Hôtel Belles Rives

What a special treat to revisit the same hotel (and grandeur) on the occasion of our 40th wedding anniversary and our honeymoon hotel! Other than updated blue and white awnings and umbrellas, the hotel has not changed. The service was exceptional and our room, the lunch, cocktails, and dinner were fabulous. Merci beaucoup for hosting us again; look forward to returning again in the future.

Invited by the friendly hotel manager to leave a few kind words at Tripadvisor, I am happy to repeat, what I already wrote after my first stay at this gem in the Southern French hotel industry in March 2024: This is pure luxury, and the most charming vibe I've enjoyed in a long time. Since Juan-les-Pins - otherwise also very charming - is not really welcoming these days, because La Pinède and the whole beach / boardwalk have been under construction for more than 2 years now (let alone the monster construction site of the Hotel Provençal, which has been around for 30 years or more?), a haven of beauty and quietness, of delicious food and elegance indoors and on the beach, is just what it needs to make a visitor happy. I can't praise enough the super-friendly concierges and valet team, the staff of the (breakfast) restaurant and on the beach, the receptionists, and everybody working at the Belles Rives. All seem keen to make their guests feel at home (and pampered). As if we were friends, who are joining F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda for a few cozy days and evenings in a very mediterranean vibe. Food quality - breakfast, lunch and dinner - is excellent, too. I loved the details (a book as a welcome gift, from the shortlist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award, fruit, fresh water and a nice note left by the housekeeper). And I loved my room: I got upgraded from sea view to direct sea view, a very lovely room on the 3rd floor with a wonderful panorama. As I said in the beginning: I've been at the Belles Rives before (2 or 3 times), and I will definitely be back.

The staff were fantastic as was the food and the stunning surroundings. We enjoyed the comfortable sun beds, the beautifully kept small beach and it ended our holiday just perfectly. It’s not cheap but it’s worth the treat. They were setting up for a wedding and the attention to deal was flawless.

I went to the bar on 2 consecutive evenings. Outside, overlooking the Med is truly glorious. However, the service is awful. So many staff just walking around doing seemingly nothing. On the first night, 15 minutes after been shown to my table, not so much as a menu was offered to me. After asking for one 3 times, I eventually got up and got one from inside myself. Waiting a long time to pay my bill. On the second night, again, had to ask multiple times for the menu. I only ordered mocktails and ordered a 'Sunset' for the road - after 20 minutes, 2 glasses of Sancerre arrived, clearly for another table. Needless to say, my 'Sunset' never materialised... absolutely zero customer service. Beautiful setting but that's about all.

Wonderful mother daughter trip . Service was excellent and especially Luca and the concierge team. They responded immediately to all requests and sent detailed itinerary. Room and view was beautiful. Would definitely return and recommend.

We have stayed at this hotel many times over the years (twice this year) and have always had a great experience. Sadly this year this was not the case. Let’s start with the positives - the door people are absolutely first class -totally charming. It’s a fantastic location with tasteful furnishings. The breakfast is lovely as are the breakfast staff. What really let it down this year was the service especially on the beach & restaurant. Both the female restaurant manager & the female who runs the beach have absolutely shocking attitudes - rude doesn’t even cover it. The beach service is a shambles - totally disorganised - in years gone by the service was so attentive - always checking to see if you needed anything - not this year - it was a struggle to get someone to serve you. The bar - where the service always used to be first class had also deteriorated - some of the staff lack a basic grasp of English. When I checked out I wasn’t even asked how my stay was. This is a very expensive hotel where you would expect first class service - unfortunately this is not the case. It is obvious that there is a distinct lack of staff training which shows. The hotel is busy which possibly explains their take it or leave it attitude. I am sorry that I am even writing this - maybe bad reviews might alert them to their problems.