The most beautiful private beaches on the French Riviera
Between Nice, Beaulieu, Villefranche, Juan-les-Pins and Cap d'Antibes, private beach clubs are everywhere and the quality gap is real. The price of a sunbed tells you very little. What matters is the food, the orientation and the time of day the place is at its best.
These are the eight we kept, from the party beach to the bohemian hideaway. All of them need a booking in season, without exception.
The selection
La Javanaise
On Petite Afrique beach in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, an exotic setting between sunbeds and sunny cooking, with water blue enough to derail any serious conversation. The day stretches into dinner without effort. Book in summer.
Where to sunbathe
La Plage de l’Hôtel Amour
Pink neon, colourful parasols and the Promenade des Anglais behind you. The format lets you stay from morning to night without moving: breakfast facing the sea, lunch, a sunbed for the day, then dinner on site.
Where to sunbathe
Les Marinières
Set directly on the main beach in Villefranche-sur-Mer, with the bay as the only backdrop needed. Relaxed tables, sunbeds and fresh plates. The moment to aim for is late afternoon, when the light on the bay becomes ridiculous.
Where to sunbathe
Villa Djunah Beach
Facing the bay of Juan-les-Pins, this one refuses to choose between relaxing and going out. Private beach, Mediterranean and oriental cooking, lounge and music in the same day, with the volume rising as the sun drops.
1 Rue Sainte Marguerite · Where to sunbathe
L’Opéra Plage
A Nice institution under a new identity, with the essential unchanged: the view over the Baie des Anges. Well-placed sunbeds and sunny plates. Its real asset is the location, a short walk from the Old Town.
Quai des États-Unis · Where to sunbathe
Casa Soleïa
Sun, sea, long tables and plates built to be ordered for everyone rather than individually. The script is always the same: you come for lunch, you stay to digest, then you extend just a little. Best with a group.
Where to sunbathe
L’Effet Mer
The programme comes down to three moves: drop your bag, order a drink, and watch every other plan become negotiable. Sunbeds, fresh cooking and cocktails served with a smile. Come when you have the whole day.
33 Boulevard Charles Guillaumont · Where to sunbathe
Baba
At the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, the kind of address you share sparingly. Private beach, bohemian chic, Levantine cooking and lush planting that makes you feel much further away than Antibes. Booking essential in season.
Where to sunbathe
Every place in this guide was filmed. Our visits on video and the new openings we test first are on Instagram.
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Frequently asked questions
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