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Never too much of a good thing, n’est-ce pas?

August 10, 2018 by Patricia Sands 8 Comments

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Do you ever come across something special when you are looking for something else? Then you read it or hold it in your hands to admire and remember all sorts of good things about it?

This afternoon I was sending some information about Antibes to my good friend Julie Mautner, creator of the excellent website, The Provence Post.

The next thing I knew I was re-reading this article and a wealth of great memories wrapped around me. My husband and I often drop by the Hotel Belles Rives for a meal in the exceptional La Passagère restaurant or a drink on the dazzling terrace. It’s always memorable. But the particular morning I gathered information for this article is something I will not forget.

Today I’m reposting the article I wrote for The Good Life France in 2016. If you read it then, I hope you will enjoy it again. After all, we can never have too much of a good thing, n’est-ce pas?

Hotel Belles Rives ~ Antibes southern France

Written by Patricia Sands in Provence-Alpes

Entrance of the hotel Belles-Rives in Antibes with purple bougainvillea growing round the door

The frivolous lyrics from Cole Porter’s Let’s Misbehave might very well have epitomized the mood on the Côte d’Azur when the song was published in 1927.

“There’s something wild about you child, That’s so contagious. Let’s be outrageous, Let’s misbehave!!!”

Not only was he penning the song, but quite possibly Porter was working through it while he hung out with Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They were staying at their rented Villa Saint-Louis on the shore of a scenic cove on the west side of the iconic Cap d’Antibes. The Fitzgeralds loved partying with their Jazz Age friends. The semi-Bohemian crowd included wealthy Americans and visiting artists, writers and hangers-on. Picasso, Hemingway, Cocteau, John Dos Passos, Gertrude Stein and Dorothy Parker were just a few of the regulars. Porter was a fixture at the piano in the music room of Villa Saint-Louis, overlooking the shimmering Mediterranean.

From all accounts, notably captured in Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, along with letters, journal entries and recorded memories by others in the Roaring Twenties, the French Riviera was rather a wild place to be. It was also, and continues to be, a fabled coastline of incomparable beauty and light that inspires artists to settle there and create.

The  Belle of the French Riviera

View from the bar of the Hotel Belles-Rives overlooking the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea

Since 1929 the privately-owned Villa Saint-Louis has been known as Hôtel Belles Rives. At the time it was the only hotel on the water along the Côte d’Azur. And since 2001, the gracious third-generation owner, Marianne Estène-Chauvin has guided her beloved 5-star, 43-room gem with a clear desire to keep the best of the Fitzgerald years alive.

TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK RIGHT HERE  for the link to the entire article and photos on page 55 of The Good Life France magazine. It’s a long article but worth the read (she said modestly …). ENJOY!

It was a pleasure to spend the morning with Madame Estène-Chauvin, a charming, savvy businesswoman and artist, who loves what she does. To sit and chat and then be shown around the beloved property by her was truly an honour. Have you visited this iconic hotel?

 

 

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Filed Under: Blog, France, If it is France..., Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Antibes, Antibes-Juan Les Pins, Hotel Belles Rives, Marianne Estène-Chauvin, Patricia Sands, The Good Life France, The Provence Post

About Patricia Sands

Family, writing and travel are my passions ... okay, and chocolate ... and I'm seldom without a camera. I write women's fiction and keep in touch with readers by a monthly newsletter that also has giveaways and contests. Come and join us by signing up on the right. See you there!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa Henderson says

    August 10, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    Love seeing the photos and hearing about your adventures. 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us.

    Reply
    • Patricia Sands says

      August 12, 2018 at 10:52 am

      And I love that you enjoy coming along! Thanks for your comment, Melissa. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Patricia says

    August 10, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    Gorgeous place!

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

    Reply
    • Patricia Sands says

      August 12, 2018 at 10:53 am

      Bien sûr! And I am so impressed with the international visitors you have been hosting at Baer House! Let’s do a blog post here about it. Bonne idée?

      Reply
      • Patricia says

        August 12, 2018 at 12:31 pm

        Okay. I’d love to. Let me know what I have to do. I’ll be on vacation (finally) from the 17th through the 27th of this month but after that I’m good to go.

        Patricia

        Reply
        • Patricia Sands says

          August 16, 2018 at 5:45 pm

          Have a wonderful holiday and I’ll be in touch when I get back from France at the end of September. Bonne vacance!

          Reply
  3. Evelyne Holingue says

    August 10, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    A little jealous here, Patricia 🙂
    Such a beautiful area of France, for sure.
    Glad you enjoy my native land as much as you do.

    Reply
    • Patricia Sands says

      August 12, 2018 at 11:07 am

      Evelyne, as much as I love France, I realize that every country has so much to offer with its own history and culture. You are one who celebrates other places often on your blog and I’ve learned much from your experiences. Even though it’s difficult to keep up with everyone’s posts, I do try to drop by yours when I can. It’s never a disappointment. It’s been a pleasure to watch your influence grow. I have such respect for all you do with schools and libraries and the students who fill those spaces. I also read the article you linked to about T-Rays Burger Station in Fernandina Beach, Florida. What a great story! I’m going to share it on FB and link to you. Merci!

      Reply

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