La Bastide Saint Antoine

Though its present incarnation dates back only to 1996, La Bastide Saint Antoine was built in the eighteenth century, on this hillside overlooking the Bay of Cannes. Surrounded by acre upon acre of cypress and olive trees, the locaton is peaceful and secluded, minutes from the village of Grasse, yet just 13 kilometers from Cannes.

The hotel is best-known for its restaurant, Jacques Chibois, bearer of two Michelin stars. Mr. Chibois spent fifteen years at the Gray d'Albion, in Cannes, and his obsession with olive oil, apparently, knows no bounds. This is one of France's most respected restaurants, and the cuisine lives up to its reputation. During the warmer months, meals are served outdoors, on the terraced garden, with a view of the distant Mediterranean and the surrounding hillsides.

The hotel itself is not to be overlooked, though — in its previous life as a country house, it was host to Kennedys and Rolling Stones alike; in fact Bill Wyman made his home here for a time in the early Seventies, when the Stones had fled England to escape taxation, and he enjoyed it enough to make the South of France his permanent home. The guest rooms are decorated in a tastefully authentic Provençal style, with antique furnishings and terra cotta floors, and all the conveniences modern day Rolling Stones would require — top-of-the-line entertainment systems and oversized bathrooms with massaging showers, comparable to anything found in a big-city luxury hotel.

There is a heated pool, and, charmingly, several bowling rinks, as well as access to all the outdoor activities the region offers, from hiking and golf to diving and waterskiing. Chances are, though, most guests are here for the high life, and we would guess that the restaurant and terraced gardens, as well as the smoking room and the library, will prove more popular than any outdoor expedition.

How to get there: La Bastide Saint Antoine is approximately a 30 minute drive from Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and 5 minutes from the Grasse rail station.