Juan les Pins has become our go-to beach in the Cote d’Azure. The plage (beach, I'm so French) is located in the next cove south of Antibes between Nice and Cannes. It is a beautiful white sand beach (unlike Nice, which is surprisingly rocky) with clear blue water (nothing like Sardinia #spoiled), overlooking some pretty daunting yachts on the horizon. The beach still consists of row upon row of beach chairs offered for a premium price by various Beach Clubs, yet doesn’t have the posh overwhelming vibe of Cannes. The water is warm and inviting and if you happen to get a chair in the front row (it’s taken us 5 years of palm greasing Dadu at Le Pirate Beach Club to get a set of four), provides endless fun watching the social elite “prance” along the beach. The surrounding town offers quaint and high end shopping alike (this is where my mom gets her coveted iPhone covers). The Cote d'Azur is a special place and if you visit, I highly recommend visiting this beach town.
Parking in this congested beach town is tricky, so we frequently use the valet at the Hôtel Belles Rives. Beyond the convenience of hassle free parking, walking through the extravagant 5-Star hotel lobby, one is treated to one of the most spectacular views of the Cote d’Azur (honestly worth the minor valet fee just to walk through the hotel). Rumored to be where Fitzgerald stayed when writing The Great Gatsby. While I haven't had the opportunity to stay at this hotel (yet), I did have the great fortune of dining there. We were treated to exceptional service and food at La Passagère restaurant located on the terrace overlooking all of Juan-Les-Pains (seriously breathtaking). The Maitre D’, Jullianne took fantastic care of us, catering to my sister’s extreme nut allergy by personally delivering each of her dishes and notifying her of which dishes on the table she could or could not try. The staff was attentive and professional. For dinner, I had seabass rolled in grape leaves, sprinkled with almonds and a delicate yuzu drizzle (superb), while Asaad and his sister ordered the Gamba special (deep water prawns that were as big as your head!). Finally after pre-dessert, dessert, and post-dessert (my sister was brought a special champagne shaved ice that was ridiculously good) we were smiling ear to ear, a fantastic experience and highly recommended if you have a special someone you want to impress.