Royal Antibes Hotel Review
International Excellence Magazine reviews The Royal Antibes, a luxury 4 star hotel on the French Riviera.
Prior to my trip I had the absolute pleasure of dealing with the reservations agent who was not only incredibly helpful but also ensured that she responded to my many emails and questions within 24 hours, which in this day and age is a complete rarity. Due to this impeccable service, I had high expectations for my stay at The Royal Antibes.
Apart from the delay to BA’s morning flight from Gatwick, the journey was relatively stress free. I opted for the substantially lower priced train service from Nice airport to Antibes saving a grand total of 77 euros (a 3 euro train compared to the 80 euro taxi ride) and I was pleasantly surprised with this unexpected treat! The train journey took me across the beach front with some wonderful views, spacious seats and air conditioned carriages. What a wonderful way to arrive at my destination. I would thoroughly recommend making the 10 minute walk from Nice airport to St Augustin train station.
At The Royal Antibes it immediately struck me that the positioning of this hotel could not have been more perfect. With views across the azure waters, a private beach club offering prime sunbeds, food and drink and not to mention some of the most attractive people I may have ever seen, and a 5 minute walk to Antibes City Centre with a 20 minute walk to Juan Les Pain also available, this place had won me over already.
Upon my arrival at my room there were a few initial teething problems. Above the bath was a hand-held shower with no option of attaching on the wall above my head. The lever to pull in order to switch between the bath and shower was broken and resulted in a daily fight to become clean. On the plus side, the room was impeccably clean and the beds were extremely comfortable. The modern decor made it feel bright and light and the bathroom was incredibly spacious.
After alerting the receptionists to the various issues with the room, they were quick to respond by instructing their porter to attach a hook for the shower. However, that in turn created a new problem as the hook was not adjustable and meant that our bathroom was partially flooded every time the shower was used! Not ideal!
If in need of a glass of Sancerre, as one should always be entitled to in the South of France, a 30 second stroll over to the Royal beach is all that’s required. The Royal beach radiates luxury with beautiful hostesses and waiters, a white sandy beach and a delicious but healthy restaurant menu, perfect for the body conscious A-Listers hitting this spot. One could easily spend all day sipping cocktails whilst lying on a sun-lounger gazing out at the stunning renowned waters, enjoying a spot of people-watching, whilst indulging in breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After a hard day’s work of shopping in Juan-les-Pins, which by the way, I thoroughly reckon anyone with a love for boho chic does, The Royal Antibes offers guests their Royal Spa. Entirely devoted to their guests well-being, the 150 m² spa is equipped with 3 treatment rooms, a relaxation area with sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, relaxation room and a fitness studio featuring state-of-the-art weighing and cardio training equipment. I can’t say I managed to sample the fitness studio but the sauna, hammam and Jacuzzi were blissfully relaxing.
All in all, the hotel was everything I expected and hoped it to be. With the perfect location, attentive receptionists and probably the best beach club in Antibes, it definitely ensured that my South of France experience was one that would have me coming back again and again.
http://www.hotelroyal-antibes.com/en/
