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A Night at The 3.14 Hotel: What It's Really Like in Cannes
The 3.14 Hotel overlooks the storied Carlton Intercontinental hotel.
For most of us, heading to Cannes, the land of celebrities, yachts and movies, is a pipe dream. Probably something we could only do when we're old and have saved up enough money. But we'll be old then. Thank god we can live vicariously through Jet Set Life's Kimberly Murgatroyd who gives us yet another hotel review. This time, it's the funkee (in a French accent) 3.14 Hotel. Enjoy.
Coming of the heels of my St. Tropez vacation, I headed to Cannes for a six-night stay at the kitschy 3.14 Hotel. I chose this hotel primarily for it's prime location and said to be unique design concept. My overall feeling on day six of six, was that this is a hotel with so much potential and in dire need of so much work.
Tags: Cannes Hotels / Concorde Hotels / Resort Credits / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
After the Stars Leave Cannes, The Perks Pick Up at The Hotel Martinez
The Cannes Film Festival is in full-swing right now which means celebs and their entourages have taken all the best hotel rooms and their mere presence has jacked up the rates at any other hotel you may consider staying at. But of course, once the celebs leave the prices come down to back down to earth. And at the Hotel Martinez, you will get a little bit of a kickback.
To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the hotel is offering guests who stay three consecutive nights a resort credit of 80 Euros, per person which can be used at the hotel's restaurants (including La Palme d'Or), bars and spa.
The offer begins for stays starting June 1 through September 30 and also includes buffet breakfast. Rates are still rather steep with a three-night stay starting at 310 Euros a night. Free WiFi is included which is a plus but we're a little concerned about those bedspreads.
[Photo: Amy.Maria]
Tags: Movie Set Hotels / Cannes Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Movie Set Hotel: The Carlton Cannes in Hitchcock's 'To Catch a Thief'
We were in the mood for a Hitchcock movie the other night, and the only one we could nab at the local Blockbuster was To Catch a Thief. We'd forgotten was a prominent role the Carlton Hotel in Cannes played in this 1955 thriller starring Cary Grant as a former jewel thief and Grace Kelly as an American heiress on holiday in the Riviera with her mother.
The Carlton, now an InterContinental hotel, hosted the production crew during 1954. The film was released the following year. During the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier for the first time at the Carlton, at the prince's request. Kelly married Prince Rainier the following year.
Tags: French Riviera Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
French Riviera Style: Hotel Moliere, Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival is still a ways off (it starts on May 16) but a reader's recent tip about the French Riviera got us daydreaming about escaping to Cote d'Azure. This week we'll continue talking about some of the hotels worthy of checking into. As always, we wanna know what you think, not just what Uma, Rod Stewart, P.Diddy and Paris Hilton think, of the hotels here. So send us your thoughts and questions or comment below the story, telling us what's right, what's wrong and what's just French.
In the starring city of Cannes, just near the Hotel de Provence, you can find another very reasonably priced 24-room hotel, the cute pink-painted Hotel Molière. According to the the Hotel Molière website, the big selling points are something like this:
In the center of Cannes, 100 m. from the Croisette and the beaches, in a calm flowered garden, southern exposure.
Whether the flowers are calm or the experience of being in the garden is calming isn't quite clear, but we figure either way it can't be a bad thing. Most of the rooms have a terrace overlooking this calm garden, so ask for one of these when you book; all of them are air-conditioned, not always the case in this budget range. There's no in-house restaurant at Molière but its central location means you won't be too far from food--just the same, breakfast is included in the room rates, which start from about 100 Euro ($130) for a double (with bathroom) in low season, rising to up to 135 Euro ($180) in high season.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Moliere forum [TripAdvisor]
· French Riviera Style: Hotel de Provence, Cannes [HotelChatter]
Tags: French Riviera Hotel Reviews / Cannes Film Festival Hotels / → All Tags
French Riviera Style: Hotel de Provence, Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival is still a ways off (it starts on May 16) but a reader's recent tip about the French Riviera got us daydreaming about escaping to Cote d'Azure. This week we'll be talking about some of the hotels worthy of checking into. As always, we wanna know what you think, not just what Uma, Rod Stewart, P.Diddy and Paris Hilton think, of the hotels here. So send us your thoughts and questions or comment below the story, telling us what's right, what's wrong and what's just French.
If Cannes is the place you just must be for your Riviera holiday, but you don't want to totally blow the budget, then the UK's Sunday Times tips the Hotel de Provence. It's right in the middle of Cannes and only a couple of blocks from the beach, but feels more like a garden than the oft-found conference-venue style block hotels. The owners, the Portiers, run just 30 rooms here, and that gives it the personal touch, according to the Times reviewer:
Simple touches such as linen tablecloths and fresh flowers in the rooms show that this is a labour of love, not just a business.
And while the rooms are a little small (that's the nice way of saying poky), the character and the location seem to make up for it. The big tip from previous guests is to request a room with a view or balcony over the garden (you can't get beach views thanks to the monstrous hotels built between Hotel de Provence and the coastline). Extremely reasonable rates start at just $100 for a double including breakfast--more at peak or with a terrace.
