· Open -

1870

· 1st Owner -

Jean Hippolyte Auguste Delaunay de Villemessant owner of La Figaro

· AKA -

Villa Soleil / Grand Hotel du Cap / The Grande Dame

· Stars - *****

· Guests -

Greta Garbo / Kirk Douglas / F. Scott Fitzgerald / Ernest Hemmingway / Noel Coward / Marlene Dietrich / Alain Delon / Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton / Pablo Picasso / John and Yoko / Ella Fitzgerald / Winston Churchill / Charles de Gaulle / Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson / John F Kennedy / Rudolph Valentino / Cole Porter / Rita Hayworth / Orson Welles / Madonna / Sharon Stone / Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman / Robert de Niro / Johnny Depp / Catherine Deneuve / Francois Mitterand / Bill Cosby / George Bush / Jacques Chirac / Aga (Aly) Khan / Richard Gere / Harvey Weinstein /Joe Kennedy Sr. / Darryl Zanuck / Kate Moss / Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie / Ali MacGraw / David Niven / Peter Finch / Kevin Costner / Cameron Diaz / George Clooney / Matt Damon / Ezra Pound / Robert Kennedy / Rose Kennedy / Marion Barbara "Joe" Carstairs the Queen of Whale Cay / Barbara Streisand / Robert Redford / Steven Spielberg / Audrey Hepburn and anyone else you can think of who's famous has more than likely stayed here .

· History -

In 1865 the owner of La Figaro newspaper decided to build a refuge for writers and artists, it was to be called the Villa Soleil. At the time La Figaro was the world's biggest selling newspaper.

One of the land owners on Cap D'Antibes decided to add a luxury palace hotel as well and the name was changed to the Grand Hotel du Cap and the hotel opened in 1870.

The Franco - Prussian war broke out that summer season and was follwed by a depression that lasted two decades. The hotel lay abandoned until 1887 when it was discovered by Italian hotelier Antoine Sella.

During WWI it became a Red Cross Hospital where the nurses like to cool off in the sea in between their shifts. This gave Sella the idea to build a pool there.

In WWII the US Navy bombed the hotel three times and caused some damage. They were trying to destroy the German cannons not realising they were fake ones made of wood.

The hotel became a hospital again during WWII. Allied troops stayed here for three years and repaired all of the damage they had caused before they left.

The hotel remained in the Sella family until 1969. It was bought by the German Oetker family and remains that way today. It received its current name in 1987. Part of the reason it retains its individual character is due to the fact it never became part of a big international chain.

· Signature -

The "Golden Book" - who's who of visitor books

1934 the Eden-Roc Splash signature cocktail

La Grand Allee - leading from the main building down to the sea

150-minute Exceptional Ritual for Face and Body

· Rooms -

118 guestrooms and suites in three locations and three private villas from $2,250 - $16,500

· Tales -

Elizabeth Tayor and Richard Burton had an affair here. They also came back later on their honeymoon.

Rita Hayworth stood up the Shah of Iran for lunch and met up with Prince Aly Khan the playboy son of the Aga Khan here instead. He became her third husband.

Former General Manager Jean Claude Irondelle is still fighting charges that he embezzled a million dollars from the hotel. He ruled the hotel with an iron fist for 50 years. In those days the hotel only accepted cash so it would have been easy for him to slip a little in his pockets. Credit cards weren't accepted until 2005!

He claims the owners are trying to cheat him out of his retirement package. Everyone lived in fear of getting on his wrong side. This could mean anything from getting a poorly located cabana to getting kicked out of the hotel. During the off season he would go to Hollywood where he was feted like a VIP to stay in his good books.

Kate Moss was banned in 1998 for throwing a tantrum and trashing her room because she wasn't allowed to wear her bikini in the hallways.

Harvey Weinstein was so rude to the staff here that he was banned from future celebrations at the hotel.

· Claim to Fame -

Iconic heated salt water infinity pool blasted out of the rocks

Immortalized by F. Scott Fitzgerald in - Tender is the Night

Host of legendary Cannes Film Festival events

Picasso drew the restaurant's menu in 1955

· Innovations -

The Giving Bag - guests can donate to charity, clothes or anything they don't feel like carrying home

Trapeze suspended over the sea

· Feature -

Private Villas / Concierges / set amid 22 acres of parkland / Private pontoons / Paparazzi free zone / Rose Garden

Spa Eden-Roc

· Views -

Horizon views, uninterrupted sea views, parkland views and the Grande Allee

· Facilities -

Secluded cabanas / Tennis courts / Private shore / Fitness / Yoga / Beauty and Grooming / Water Skiing / Jet Skiing / Kayaking / Sailing / Wind surfing / Pontoon and Motor launch / Kids Club / 12 rooms adapted for guests with disabilities / Diving board into the sea / Hammam / Sauna

Unique -

Eden-Roc perfume / biography / Coat of Arms / custom Yacht / 110 year old glass lift

· Restaurants - Overlooking the Mediterranean

Eden-Roc Restaurant - for breakfast and lunch (buffet), indoor / outdoor dining with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Lerins Islands

Eden-Roc Grill - for lunch and dinner, terrace with sea views

Louroc restaurant * - for dinner - 1 Michelin star

There are four Michelin starred restaurants on the peninsula

· Bars - 6

Eden-Roc Champagne Lounge - rooftop with great sunset views

Eden-Roc Bar - for sunset

La Rotande - sea views and a pianist

Bellini Bar - where Hollywood A-Listers sit during Cannes and the best Bellini's on the Riviera. It has a terrace overlooking the Grande Allee

Juice and Ice Cream Bar - in the garden

· Sights & Activities -

French Riviera / Hill towns - for lunch / Perfume / Wine / Palaces / Art Galleries (Picasso, Marc Chagall and Renoir all lived nearby) / Walk around Cap D'Antibes / Golf / Horse Riding

· Extra -

See  France in 'Countries' and Rome 2 Rome in 'Journeys'. 

Click here to go to the marker map.