I was expecting a nice hotel in a nice area but I was not expecting it to be so wonderful and peaceful. Perhaps it was peaceful because there were not so much people in the end of October but it is a beautiful place. The building itself is really pretty and the closeness to the water is nice. Must be wonderful to take a swim in the summer before breakfast. The room was big and beautiful with a nice balcony and the view was wonderful. I kept taking pictures all the time. Always pretty and something new. The bathroom was big and nice. Not new but totally fine and everything was working well. Breakfast was really good and with a lot of choices - very good eggs, cheese, hams, sausage, fresh fruits etc. One of us has Celiac disease and therefore needs gluten free food. They even had a sweet pastry that was gluten-free, which is undusual in France. In Italy there are always several choices of sweets but in the Nice area this was the only one that had one cake that was gluten free, that we stayed in. (stayed in 5 hotels this trip). You could also get bread that was gluten free and that was nice. They also had pancakes, but they were not gluten free. The staff was nice and helpful. We got to the hotel early and our room was not ready, which is fine and when we later got the room our suitcases were already upstairs. There were few sunbeds put out but they were always busy and I wish they could have put out more because people wanted them. I asked if they could put out more but they never did. I think there were about 8 sunbeds and there were more people in the hotel. That was sad because the weather was so nice. I later read that you have to pay for the sunbeds in the summer but not this time of the year. The hotel is not a newly built hotel and therefore it is charming. Perhaps it is not as perfect as some people would want it to be, but we loved it! The history and the beautiful sea! It was really a wonderful stay and we had some small issues that we addressed a it was taken care off. We will be back – I hope! …
This was a gorgeous hotel in a great location on a peaceful bay. The staff was lovely and very helpful. The breakfast was nice, but not unique. But the setting on the patio was incredible! I would definitely return. I only downgraded my score for two reasons. The rooms are lovely, but visibly worn and a bit shabby. And after paying expensive room rates, it was shocking to pay for the towels and the chairs at the dock. Really? That left a bad taste after a lovely stay.
We stayed at “The Cottage” whilst at the Belle Rives hotel. It was awful and I would encourage anyone else thinking about it not to stay in that particular ‘suite’. The hotel itself is otherwise, from what we could see, generally excellent - I just wanted to highlight issues with this accommodation specifically. The website describes “The Cottage” as being ‘in front of the main building’, tranquil’, ‘private, ‘with a discrete entrance’ and ‘ideal for family groups’. It is none of those things. “The Cottage” is down the road and past the hotel. You then have to cross a busy road which is on a bend and dangerous, especially with small children in tow. You then have to go through a gate which is not discrete - it is shared with lots of other random people who also go in and out to access their apartment blocks. You then keep going on that other side of the road, further away still from the hotel, up some stairs, and you eventually get to “The Cottage”. The accommodation is directly next to the busy road. It is still noisy at night and makes sleep difficult. The ‘private garden’ is not private or a garden. It’s a small terrace which is directly adjoining the same steps that the random people walk up and down to access their apartments. There is only a low level gate across the terrace between you and them and they all see you sitting there as they walk past. There are lots of people walking past. The accommodation itself is terribly old, tired and dilapidated. It is in need of repair in various places including the front door itself - which had a broken panel hanging off and was a security risk. Finally, because “The Cottage” is physically so far - and separate - from the hotel itself, that the cleaning staff come at random times - often 7pm at night, presumably when they have finished everything else for the day. This is also far from ideal when you have children in tow. “The Cottage” is labelled as a suite, with a price tag to match. Please avoid it. A message to the hotel if you are reading - you are letting down your brand if you continue with this offering as part of your accommodation options. Your website is also incredibly misleading and effectively false advertising.…
