Inside Relais de la Reine, a New Development on the Croisette in Cannes
While Cannes may be best known for its annual star-studded film festival, hordes of overseas buyers are flocking to the sun-soaked city on the French Riviera. The C?te d’Azur’s first member’s club is located in Cannes, plus a buzzy new development right on the world-famous Croisette is about to launch.
Formally known as Le Relais de la Reine, the nine-unit apartment building is set back from the promenade, flanked by Armani/Caffè on one side and the Celine boutique on the other. The property was originally designed by renowned architect Laurent Vianay in 1858 and operated as Cannes’s first hotel-guesthouse under the name Hotel Gonnet. When it was purchased in 1863 by Fran?ois Daumas, the resort was renamed “Hotel Gonnet et de la Reine,” after the British monarch Queen Victoria.
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The hotel was expanded in 1883 and remained in the Daumas family until 1988, when it was demolished. Five years later, the luxury apartment building known as Le Relais de la Reine rose in its place, and today, the Art Deco-style building is ready to reemerge after undergoing an extensive remodel.
“Cannes is one of the major city markets in the C?te d’Azur, alongside Nice and Monaco, and remains attractive to those looking for a more urban Riviera experience,” according to Sylvain Boichut, director of Savills Cannes. “Many American buyers are drawn to this market by the lifestyle on offer as well as the comparatively strong dollar. They want modern properties with a high-level amenity offering, and as a result, we have seen renovation projects, such as Relais de la Reine, across the city.”
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If the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc is all booked up or you want a more personal pied-à-terre to plant yourself in Cannes during the film festival (or at any other time of year), prices for the posh pads at the Relais de la Reine start at €2.75 million (or about $3 million). The modestly sized but finely fitted homes will range from two to three bedrooms and measure anywhere from 1,076 square feet to 2,152 square feet. Each residence comes with a terrace and views of the Bay of Cannes. The building’s pièce de résistance, however, is the 3,767-square-foot duplex penthouse, which has its own private rooftop pool along with marble and parquet flooring, wood and leather-lined feature walls, and brass finishes on the balcony railings that add to the building’s Art Deco elements.
According to Savills’s Joie de Vivre Index, average real estate prices in Cannes range from $8,196 to $38,248 per square foot and have remained strong since 2019. However, properties surrounding the sought-after Croisette are significantly more expensive.
“The French Riviera has been a top destination for almost the past two centuries,” adds Alex Balkin, executive director of Savills French Riviera. “From the holidaying British aristocracy in the 1850s to the global jet set of today, the C?te d’Azur remains the location to see and be seen. The region maintains a reputation of luxury for both primary and secondary residences by ticking all of the boxes for leisure, lifestyle, connectivity, and international reputation.”
“Even as new hot-spot second-home destinations enter the global consciousness, the Riviera will likely remain at the top over the longer term as there are very few locations which can match the heritage, amenities, and caliber of the local prime residential property.”
Click here to see more photos of Relais de la Reine.
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