Let’s Talk About French Country Escapes
A stunning Cognac estate, a wild dining room in Èze, and country houses worth the schlep.
If you’re feeling a little stir crazy, might we suggest watching these three minutes of extreme torch-passing in Chamonix? It’s true, we’ve already fallen for the giant French advertisement known as the Olympic Games — archery at Esplanade des Invalides, dressage at Versailles, handball in Lille, sailing in Marseilles — and the Opening Ceremonies haven’t even floated down the Seine yet. (That’s tomorrow.) France is the main character right now. In anticipation, we’ve put together a few getaways around the country and asked Paris-based music video director and gadabout Phil Andelman to share his favorites. We’re checking out:
a new hot spot in an old seaside castle
a fantastic floral fantasy
the chic boutique group flying under the radar
two grand escapes with all the Michelin trappings
an enchanting estate just an hour from Paris
And don’t miss our report on our favorite new hotels in Paris.
Le Château de Théoule
New this summer and just twenty minutes from glittering Cannes in Théoule-sur-Mer, a seaside castle — with a former life as a 17th-century soap factory — has been transformed into a 44-room resort with two restaurants, a spa, prized sea views, a swimming pool, the private beach La Plage Blanche, and a boat for guests and easy transfers to and from Cannes.
Hôtel Belles Rives
On the other side of the Bay of Cannes in easygoing Antibes, lies Belles Rives (“beautiful shores”). The Art Deco gem may be a century old — still run by the same family (now the fourth generation), still proud of its literary past (F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Tender Is the Night in room 50) — but it’s not standing still. The 43 rooms have been renovated with fun wall coverings, as has Bar Fitzgerald (order a Hemingway). The aesthetician at the bijoux Valmont Beauty Corner has magic hands, and the Water Ski Butler will have you out on the water in no time.
