October 28, 2026

A RIVIERA OBSERVATORY WHERE THE HORIZON TAKES OVER

There is a particular moment on the Côte d’Azur when the day releases its grip. The heat softens, the pine trees become silhouettes, and the sea turns from turquoise to silver before taking on the deepest blue of the evening. At Marina Baie des Anges Hôtel, Curio Collection by Hilton, the horizon is not simply a view but rather the main event.

Opened in June 2026 in Villeneuve-Loubet, between Nice and Antibes, the new hotel sits inside one of the Riviera’s most recognizable architectural landmarks: Marina Baie des Anges. The sculptural white pyramids, designed by André Minangoy in the late 1960s and completed through the 1970s, have always divided opinion in the way that ambitious architecture should. From a distance, they appear almost unreal: white, curved and rising in waves above the shoreline. Up close, their scale makes more sense: the buildings seem designed to catch the changing light from every angle.

The hotel has found a thoughtful way to inhabit this setting. Rather than competing with the architecture, it turns it into both frame and backdrop. The sea is present everywhere: each room feels like a private observatory over the Mediterranean, with the horizon doing something slightly different from morning to evening.

What makes the location especially appealing is its sense of separation. The French Riviera can be loud, busy and relentlessly social in summer; this pocket of Villeneuve-Loubet is calmer. On one side, there is the marina, with its sheltered promenade and local restaurants. On the other, the beach. The hotel sits right at the edge of both.

“We wanted to create a place that breathes to the rhythm of the Mediterranean, where every detail suggests elegance without ever imposing it. From the moment we open, our ambition is to offer guests a pause in which the horizon becomes a true art of living,” says Aline Mislin, General Manager.

Inside, the design is a subtle nod to the optimism of the 1970s and 1980s, but without falling into nostalgia. Blue, terracotta and stone tones echo the landscape outside, while simple lines and natural textures let the building’s geometry remain central. 

The hotel has 61 rooms, including four suites, each extended by a balcony or terrace. This simple detail changes the entire rhythm of a stay. Open the doors in the morning and the sea becomes part of the room while the sun is rising above the marina; return in the evening and you have a front-row seat for the last light. The soft palette and the quiet atmosphere create the restorative effect without trying too hard.

This place dictates its own pace: the pleasure lies in having nowhere urgent to be: a swim before breakfast, a book that takes longer than expected, an afternoon that slowly dissolves into an aperitif.

The main attraction of the hotel is the beach right down the stairs. The hotel that is located directly on the seafront is already a great luxury in the French Riviera. And that small detail that the private beach is located down the stairs keeps the beach private and secluded from the other hotel guests who are enjoying the pool or dining outside.

The 700-square-metre spa takes the same unhurried approach. With an indoor pool, hammam, sauna, treatment rooms and fitness area, it is substantial enough to make wellbeing feel like a real part of the stay rather than an add-on. The hotel works with Comfort Zone for its treatments and products, a choice that fits the wider mood of the property: sensory, considered and quietly indulgent.

Then there is NAPA, the hotel’s restaurant and beach club, operated by Eleni Group. Facing the marina and the sea, the setup creates a sense of connection to the water throughout the day. The 150-seat terrace is where you want to be on a warm afternoon, watching the light move across the bay. Inside, there are another 90 seats, but NAPA is very much a restaurant designed for outdoor dining.

Its menu follows the easy logic of Mediterranean summer food. Mezze to share, sea bream ceviche, za’atar-grilled octopus, creamy burrata, gamberoni with lemon butter and lobster paccheri all appear alongside a wine list made for a long lunch. This is not food that needs a speech around it. It is generous, fresh and made to be eaten when the table is full and nobody is checking the time.

Eleni Group, founded in 2019 by the Chantzios brothers and chef Juan Arbelaez, has become one of the names shaping a more contemporary hospitality scene in France. At NAPA, that approach feels right for the setting: a place that understands that a beach club can be stylish without becoming a performance, and that lunch can naturally become sunset.

But the strongest part of the experience remains the simplest one. Find a spot on a terrace near the end of the day, look out past the marina, and wait. The light shifts, the pale pyramids soften, and the water holds the last color of the sun. It is the kind of view that asks for nothing more than time and true presence.

Author: Anna Tische