Frivolity was at its height in 1925. “The summer of 1,000 parties – no work,” recorded American writer F Scott Fitzgerald in his ledger in the months following the publication of his most famous work, The Great Gatsby. Spending the summer with his wife in sleepy Cap d’Antibes, the summer Riviera was “a playground”, wrote Fitzgerald, with “a fairy blue sea”, a place where the whole world descends “to forget or rejoice, to hide its face or have its fling”.

A century later, it’s clear that certain things never really go out of style. The desire for unadulterated gaiety and glamour persists, whether it’s en famille, playing backgammon in your private hotel suite, partying with a group of friends at a decibel-heavy beach club, or strutting your evening finery for a big night out at the casino. Add to that turquoise and jade crystalline coves, velvety sand, a bounty of Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, splendidly restored Art Deco interiors, and timeless Riviera chic (think white bell-bottoms, stripy nautical T-shirts and espadrilles, a look initiated by Chanel when she stepped off her yacht).

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc (Photo: JM Sordello)

You’ll find evidence of the region’s lavish past everywhere. On a hidden peninsula of lush gardens and towering age-old pines, the uber-luxe Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc hasn’t lost any of its dazzle since the 1920s, when charismatic American expatriate couple Sara and Gerald Murphy convinced the bewildered owner to keep it open during summer while their villa was being built and invited their charmed circle of friends – which included Hemingway, Picasso and Olga, his Russian ballerina wife, Fernand Léger and the Fitzgeralds – to stay. Call them trendsetters: Gerald was an heir to the Mark Cross luxury leather-goods company and a visionary painter; his American wife, Sara, a midwestern beauty believed to have been Picasso’s secret muse. They were known for their art de vivre and became an early inspiration for Dick and Nicole Diver, the protagonists of Fitzgerald’s Riviera-set Tender Is the Night.

Today, the rituals continue. After lounging in the stylish, century-old wooden cabanas hidden away in the pines, redesigned by Francis Sultana, guests drift over to the panoramic rooftop Eden-Roc Lounge for sunset aperitifs, followed by an exquisite dinner at the Michelin-starred Louroc, helmed by Sébastien Broda. And for special occasions (ideal for an extravagant Gatsby-esque milestone celebration) is the nine-bedroom private villa, La Guettière, Eden-Roc’s newest addition – a luminous 6,500sq m Provençal-style estate reimagined by architect Luc Svetchine and interior designer Countess Bergit Gräfin Douglas. Expect a mesmerising view of windswept umbrella pines and a cobalt sea, a dreamy pool, lush gardens, a spa, gym, pool house and a petanque court, plus a staff of butlers, private chefs and a concierge service. The standout: a colour fest of curated art in every room by the likes of Fernand Léger, Ugo Rondinone and other contemporary artists.

© Villa Miraé

Down the road is another 1920s landmark, the Plage de la Garoupe, a small sandy curve with gin-clear turquoise shallows where the Murphys held elaborate picnics and costumed beach parties with their artistic circle and played the latest jazz tunes on a portable phonograph. The party continues at the Plage Keller, where the bronzed and the beautiful indulge in a languid toes-in-the sand seafood lunches – artichoke ravioli, salt-crusted sea bass washed down with local rosé – or you can grab your own movable feast – salade niçoise and coffee gingerbread tiramisu – at the new gourmet takeaway shack, La Cabane.

Steps away from Garoupe Beach, behind exotic gardens, the Inwood Hotel Group has just launched a five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel, Villa Miraé, which reinvents Provençal-style architecture with sunny decor awash with mosaics, Murano glass, stone and wood designed by Oscar Lucien Ono. Teaming up with Michelin-three-star chef Mauro Colagreco at the helm, the two new restaurants – the gastronomic Amarines and Miraé, an informal Mediterranean-style eatery – the property presents a welcome addition to Cap d’Antibes’s buzzy dining scene.
© Belles Rives Hotel

This season also marks celebrations surrounding the prestigious 14th annual literary Fitzgerald prize, held at the seaside Art Deco gem Hôtel Belles Rives, the former home of F Scott and Zelda, who returned to the Cap d’Antibes in 1926 and rented the beachfront Villa Saint Louis for the summer; it was transformed into a hotel three years later and is still family-run, boasting everything from a water-skiing school to a Michelin-starred restaurant. Celebrate the centennial publication of The Great Gatsby at the hotel’s stylish Fitzgerald Bar with signature cocktails like a “Gin Rickey” – the writer’s preferred drink, mixed with lavender-spiked red vermouth, fig and verbena bitters – or try the “Great Gatsby”, an effervescent mix of champagne, rose water and citrus.

Over in Cannes, the art scene is shining brighter than ever since the reopening of the art museum La Malmaison, featuring a new exhibition, Poussière d’Étoiles by Jean-Michel Othoniel, known for his shiny bauble-like sculptures. Cool off with a dip at the just-launched restaurant-bar Copal Beach, then swing by the Art Deco Hôtel Martinez, where a DJ spins vintage vinyls at its swanky new ruby-coloured bar.
© Hôtel Martinez

No one leaves Cannes without a stop at the magnificently restored landmark Palm Beach complex at the tip of the Croisette, which includes the 1929-built Hispano-Moorish-style Royal Palm Casino, the uproarious show at the Medusa cabaret, and fine dining, from refined Japanese cuisine at Zuma to the just-opened Il Grande Palm Beach. Expect heaping portions of delicious Italian fare in a sumptuous cinematic interior (red-marble floors and Murano chandeliers under a historic seven-metre-high dome) by Franco-Mexican architect Hugo Toro. From the dining terrace, watch the moonrise over the Lérins Islands and savour the romantic view of Cannes’ harbour; or, as evoked in Fitzgerald’s short story, Love in the Night – surrender to the Riviera’s “soft air, aching with enchantment” and let “the milk of the stars” wash over you.
Palm Beach Hotel (Photo: Thomas de Bruyne)