It has been referred to as being a “hidden treasure of history” and it certainly is one of the Cote d’Azur’s lesser known pearls. What are we talking about? The 16^th century Neo-Gothic Saint Bernardin Chapel, furtively positioned down a cobbled narrow alleyway in Antibes Old Town.

Despite its clandestine location, this historically rich chapel is a nucleus of prestige and stature, which, having been recently restored, has received the highly esteemed Departmental Heritage Award.

The restoration of the Bernardin Chapel was undertaken by the Antibes council and work to restore the chapel back to its former glory was begun in 2007.

If beauty can be measured through opulence and meticulous baroque detail then this painstakingly elaborate chapel would certainly be rated high in the beauty stakes.

On entering Bernardin Chapel, one’s eyes cannot fail to be drawn to the ‘trompe d’oeil’ ceiling, which features four disciples surrounded by dazzling white stars contextualised by an equally as dazzling royal blue background.

No sooner have the eyes become accustomed to the astoundingly lavish ceiling, the 16^th century Baroque-style paintings draped across the walls do more than warrant a gaze.

But it is perhaps the vaulted crypt that is Bernardin Chapel’s ‘piste de resistance’. Housed with priceless works of art. This includes two paintings by Brea School artist Aundi, which are dated between 1513 and 1539, are on permanent display in the chapel’s stunning vaulted crypt.

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Long established as being a rendezvous destination for the rich and famous with exceptionally good taste, it doesn’t come as a great surprise to learn that a luxury hotel on the Cote d’Azur has won the right to be referred to as a ‘palace’.

The hotel that has been rocketed to such a regal status is the Grand Hotel du Cap in Cap Ferrat. The award, which was launched in November 2010, ranks a hotel’s ‘stateliness’, on its location, the comfort of its rooms, the staff’s multilingual abilities, health and spa facilities, the quality of the personalised service and the hotel’s historical significance.

With France being home to 130 five-star luxury hotels, naturally a fair few hotels fitted the ‘Palace’ status criteria of the award and a total of eight hotels in France were awarded as being ‘palaces’.

Located between Nice and Monaco, at the tip of the Saint Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula, the ‘Palace’ status award has not been the only award this famous luxury hotel has received.

Alongside being crowned with a palace distinction earlier this year, the Le Spa at the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat has been awarded the “Best Spa in Europe” in the Prix Villegiature Awards.

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With property markets around the world being unstable and shaky it makes a refreshing change to hear about a region with a stable house market at present.

According to Engel & Volkers, an international real estate company based in Germany, property on the Cote d’Azur is soaring to new heights and that the French Riviera is ranked to be one of the most stable second home markets in Europe.

Talking about how much properties are currently worth on the Cote d’Azur, Jorg Buchen, former member of the board at Engel & Volkers in Hamburg, who now manages the Engel &Volkers office in Cannes, said:

“In very good locations, prices per square meter for apartments range between 10,000 and 14,000 euros. At absolutely prime addresses such as the ‘Boulevard de la Croisette’, prices can reach as much as 30,000 euros per square meter. Prices for villas range from 3 to 8 million euros, with exceptional properties sometimes even exceeding a price tag of 30 million euros.”

The majority of property buyers on the Cote d’Azur are from Russia and Europe, as well as an increasing number of real estate investors in the area coming from the Middle East.

Cannes is, unsurprisingly, one of the most sought-after cities in the region to buy property, alongside other coastal towns on the Cote d’Azur, including Golfe Juan, Cap d’Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Whilst inland, the regions around Valbonne, Mougins and Saint-Paul-de-Vence are particularly desirable locations to buy a second home.

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Cannes is gearing up to host its world famous race once again this year, so what better time to pay a visit to the city and explore the glamorous La Croisette.

The half-marathon attracts nearly 3,000 participants every year and promises to be a test of fitness and endurance. The race consists of a 21.1km marathon, with the addition of the 10km footrace that covers the scenic stretch of Promenade de la Croisette.

The place of departure is the Boulevard Way North Pantiéro, which is a few metres from Palais des Festivals. The course is entirely on the waterfront and it goes via la Croisette, La Pantiéro, Le Quai St Pierre, Le Boulevard Jean Hibert and Le Boulevard du Midi.

In 1992 the half-marathon was created after a succession of marathons and 20km races in the Cannes area. In the past, the starting point and the date of the event was changed several times and these variations stopped the half-marathon from becoming an established annual occurrence.

The date was finally changed and it was decided that the race would take place in late February, which then helped the half-marathon of Cannes to gain momentum and recognition.

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