Dive Right Into the Sea From These 15 Stunning Beachfront Hotels in France

Regally poised within a private estate on the tip of Cap d’Antibes is one of the French Riviera’s most mythical hotels. First conceived as a writer’s retreat in 1870, the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc has hosted such illustrious guests as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Greta Garbo, and Kirk Douglas. Exuding refined French elegance, guest rooms at the Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc have private garden terraces or stunning sea views whose beauty is only rivaled by that of the hotel’s clientele. The sparkling Mediterranean can also be admired from the saltwater infinity pool, sunny pool deck, or the dining room of its newly awarded Michelin-starred restaurant. Although the hotel doesn’t have a large beach, guests can book private daytime cabanas with their own sandy areas and ocean access.

Regarded as a favorite among celebrities attending the Cannes Film Festival, the art deco-era Le Majestic has the largest private beach on the city’s famous Croisette. Recently given a facelift, the beach club has a boho-chic vibe, rows of sunbeds, and a restaurant set on a pier jutting majestically into the sea. Back at the swanky hotel, you’ll find two other restaurants—including a branch of the ritzy Parisian brasserie, Fouquet’s—and a champagne bar bordering the heated pool. The hotel’s spacious sea view rooms and opulent suites, the best of which overlook the Palais des Festivals, are perfect for watching the stars strut their stuff on the red carpet.

The charming Provencal-style Mas du Langoustier is nestled within a vast private park on the picturesque island of Porquerolles, a 30-minute ferry ride off the south coast near Toulon. The perfect place to unwind and connect with nature, much of the interior of the small island is a protected national reserve, and its coast is fringed with turquoise waters, scenic coves, and pristine beaches. Two of the most beautiful beaches can be found at the edge of the hotel’s property. When you’re not lounging on one of them, you can relax next to the hotel’s pool, soothed by the symphony of buzzing cicadas.

A stylish eco-friendly retreat, the Hotel Misincu is perched above a gorgeous beach on the wild coastline of Cap Corse, a 40-kilometer (25-mile) long peninsula in northern Corsica. Despite its Mediterranean location, you might think you’re in Greece owing to the hotel’s Cycladic design, with vast arched windows and white-washed walls. Donning earth-toned textiles, driftwood sculptures, and linen bedding, an organic feel prevails throughout the 29 spacious rooms and seven villas with private plunge pools. It’s barefoot luxury at its best; when you’re not chilling out in the spa, nibbling on farm-to-table food on its 360-degree terrace, or cooling down in the infinity pool, you can take an amble down to the paradisiacal beach.

Built onto a craggy point of little-known Cavallo Island, located between Corsica and Sardinia, the Hôtel & Spa des Pêcheurs has its own private beach bordered by the crystal-clear waters of the central Mediterranean. In addition to its powdery beach, the hotel has a pool overlooking the sea. You can maximize your aquatic immersion by booking one of its Overwater Privilege rooms with balconies built over the sea. Alternatively, get to know the Mediterranean on a deeper level by taking a diving excursion to explore nearby shipwrecks and swim with silvery barracudas.

Initially built in 1854 as the summer residence of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, Biarritz’s sumptuous Hôtel du Palais is one of France’s most legendary seaside hotels. Tragically ravaged by a fire in 1903, the hotel has since been restored several times, all the while retaining an elegant Second-Empire style, complete with wood-framed armchairs, crystal chandeliers, and molded ceilings. Contrasting this classicism, the hotel’s Imperial Beach Club is unquestionably 21^st-century thanks to its curvaceous infinity pool and stylish terrace facing the vast beaches of Biarritz and crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Crowning the Pyla Dune on the dreamy Bay of Arcachon, southwest of Bordeaux, this 1930s establishment was recently transformed by Philippe Starck into the French Atlantic coast’s most stylish hotel. With a hip, beach-house vibe, the spacious and bright guest rooms of La Co(o)rniche have white wood-paneled walls, seaside souvenirs, funky mirrors to accentuate the natural light, and large terraces. Continue to breathe in the fresh Atlantic Ocean breeze from the hotel’s pool or on long walks along the breathtaking beach and dunes.

Although much of the eight kilometers (five miles) of Europe’s longest beach is unfortunately flanked by concrete buildings, the historical spirit of the celebrated seaside resort of La Baule is kept alive at this iconic hotel. Built in the 1920s, when the Anglo-Norman style was all the rage for coastal architecture, the interiors of the 207-room L’Hermitage were modernized by designer Chantal Peyrat in 2017. A pale color scheme, minimalist furnishings, and vintage prints of the resort’s heyday allow for the sweeping views of the bay to steal the show. Alternate your time between the hotel’s long pool, its Eden beach club and restaurant, its neighboring, newly redesigned thalasso spa, the casino, and hunting down handsome historic villas through the town’s backstreets.

A grande dame of France’s northwestern coast, the late 19th-century Grand Hôtel des Thermes has the enchanting backdrop of the fortified city of St-Malo and is home to an excellent thalasso spa. After pampering yourself with a therapeutic seawater treatment, gaze out at the waters of the English Channel from one of the hotel’s glass-encased restaurants, take a leisurely stroll along the promenade of Sillon Beach, or wander the laneways and ramparts of St-Malo.

The jewel of the posh seaside resort of Deauville, Le Normandy blends modern luxury with traditional Normand style, expressed via its half-timbered architecture and rooms enrobed in Toile de Jouy patterns. Walking its halls, you’ll come across photos of the hotel’s former high-profile guests like Winston Churchill, Coco Chanel, the Prince of Wales, as well as the many movie stars who come for the town’s annual American Film Festival. You can find further nods to Deauville’s cinema culture while sauntering down its Promenade des Planches boardwalk lined with bathing houses and dividers bearing the names of la crème de la crème of Hollywood. The promenade will also lead you to Le Normandy’s chic beach club and seafood restaurant, where you can continue gazing out at Deauville’s vast beach.