Live In Ella Fitzgerald’s French Riviera Hotel Suite Which Served The World’s Biggest Stars

Once the go-to celebrity hotspot on the French Riviera, Hôtel Provençal was the site of riotous jazz festivals and glamorous parties that sweltered all summer long. Now reborn as a collection of luxury residential apartments, you can live in a suite stayed-in and inspired by one of the hotel’s biggest stars: jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. 

The Ella Fitzgerald Apartment Inside A Former Hotel

The History of Hôtel Provençal

Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill and Paul McCartney – what do they all have in common (beyond being some of the most instantly recognisable names in the world)? They were all former guests of the Hôtel Provençal. Sat on the French Riviera at the gateway to the azure seas of Cap d’Antibes, the hotel was originally built for American millionaire Frank Jay Gould and his socialite wife, Florence. Hosting Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Pablo Picasso, Estée Lauder, Coco Chanel, Jackie Kennedy, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ringo Starr, the Rolling Stones and Tom Jones throughout the years, Hôtel Provençal certainly has a star-studded past. 

However, like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end and by the 1970s its legendary status soon started to fade. Closing for refurbishment in 1977, the hotel was never to be reopened. That is, until now. Acquired by Caudwell in 2014, the once famous hotel has now been refurbished and reimagined as a luxury apartment building comprised of 35 residences.  

Among the hotel’s famous faces, Ella Fitzgerald first visited Le Provençal in July 1960 for the inaugural Jazz-à-Juan music festival, before returning to the hotel and festival again in 1963 – where it is said she appeared at her hotel room to give impromptu performances for passers-by and fans hoping to catch a sight of the beloved singer. The ‘First Lady of Song’ performed twice more at Jazz-à-Juan in 1964 and 1967, singing with the band of Duke Ellington and joined by fellow jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

Step Inside

Working alongside architecture and interior design house Affine Design, the French stonework and intricate mouldings of the original façade have been refurbished. Recreating the original look of the 1920s salon, the Art Deco entrance boasts 10ft high ceilings, three chandeliers, marble flooring with monograms inlaid in bronze, fluted marble pillars, bronze cheetah sculptures and a gold leaf dome straight out of the pages of The Great Gatsby (or, for true F Scott Fitzgerald fans, his French Riviera based Tender Is The Night). 

As part of the development, you can now stay in a luxury show apartment inspired by one of the hotel’s most esteemed guests, ‘Queen of Jazz’ Ella Fitzgerald. Inspired by the ‘Riviera Golden Years’ of the 60s when Le Provençal was frequented by jazz musicians, Royals and Hollywood stars, the three-bedroom show apartment is located on the fourth floor where Ella Fitzgerald used to stay. Spanning the entire depth of the building, the suite opens onto a covered loggia which offers panoramic views over the landscaped gardens of Le Provençal, the Bay of Golfe-Juan and the Mediterranean Sea beyond, while the north façade opens onto a large terrace, offering views of the Alps.

With a colour palette inspired by the French Riviera (think azure seas, golden sands and the soft blush of sunset) and glamorous gold accents drawn from the jazz age, this elegance is paired with a more understated style reflecting Fitzgerald’s own down-to-earth persona and humble beginnings. The adjacent five-star Hôtel Belles Rives provides residents with concierge, lifestyle services, valet parking and reservations at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, cocktail bar, spa and private beach club. Inside the apartment building itself, luxuries include a cinema, health spa, restaurant, children’s playroom, retail boutiques and landscaped gardens plus swimming pool.

The new Ella Fitzgerald show apartment is priced at €7.75m Euros (around £6.5m). Find out mre at leprovencal.com