For stylish accommodation in the best location, this is good value.
A corridor hall, with fitted wardrobes and doors to both the tiled bathroom and to the loo, led to the sitting room, which I judged to be about 12 feet by 10 feet. The silk on the walls was striped, and so was the red velvet on the sofa and the two fauteuils. Here were cupboards with more hanging space and a private safe. A French window provided access to the first balcony. A large sliding door opened to reveal the bedroom (about 9 feet by 11 feet), with a second French window – leading, of course, to the second balcony. At my request, the bed had been made deliciously soft for me. I hope that my photographs give you a sense of the view. It was certainly a privilege, at the beginning and at the end of each day, to be able to step out and gaze directly at the Mediterranean.
I did not have an opportunity to dine at The Majestic, but I did have a peep at its smaller restaurant, La Petite Maison, which looked appealing. And I did have breakfast in the larger dining room, which is an off-shoot of a famous Parisian brasserie on the Champs-Elysées. Like its parent, it is called Fouquet’s, and, like its parent, it buzzes with movement and activity. (Indeed, there is a television screen and canned music, although I could happily have done without both.) The colours are dark and warm and the tables are small. All the food I consumed from the buffet – bacon, scambled eggs, croissants, melon and pineapple – was of high quality. Again, I was struck by the excellence of the staff. The waiters and waitresses had to work hard, but they kept their good humour and were properly attentive, despite the pressure of numbers.
So, when you next need to be near the Palais des Festivals or when you simply have the urge to lodge on the Croisette in Cannes, you know where to stay: at the majestic Hotel Majestic Barrière.
ADDRESSES
HOTEL MAJESTIC BARRIÈRE
10 La Croisette, 06408 Cannes, France.
Telephone +33 (0)4 92 98 77 22
Fax +33 (0)4 92 98 77 66
Email: majestic@cannesbarriere.com
www.cannesbarriere.com
Double rooms from 224€ to 650€, according to season, breakfast extra (36€ per person)
Check on the hotel website for special offers