Parties
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F. Scott Fitzgerald may have written Tender is the Night here, but it’s Burberry blue check du jour at Hôtel Belles Rives in the French Riviera.
The former home of The Great Gatsby author and storied Art Deco hotel has sat overlooking the crystalline waters of the Mediterranean sea since the 1920s, bearing witness as, through the years, the likes of Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and the Kennedy family summered in Antibes. On any sun-soaked, wind-whipping day across the famed resort town, you’ll see waterskiers skipping across the cresting waves (Juan-Les-Pins is considered the sport’s birthplace), chic old ladies toting shopping bags and teacup-sized dogs through the bustling town, and ice-cream scoops of all colors.
But from today and throughout the summer to September, Hôtel Belles Rives is welcoming in the British spirit, as Burberry and creative director Daniel Lee bring the heritage house codes to the beach club and terrace. After checking in, I rode the historic original lift (swathed in Burberry check) to my opulently outfitted room, and after I donned a Hunza G x Burberry crinkle bikini (and matching scrunchie), I set off to the sun-drenched terrace and the long wooden pier. Here, sun loungers and parasols are cast in the navy print, and the ‘Burberry Cap d’Antibes’ logo frames the jetty. (Charming details already united the property and the British label through history: it’s where Fitzgerald began writing his final novel Tender is the Night, in which his protagonist wears a Burberry coat.)
A fine afternoon was spent taking in the panoramic views, eating tuna Niçoise and then Burberry ice lollies to cool off. Friends of the brand and guests luxuriated, too, wearing bikinis and buckled tank tops from the high summer 2026 collection, chatting and reading with checked woven raffia bags at their feet. Later this summer, Burberry is hosting a suite of experiences here—waterskiing included. But, for the first few days at least, it was all about basking.
Photo: Courtesy of Burberry
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Photo: Courtesy of Burberry
Until the official opening dinner later in the evening, that is. As the sun set on Hôtel Belles Rives and the sky turned orange, then violet, then navy, a starry group of guests gathered to fête the takeover. Maika Monroe, Jordan Firstman, Diego Calva, and Simone Ashley—who is also the star of the high summer campaign—made their way from the chaotic Cannes Film Festival a few miles away. Hunza G founder Georgiana Huddart and Daniel Lee celebrated the success of their aforementioned collaboration (it’s selling out everywhere, and Huddart says she’s had a lot of fun styling each piece so differently). The Brits were well represented with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Romeo Beckham and Kim Turnbull, Nia Smith, Kai Isaiah Jamal, while Devon and Sydney Lee Carlson and Fai Khadra made the trip from the West Coast. French model couple Antoine Waldner and Hugo Dacquet kept everyone at our corner of the table captivated with their dinner chat. Also attending—and quite possibly taking a quick break from filming The White Lotus season four nearby—was Caleb Jonte Edwards.
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Photo: Courtesy of Burberry
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Photo: Courtesy of Burberry
Extra-dirty martinis, Champagne, and Aperol Spritzes flowed and dinner got started care of La Passagère, the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant led by Aurélien Véquaud. Grilled seasonal white asparagus dressed with blood orange and marigold to match the sunset was served first, followed by sea bass in a foamed marinière emulsion, and a soft almond biscuit, vanilla and caramel cream-topped dessert. Teeny-tiny Burberry-branded digital cameras flashed, and talk turned to the film festival, further summer plans, and back. Espresso martinis and jelly sweets were offered by the trayload, before the crowd made their way to Bar Fitzgerald for a bumping Benji B DJ set that went on until the wee hours.
Burberry’s previous hotel takeovers—including a raucous residency at The Standard Ibiza and a bucolic stint at The Newt in Somerset in the English Cotswolds—would always be a tough act to follow. Yet, at Hôtel Belles Rives, as the green lighthouse seemed to pulse across the water to the beat of the music, all felt so fitting.
Photo: Getty Images
Angelene Sun, Ibabeee, and Yu Junnan.
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Daniel Lee and Romeo Beckham.
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Angelene Sun.
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Antoine Waldner.
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Carmen Montero Mundt.
Photo: Getty Images
Daniel Lee and Diego Calva.
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Devon Lee Carlson and Sydney Lynn Carlson.
Photo: Getty Images
Diego Calva.
Photo: Getty Images
Fai Khadra.
Photo: Getty Images
Georgiana Huddart and Daniel Lee.
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Georgiana Huddart and Simone Ashley.
Photo: Getty Images
Ibabeee.
Photo: Getty Images
Jordan Firstman, Diego Calva, Luciana Moreno, and Daniel Lee.
Photo: Getty Images
Kai Isaiah Jamal.
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Kika Cerqueira Gomes and Carmen Montero Mundt.
Photo: Getty Images
Kika Cerqueira Gomes.
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Kim Turnbull.
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Maika Monroe.
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Photo: Getty Images
Marissa Long.
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Nia Smith.
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Romeo Beckham and Benji B.
Photo: Getty Images
Romeo Beckham and Kim Turnbull.
Photo: Getty Images
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
Photo: Getty Images
Simone Ashley and Maika Monroe.
Photo: Getty Images
Simone Ashley, Maika Monroe, and Marissa Long.
Photo: Getty Images
Tina Kunakey.
Photo: Getty Images
Yu Junnan.
Anna Cafolla is American Vogue’s news editor, working across fashion, beauty, culture and living from London. Previously, she has worked at Dazed, Cosmopolitan, and ELLE, and has written for The Guardian, The Face, AnOther, and Conde Nast Traveller. She will hold you hostage until you agree to her restaurant recommendations. ... Read More