The Belle Rives is not an easy Hotel to review. Simple things which you would expect from a 5 Star hotel were lacking. Some aspects of the hotel are fantastic, the view from the terrace, La Passagère restaurant, the beach area. Others are not, our bathroom and the general attention to detail. It’s also worth noting the private when applied to the Belle Rives is not what you might think. All the facilities of the hotel, breakfast, sun beds, beach restaurant, bar are open to the public for a fee. On arrival we were not greeted and carried our own bags in, no big deal but surprising. We arrived early so could not go to our room, again no problem, we went for lunch. However, on return we had a room but the bags had not made their way up to it, we had to call down for them. The room was lovely large (for a European hotel) and recently renovated but the bathroom was not finished. No towel rails, toilet roll holder, no hooks to hang anything up and a shower screen that did not stop the water from covering the whole floor. The upshot of this was that when you got out of the shower the floor was wet the bath matt was wet in fact pretty much everything at ground level was wet! The next problem was what to do with your wet towel, no towel rail no towel hook. We did work out a solution ourselves. For the record I did bring this up with the management who were very apologetic stating that there were back order issues on the missing parts. Hopefully this only applied to our room. On a more general note housekeeping trolleys and rubbish bags were left in the corridor overnight which again appears odd for a 5 Star hotel. On the positive side the staff work really hard to ensure you had a good time. The beach and ski nautique were excellent. Other than our arrival issue the lobby team were excellent, thanks Christoph. The big question is would I stay again? Probably, but with lower expectations. The service we received at the Belle Rives was really no better than that we received at a 3-star chain hotel in Monaco just before visiting the Belle Rives. However, the Belle Rives has a certain charm which makes you forgive the irritating issues. I wish the team well, but please sort out the bathroom and view the hotel through the eyes of your guests.…
Before we left Australia Luca and his team had organised all of our evenings out at some of the most spectacular restaurants in Antibes. Mamo Michelangelo and Plage Keller / Restaurant Le Cesar two of our favourites. We enjoyed a relaxed breakfast overlooking Mediterranean Sea with the lovely Jade looking after us. All the staff at the Hotel made us feel welcome, relaxed and nothing was too much for them to assist. Lunch each day at the Belles Rives Beach restaurant was stunning, not just the outlook but the light summer cuisine the Poke bowl and a glass of Rosé a favourite. I enjoyed a relaxing massage and pedicure with Julie at the Valmont Beauty corner. A massage is always a great way to start a holiday, Julie certainly had the right pressure and knowledge for a body that is training each day. Luca organised a boat for us for a day with a fabulous box of assorted summer fruits, what a way to see the coast and go to some very quiet and stunning swimming locations. The last two days we finally went water skiing, a first for me however Natalie was patient and encouraging she had me up on my first run! Thank you Nat and Jan we absolutely loved getting out on skis To Luca, Tom, Julie, Jade, Nat, Jan and all the staff at Belles Rives Merci Beaucoup!! Jusqu’à la prochaine fois…
MERCI BEAUCOUP! Most beautiful stay and the best staff! - Probably the best located Hotel RIGHT ON the water. Fantastic stuff, Fantastic Food, and even helped us organizing a boat! Absolute dream to stay there and we will be back next year!
Dramatically overpriced and underwhelming experience. Apart from check in and concierge who were great, staff were arrogant and inattentive. Full of wannabes with attitude. Would never go back. Breakfast dishes never cleared away, you had to go looking for someone to get you a coffee. Fish of the day for two was exceptionally ordinary (and slimy!) and was €240. Absolutely zero attention given at the Beach Club unless you were one of the front row big tippers. Extremely disappointed.
My spouse and I stayed for a week for the first time as mother loved Juan where she retired.We were impressed by everything and the Spa ask for JULIE and the the FIDGETRALD bar where he stayed in the 20 . We will be back
Fitzgerald wrote part of the Great Gatsby here as well as the Tender is the night. Here he and his family managed to be happy which did not always come easy. This Riviera hotel keeps everything perfect, the food is of the best quality and the beach ponton so beautiful to just relax at. Lunches here at the ponton right by the turquoise water is my annual treat!! Don’t miss the fantastic pastries by one of France’s master pastry chefs. The one Michelin star restaurant on the beautiful terrace has come to great levels the past two years and combines refined food with a lovely setting. Sun downs here are the perfect back drop. The staff is just the best, always remembering your name and who you are. Sister hotel Juana is close and a great five star alternative if you cannot afford the high room rates, still including you in the atmosphere.…
This is a beautiful hotel, which is renovated to still retain the magic and features of the 1920s when F Scott Fitzgerald was here. The rooms are lovely and some offer a magnificent sea view. The service is excellent and the concierge brilliant at finding the right places to visit and where to eat. Its location right on the sea is wonderful. What lets it down - and why we cannot offer a 5* rating - is that hotel guests have to pay for use of the hotel's beach towels and sunbeds, and at a much greater than token amount. For a hotel of this quality, it seems such an unnecessary way to treat their guests.
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