Spotlight on: Cap Ferrat

The thing about the ‘in’ place to go is that after a while its elusive glamour sometimes fades. But this is not so with Cap Ferrat. The spirit of the decadent characters who made the French Riviera famous, from F Scott Fitzgerald to Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, lives on in this verdant hideaway.

Luxury villas in Cap Ferrat, long favoured by Royals and the rich and famous, have kept their refined air of exclusivity. Cap Ferrat is a pocket of tranquillity, sitting on its own promontory between the villages of Villefranche-sur-Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Characterised by rocky coves and pine filled slopes, it has jaw-dropping sea views and is frequently the location of unseemly bidding wars by billionaires keen to own one of its trophy villas.

At its centre, the quaint little town of St Jean Cap Ferrat is surrounded by elegant, Belle Epoque villas, many boasting a ‘Who’s Who’ list of former owners such as David Niven and Charlie Chaplin, as well as stunning modern houses. This former fishing village, crammed with boutiques and restaurants, hugs the edge of the lapping water where the latest super yachts occupy berths in the marina.

Cap Ferrat has a handful of charming pebble beaches, and you can visit the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a former private mansion which is now a museum and art gallery with botanical gardens. All the sophisticated attractions of the French Riviera are nearby and it’s a 30 minute drive from Nice Cote d’Azure airport and a short hop from Monaco.

Villas here are ideal for entertaining large groups of friends, family or work colleagues in uber luxurious style. Villa CView, for example, sleeps up to 14 guests in a breath-taking contemporary setting featuring wall to wall glass and eye-popping views out to sea. It’s the ultimate, A-list, glamorous hideaway, with huge sheltered terraces and two pools.

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