[Photo: Kathryn14]
Related Stories:
· Hotel de Provence Cannes reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Cannes Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Tight as a Bug in a Rug in Cannes
Yesterday we warned you that all of France has settled into the south, or at least all the Parisians. The beaches of the Rivera will be beyond packed this month. But, if you must go let us at least send you off with a bit more advice and a little warning.
Unless you have millions to fork out, you are not going to be staying in roomy and luxurious spaces when staying in the major resort towns like Cannes. Take this blogger's warning for example:
The Hôtel Alnea, a charming two-star hotel just a (Sharon) stone's throw away from the Grand Palais, should be listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as "The Smallest Hotel in Cannes." I was in fact able to simultaneously sit on the toilet, wash my face AND take a shower - without moving a muscle. How many world-class hotels can boast such a luxury I ask you?"
Since it's Friday we thought we would try to see the bright side of things. That said, Hotel Alnea is in an ideal location in Cannes and has Wifi, cable TV, French breakfast and all that so aside from being crunched in your room you really can't ask for more (without of course, unloading your savings account). Plus, what better practice than in your tight hotel quarters, to get accustomed to the even more crowded beaches?
Related Stories:
· LaFleur de Paris [BlogSpot]
· Hotel Alnea reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Cannes Film Festival Hotels / → All Tags
Staying on the Wrong Side of Cannes
Hopefully you don't want to get a room in Cannes anytime soon, because as hoteliers love to say in Europe, "they are fully booked" from May 17 - 28. Sure, sure, there are always ways around that, but if we had our druthers we would find a way to stay at the Hôtel Chateau de la Tour.
This 34 room 19th-century château opened back in May 2005 sports a couple bars, an indoor outdoor restaurant and a "Palladian-style pool". Huh? While we aren't smart enough to know what a Palladian style pool is, we do know that this little castle hotel is a 30 minute walk from the center of town, and the beach is a bit of a hike from here. While that might be a deterrent to some, during May the slight possibility of a quiet French hotel in Cannes sounds like a godsend to us. You can walk off your wine, or cab it, to any and all festival destinations.
Before you scoff at our logic, some folks agree with our attraction to this hotel locale:
To the north, further from the beach, slathered on top of all of this glam like yellowed mayonnaise, is the wrong side of Cannes. I find the contrast appealing: the side with old ladies wielding small dogs and glittery purses versus the side with the sex shops, grocery stores, and trashy bars which are packed with drunk old men starting at about eleven am.
See? And you were sitting there silently judging us. OK, so the takeaway is there is a 99.9% chance you can't get a room near Cannes from now until the end of May no matter how many concentric circles you draw around the city center, but for the rest of the year, you should have plenty of Canney options. Got it?
Are you in a Cannes hotel right now sitting by your Palladian style pool? Did you shock the world and snag a Cannes hotel room during Festival? Feel free to brag, operators are standing by.
Related Stories:
· Cannes Hotel Coverage [HotelChatter]
· Hôtel Chateau de la Tour reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Low Cost High Life in Cannes [Times UK]
· Hôtel Chateau de la Tour Map [Google]
Tags: Bad Rate / Cannes Film Festival Hotels / → All Tags
Bad Rate: California's Hotel
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. The screenshot above was taken on May 16, 2006 and rates are subject to change. Enjoy.]
The Cannes Film Festival is happening next week and Hollywood's celebrities will be flocking to the place to show off their latest movies and designer outfits. (We personally cannot wait to see what craziness Sharon Stone will be exhibiting.)
For many the large luxury spots are out of reach, but so is the small, family-run California's Hotel.
Capitalizing on the film festival not just in name, the hotel is offering rooms for about $215 a night but require that you stay for 11 nights (!!!) from May 17 to May 28. We say book sometime during the spring where the required minimum is three nights and then you won't feel so trapped.
Or stay outside the city and train it into Cannes so you can go home before the summer is over.
Despite the Nazi minimum requirement, the reviews are among the best, including one guest who says:
Everything is about quality here - from the beds in the rooms (the best sleep you will ever have) to the breakfasts (the freshest pastries in Cannes).
Related Stories:
· California's Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotels / Cannes Film Festival Hotels / → All Tags
Cannes Riviera Hotel
[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Luxury Larry of WorldExtravagant.com details a sojourn to Cannes--with no film fest in sight mind you. Enjoy.]
During my recent trip to Cannes I was very pleased my hotel stay. While normally I splurge and try to find the most opulent accommodation, I could not justify the price of my usual waterfront hotels in Cannes, which is going through renovations.
So I tried the Cannes Riviera Hotel, a beautiful a 3 out of 4 star Quality Hotel with a fresco of Marilyn Monroe staring at you from the side of the hotel building.
The hotel is short walk through a tunnel, and under the train station, right into the heart of Cannes, making the film festival and shops easily accessible.
Rates are not nearly as high as some of the 4 star waterfront hotels in the area, and I found myself very satisfied with my stay. The hotel has 8 stories (7 stories of rooms), with a pool on the top floor. The front desk was very helpful during my stay, and spoke English quite well, which was a nice bonus.
While not as opulent as some of the other more grandiose accommodations along the Riviera, this was by far the best Quality Hotel I have ever stayed at.
Related Stories:
· Cannes Riviera Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
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