on the Côte d’Azur
History of Hôtel Belles Rives
in Juan-les-Pins
“Engraved in marble, this quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald evokes the happiest period of his life at Villa Saint-Louis. Officially hung on one of the walls in the hall, in the presence of his granddaughters, Eleanor Ann and Cecilia Scott, it will always be a personally addressed message to our visiting guests.”
A heavenly stay for the Fitzgeralds
The history of Belles Rives begins with a love affair: the United States’ Lost Generation, made up of disenchanted youngsters and artists who had been devastated by the First World War, fell in love with the south of France and summers on the Côte d’Azur, a destination which had been discovered by the English aristocracy a few decades earlier.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, a leading figure in the American literary movement between the two World Wars, and his wife Zelda were won over by the Cap d’Antibes in 1925, while staying in a villa belonging to their friends Gerald and Sara Murphy.
A few months later, they settled at Villa Saint-Louis, captivated by the unique beauty of the place and its private beach. Buoyed by the success of The Great Gatsby, released the previous year, Fitzgerald wrote short stories and the beginning of Tender is the Night, his future masterpiece.
The place inspired him: he spent his days in conversation with Ernest Hemingway, while the soundtrack to his evenings featured jazz and the pop of champagne corks. At the end of the summer, the Fitzgeralds left the Riviera forever.
For the rest of their lives, they remembered this property and the surrounding region as an idyllic paradise.
A heavenly stay for the Fitzgeralds
The history of Belles Rives begins with a love affair: the United States’ Lost Generation, made up of disenchanted youngsters and artists who had been devastated by the First World War, fell in love with the south of France and summers on the Côte d’Azur, a destination which had been discovered by the English aristocracy a few decades earlier.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, a leading figure in the American literary movement between the two World Wars, and his wife Zelda were won over by the Cap d’Antibes in 1925, while staying in a villa belonging to their friends Gerald and Sara Murphy.
A few months later, they settled at Villa Saint-Louis, captivated by the unique beauty of the place and its private beach. Buoyed by the success of The Great Gatsby, released the previous year, Fitzgerald wrote short stories and the beginning of Tender is the Night, his future masterpiece.
The place inspired him: he spent his days in conversation with Ernest Hemingway, while the soundtrack to his evenings featured jazz and the pop of champagne corks. At the end of the summer, the Fitzgeralds left the Riviera forever.
For the rest of their lives, they remembered this property and the surrounding region as an idyllic paradise.
The incredible story continues.
Thirty years later, Marianne Estène-Chauvin, Boma and Simone’s granddaughter and Georges’ daughter, decided to follow in her family’s footsteps.
After a career in contemporary art, this demanding aesthete, who has always been particularly conscious of the importance of the property’s Art Deco heritage and the need to protect it, began working with her uncle Casimir.
As President, in addition to opening the hotel year-round, she named its gourmet restaurant La Passagère and listed the hotel as a 20th-century heritage site.
Under her leadership, the following years were marked by impressive growth: acquiring Hôtel Juana, founding the Belles Rives Group in 2006, opening Le Bistro Terrasse in 2009, redeveloping Belles Rives’ private beach, with a restaurant which is now open for lunch and dinner, and hosting the legendary Villa Rosa DJ sets on Thursdays.
In 2016, La Passagère was awarded its first Michelin star: a tribute to both of the restaurant’s talented chefs, Aurélien Véquaud (voted Great Chef of Tomorrow by Gault & Millau in 2019) and Steve Moracchini (voted Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau in 2016).
Antoine Estène-Chauvin, Marianne’s son, joined the Belles Rives Group in 2017. Today, he is the Group’s President and he will be overseeing two major transformations in 2023: the new look of the iconic Fitzgerald Bar and a brand-new restaurant called Paseo, the perfect place to socialise and a new botanical chic décor!
“Just as artists reveal their own personal stories and experiences with their art, I was inspired by my own story to create Hôtel Belles Rives.
That’s where I feel comfortable and our clients have the same unique relationship with this property, developing their own tales of happiness through the prism of their holiday memories.”