Enjoy A-list grandeur in Cannes

The Côte d'Azur has long been a playground for the rich and famous. Bernadette Fallon visited

News just in: money-saving retro offer

 

Relive the strong exchange rate of 2007! Le Mas Candille is offering a Retro Package at 2007 exchange rates, including overnight accommodation with breakfast, dinner for two in its Michelin star Candille restaurant with drinks and two 60-minute spa treatments. The package, which would normally cost  €490 on week nights and €590 on Fridays and Saturdays, is now being offered for just €365 during the week or €440 at the weekends. This offer is available from 1 October - 30 April 2010, subject to availability and bookings should be made directly to: retro@lemascandille.com.

 

Find out just what you could experience at this luxury hotel and spa, read on ...

 

Cannes. The Côte d'Azur. Nice. The Riviera. The very words conjure up images of glamour, style and opulence. The South of France. One glorious, sunshine-filled, fashion-packed, pampering holiday to remember. A spa break here is not just a holiday and a facial attached. It's a balm for your (très chic) soul.

 

But here's a word of advice. In these days of getting more bang for your buck, of spending less and gaining more, of investing in quality, steer clear of the teeming beaches of La Croisette and - quite literally - head for the hills.

 

Make for Mougins

 

The hills of Mougins to be precise. Perched far above the noise and traffic of Cannes, 7 km from the coast and a 15-minute drive from Nice international airport, there's a quieter pace of life on offer. During the film festival the big stars and rich players don't stay in the city itself, but in the surrounding hills. And it's easy to see why.

 

Mougins is a picturesque village clinging to the mountainside, with winding streets, tall church spires and art galleries everywhere you turn. The latter is a legacy from its most famous resident, Picasso, who lived in the village for the last years of his life. And Winston Churchill - less well known for his artistic merits - also visited the town to paint watercolours.

 

Five-star luxury

 

Just five minutes walk from the bustling village square, with its outdoor restaurant terraces and lively buzz, is five-star hotel Le Mas Candille, offering a touch of film star luxury high above Cannes. With the city below spread out across the hillside, the hotel is designed to make the most of the views, with courtyard dining, three outdoor pools, and bedrooms with patios, in four hectares of landscaped mature gardens. There's a Michelin-starred restaurant, a Shiseido spa and - for the ultimate treat - six newly opened suites perfectly placed to make the most of the stunning views.

 

Experience Le Mas Candille for yourself - take a tour here or visit the hotel website at www.lemascandille.com.

 

 

A welcome letter in our suite invites us to treat it as our home. And what a home! Hung with modern art and fitted with contemporary furniture, plasma screen TVs, walk-in dressing room, marble bathroom with double-ended bath and wet-room shower, floor-to-ceiling sliding patio doors lead to a full-length terrace equipped with patio furniture and sun-loungers. There are assorted novels and biographies in the bedroom, magazines on the coffee table, an iPod dock, DVD player and an espresso machine. Just like home...

 

Make the most of a weekend

 

Nice airport is just under two hours' flying time from Heathrow, making the surrounding area perfectly placed for a sneaky weekend break. I came back from two days in the South of France feeling as refreshed and relaxed as if I had been away for a week. Five-star hotels tend to do that to me. There's less hassle, less stress, more people who want to cater to your every comfort, more pampering and more beautiful things to admire.

 

Like the roof terrace pool where breakfast is set out every morning.

 

Like the courtyard for evening dining.

 

Like the secluded spa garden, with Jacuzzi pool and swinging hammock.

 

Like the cosy bar and library, with fully stocked bookcases - and yes, English books too!

 

I'd rather have two nights in a five-star hotel than two weeks in somewhere bog-standard.

 

Opt for a dinner, bed and breakfast package and you will know exactly what you are spending before you get there. Don't be swayed by the expensive drinks in the bar. Indulge yourself in a glass of champagne on arrival and take it easy the rest of the time. Just sit back and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings and let the attentiveness of the staff work its restful magic.

 

But if you do decide to treat yourself, treat yourself to a spa treatment. Detached from the main hotel building, the spa overlooks its own hydrotherapy pool (the biggest I've ever seen). It's fringed by mature trees, next door is an outdoor gym - but I wasn't interested in that - and nearby, a winding path leads to a secluded spa pool.

 

Spa treatment

 

I had a Shiseido facial in the spa and it was the most silent facial I've ever had, totally in keeping with the relaxed hotel atmosphere. I've become used to facials where I'm constantly updated with the facts - ‘I'm going to apply a face mask/ moisturising cream/ press the button to start the music now' patter - but this time my therapist was silent throughout, giving me a chance to drift off happily into my own thoughts, almost dozing off completely a couple of times.

 

The spa uses Shiseido products exclusively and I leave with my personal skincare guide from the brand. The name Shiseido is composed of three Chinese ideograms that are 2,000 years old and mean ‘mutual exchange with nature', intended to reflect the brand's philosophy of harmony between body and spirit. Using ingredients close to the natural composition of the skin, I particularly liked the Hydro-Refining Softener which felt silky-smooth on my skin, and also the fact that my face was gently massaged with the specially-developed brush used to remove my cleanser.

 

Dining

 

Breakfast is served on the roof terrace by the pool, during the day you can also order lunch and snacks from the bar here, and it's great for a laidback evening meal. But for the full five-star experience, treat yourself to the gourmet menu at Restaurant Candille and eat in the courtyard beneath the twinkling stars.

 

Chef Serge Gouloumès has collected a Michelin star for his efforts in the kitchen. As you would expect, everything is beautifully presented and while the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. After four courses of perfectly formed plates - foie gras with Armagnac, king crab with date-stuffed panisse and asparagus, saddle of hare, medley of desserts - and an amuse-bouche of frothy gazpacho, we are absolutely and totally stuffed. Quality like this doesn't come cheap, with appetisers priced from 35 to 45€, mains from 50€ up and desserts 15€. We don't try the cheese board but it looks amazing - a large cheese trolley that is wheeled from table to table, priced at a very reasonable, for the quality on offer, 16€.

 

After dinner we treat ourselves to two glasses of 25-year-old Armagnac - at an eye-watering euro for every year of its life. But, for quality like this and an Armagnac enjoyed on our outdoor terrace before turning in for the night, who's counting the cost!

 

More information and prices

 

Le Mas Candille is located on the Côte d'Azur, 7km from Cannes and 25km from Nice Côte d'Azur international airport. Visit the hotel website at www.lemascandille.com.

 

Stay three nights at Le Mas Candille from £940 per person. Price is based on two persons sharing a Mas Room with View on a bed and breakfast basis, economy flights from London Heathrow with British Airways and private car transfers. 

Alternatively, stay three nights in one of the new suites from £1,700 per person. This price is based on two persons sharing a Suite Deluxe on a  bed and breakfast basis, economy flights from London Heathrow with British Airways and private car transfers. (These prices are based on a 4 September 2009 departure). 

 

For further information, please contact Elegant Resorts Reservations on 01244 897515 or visit www.elegantresorts.co.uk.

 

 

Visiting Mougins? Try this ...

 

Still full from our exquisite Michelin-starred meal the previous night, we wanted something light for supper in Mougins. Le Fontenoy is a little café in the middle of the square, serving delicious hot sandwiches and specials, and tasty local wine. Ask owner Morgeo for some of his olives - from the trees in his own garden he claims ‘they do not look nice but they are very good'. Slightly misshapen certainly, but with their slightly smoky flavour are probably some of the best olives I've ever tasted.

 

See last month's spa review - a UK weekend away

Read our 'high tech facial' review - by celebrity facialist Cherry Woods

 

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