Anyone lucky enough to have flown into Nice/Côte d’Azur airport (NCE) recalls the shimmering heights of the Alpes Maritimes, the extraordinary mega yachts clustered in the glistening Mediterranean and the verdant Saint–Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula studded with sparsely spaced white villas with terracotta roofs and sparkling swimming pools. My latest Riviera road trip introduced my 20-year-old granddaughter, Emma, to the small museums and fabulous restaurants in this favored destination. Our journey started from the comfort of the Hotel Royal-Riviera, a luxe, privately owned, 5-star beach resort and member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The hotel enjoys an idyllic waterfront location within walking distance from Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Villefranche and Saint–Jean-Cap-Ferrat Village. By car, it took us fewer than 30 minutes from Gare de Nice-Ville, the railroad terminal, where we arrived via the high-speed TGV from Paris. Hotel director Bruno Mercandal welcomed us to the high-ceilinged, classically designed villa where the Neo-Hellenistic salon is centered on the main floor and flanked by the bar, Jasmine Grill and Lounge, and the dining room, La Table du Royal, where we were impressed with the beautifully styled meal credited to Executive Chef Bruno Le Bloch. The 94-room hotel offers spacious accommodations in both the main building and l’Orangerie, a private villa. Ours, a 450-square-foot junior suite (one of four in the main building with a panoramic sea view) was serenely white with a splash of sunny orange. The king-sized bed featured a headboard decorated with white, raised flowers on a white background. Two sets of French doors led to a terrace the length of the room and furnished with twin chaise longues, a table and chairs. From the curved, concrete balustrade, the panoramic views encompass the private beach, the yacht harbor and Greek-style Villa Kerylos in adjacent Beaulieu-sur-Mer and the Alpine mountainsides. The soundproof room featured a minibar, flat-screen TV, safe, desk and free WiFi plus a commodious marble bathroom shower and tub. After a generous buffet breakfast on the outdoor dining terrace, I checked out the wellness center — located on the lower level — which offers fitness, sauna, steam and two treatment rooms for spa services, featuring Thalgo products. Then, I set out to explore the flower-bedecked grounds with shaded seating areas, the outdoor heated pool and café area and beyond to the private beach with its blue and white chaise covers and matching umbrellas facing Baie des Fourmis. While many simply indulge in resort life, the location is ideally suited to walk to the spectacular gardens at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and the short drive to Villa Kerylos or the Chapelle Saint-Pierre des Pecheurs, the fishermen’s chapel vividly painted by Jean Cocteau overlooking the bay at Villefranche. Two of my world-favorite museums are in Nice and dedicated to Chagall and Matisse; another is devoted to modern art. They are among a plethora of museums, house museums and foundations along the French Riviera dedicated to artistic treasures by Bonnard, Derain, Giacometti, Leger, Miró, Picasso, Renoir and others.

Hotel Royal-Riviera

3 Ave. Jean Monnet 06230 Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France