Luxury Hotel in Eze
The History of Cap Estel
Like all great stories, that of Cap Estel, a luxury hotel in Eze, has experienced an incredible trajectory, from visionary owners to masterful rebirth.
It was Frank Harris, an Irish author, publisher and close friend of Oscar Wilde, who first fell in love with this spit of land at the tip of Eze-Bord-de-Mer, lapped by the sea and caressed by the horizon.
From 1900 onwards, the pig pastures of old were transformed into a bijou establishment for wealthy Americans flocking to the Riviera to enjoy its mild winter climes.
Then it was Countess Mery de la Canorgue's turn to create the hotel's luxuriant gardens, artfully punctuated with immense ficus trees, the botanical hallmark of Cap Estel.
Once owned by Rose Angeline Levieuze, mistress of Count Sergei, one of the last Stroganoffs, in 1923 it came into the hands of André Embiricos, heir to one of Greece's oldest ship-owning families and a racing car driver.
It was not until the end of the Second World War and the end of the German occupation of the estate that the establishment finally regained its lustre becoming, under the auspices of Robert Squarciafichi, a hotelier from Eze, one of the most sought-after addresses on the Côte d'Azur.
From a rendezvous for the stars to a hidden paradise
From 1951 to 1993, Cap Estel was a meeting place for the stars, from Greta Garbo to the Beatles, who found inspiration here for their hit song "Michelle” and from Anthony Quinn to U2 and the Rolling Stones.
All the glitterati flocked here; the parties were sumptuous and the nights never-ending.
Since then, Cap Estel has evolved into a kind of miniature paradise, a secluded hotel tucked away in a verdant oasis hemmed with rose gardens and Mediterranean plants and adorned with cascading waterfalls and fountains.
The Florentine-inspired main villa, with its temple-like Greek columns looking out to sea, is home to a hidden world of luxury.
An exclusive haven of refinement, tranquillity and pleasure.
