Old Port, facing the Palais des Festivals

Hotel Splendid Cannes

★★★★★

The Hotel Splendid is one of the most recognisable buildings on the Cannes waterfront: an early-twentieth-century building with balconies over the water, standing on the rue Félix Faure directly opposite the Old Port. From its front rooms you look across the masts of the harbour to the hill of Le Suquet with its old church tower, and in the other direction toward the Palais des Festivals, whose red-carpeted steps are a couple of minutes away. The hotel describes itself as having the charms of a little palace, and that is a fair summary: classic décor and an old-fashioned graciousness, without the formality or the rates of the great Croisette palaces. It has sixty-two bedrooms, including two suites and three rooms adapted for guests with reduced mobility, all air-conditioned, with minibars, safes and satellite TV, and a lift serves all floors. There is a terrace, a restaurant and room service, and pets are welcome. The location is outstanding for exploring on foot: La Croisette and the beaches begin across the road, the rue Meynadier and the Forville market lead into Le Suquet, the rue d'Antibes shops are a few minutes away, and the ferries to the Lérins Islands leave from the quay in front. Cannes station is about ten minutes on foot, with frequent trains to Nice, Antibes and Grasse. The hotel is listed as open every day of the year, which makes it one of the best central choices in Cannes for a winter stay.

Choosing a room: port-view rooms are the ones to book, ideally with a balcony, for the view of the harbour and Le Suquet, especially lovely at sunset and at night when the old town is lit. Rooms at the back and sides are quieter and cheaper. The building's age shows in some room layouts and bathrooms, which are classic rather than contemporary, but the setting makes up for it.

Living here: step out in the morning for coffee by the port, take the ferry to Sainte-Marguerite, walk up to Le Suquet for the view, and finish with a stroll along La Croisette. The Forville covered market, a short walk away, is the best place in Cannes for food shopping and a casual lunch. The area around the Palais can be very busy during the Film Festival in May and the big trade fairs, when prices peak; in winter it is calm and rates are much lower.

Who it suits: first-time visitors to Cannes who want to be at the centre of everything, couples who like classic hotels with a view, and day-trippers planning the Lérins Islands, Antibes and Grasse. As an all-year hotel, it is a good alternative to seasonal properties for winter travellers.