on the Côte d’Azur
History of Hôtel Belles Rives
in Juan-les-Pins
“Engraved in marble, this quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald evokes the happiest period of his life at Villa Saint-Louis. Officially hung on one of the walls in the hall, in the presence of his granddaughters, Eleanor Ann and Cecilia Scott, it will always be a personally addressed message to our visiting guests.”
A heavenly stay for the Fitzgeralds
The history of Belles Rives begins with a love affair: the United States’ Lost Generation, made up of disenchanted youngsters and artists who had been devastated by the First World War, fell in love with the south of France and summers on the Côte d’Azur, a destination which had been discovered by the English aristocracy a few decades earlier.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, a leading figure in the American literary movement between the two World Wars, and his wife Zelda were won over by the Cap d’Antibes in 1925, while staying at the villa of their friends, Gerald and Sara Murphy.
A few months later, they settled into Villa Saint-Louis, captivated by its unique charm and private beach. Buoyed by the success of his first short stories published in the United States, Fitzgerald began writing the early chapters of his masterpiece, Tender Is the Night.
The setting inspired him. His days were filled with stimulating conversations with Ernest Hemingway, while his evenings unfolded to the sound of jazz and the sparkle of champagne. At the end of the summer, the Fitzgeralds left the French Riviera for good.
The villa and its surrounding region would forever remain in their memories as an enchanting paradise.
Hôtel Belles Rives,
a family saga
At the same time, far from the Mediterranean, Boma Estène left his native Russia and set out to discover the City of Light, Paris, and later Antibes, fulfilling the dreams that had filled his childhood.
In 1929, accompanied by his wife Simone, a member of a long-established Antibes hotelier dynasty, Boma Estène acquired Villa Saint-Louis and transformed it into a seaside retreat. A visionary, he recognized the exceptional qualities of this residence built directly on the shoreline, at a time when the prevailing trend was to build on elevated sites.
Thus was born the Hôtel Belles Rives, the first hotel on the French Riviera with its "feet in the water", directly on the shoreline. Boma Estène’s intuition was quickly proven right. In 1930 and 1931, one wing and two additional floors were added to expand the hotel, which then offered 42 rooms.
Boma and Simone had three children: Georges, Raïna-Laure (known as Laurette), and Casimir. In 1970, following his father’s death that same year, Casimir took over the management of the hotel.
The story continues…
Thirty years later, Marianne Estène-Chauvin, granddaughter of Boma and Simone and daughter of Georges, decided to carry on the family legacy.
Following a career in contemporary art, this demanding aesthete, who has always been particularly conscious of the importance of the property’s Art Deco heritage and the need to protect it, began working with her uncle Casimir.
After becoming President, she transformed the property by opening it year-round, naming its fine dining restaurant La Passagère, and securing the hotel's inclusion in France's Inventory of 20th-Century Heritage.
Under her leadership, the years that followed were marked by significant growth and renewal. In 2006, the group acquired the Hôtel Juana and established the Belles Rives Group. The Belles Rives Beach was extensively renovated, with its restaurant opening for both lunch and dinner.
In 2016, La Passagère was awarded its first Michelin star, a recognition of the talent of the restaurant's chefs at the time: Aurélien Véquaud, named Gault & Millau's Great Chef of Tomorrow in 2019, and Johann Kleiber, Pastry Chef.
In 2017, Antoine Chauvin-Estène, Marianne's son, joined the Belles Rives Group and now serves as its President. In 2023, he oversaw two major transformations: the redesign of Bar Fitzgerald, unveiling a fresh new look while preserving its iconic character, and the launch of Paseo, a new dining concept centered on sharing and set in a stylish botanical-chic décor.
“Artists always weave narrative threads around their images; I built the Belles Rives from my own personal story.
This is where I feel comfortable and our clients maintain that same unique relationship with this property, developing their own tales of happiness through the prism of their holiday memories.”