Shine A Light

or: the Maybourne Riviera in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is the new beacon of the Côte d’Azur

Le Corbusier once said “by law, all buildings should be white”. 

The Swiss-born French architect had a storied love affair with the village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. It began in 1938, when he was a guest at Eileen Gray’s villa E-1027, then commonly referred to as “La Villa Blanche” (The White Villa).After falling in love with the villa, then the village, he decided to create his own little corner of paradise there. He built a “cabanon de vacances”- a holiday cabin that he gifted his wife Yvonne on her 60th birthday. 

Yvonne passed away five years later, but he continued to spend the majority of his days there until he too departed, in 1965, while swimming in the blue Mediterranean sea- just a few meters away from E-1027 and his cabanon.  

Architects have always had a fascination with the synergy of light, shadow and form. But none has been able to express it so succinctly, yet so eloquently quite like Le Corbusier when he wrote: 

“Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light”. 

That was the first thing that came to mind when visiting the new Maybourne Riviera in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. 

First, of course: the colour and the shape. The hotel’s physical appearance, with its sharp edges, geometrical forms and almost exclusive use of pure white, glass, rock and metal seems to have taken more than a page from Le Corbusier’s rulebook. It looks as though the whole building was a modern interpretation of the late architect’s philosophy. The triangular structure reminds us of works such as the Chapel at Ronchamp or the Maison de la Culture in Firminy; while the layered, rectangular portion of the building brings to mind the Villa Savoye or the Maison Curutchet. 

But it is, above all, an homage to the modernist spirit. And oh boy, does this hotel have spirit. Boatloads of it. It is most definitely not afraid of making waves. It’s unapologetically and unabashedly modern. 

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is a tranquil, quaint provençal town. But it’s always had a bit of a rebellious streak. This started back in the 1920s and ‘30s, when some notable avant-garde figures became enamoured with the region and built their holiday homes here. 

In fact, it became somewhat of a hotbed for modernists. First came Eileen Gray, who built the aforementioned villa E-1027. Coco Chanel followed suit, and with her a veritable constellation of luminaries- from Picasso to Dali, and from Cocteau to Winston Churchill.  

This modernist character is very much ingrained in the hotel’s identity. Starting with the reception, which features Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chairs, as well as a stunning stained glass screen inspired by a Le Corbusier design from 1955. Then there’s the pièce de résistance: a Louise Bourgeois sculpture that dominates the foyer. 

But it goes way beyond just being a modern enclave. The main draw of the Maybourne Riviera is in fact not in the way that it looks, but in the way that it feels. It seems to have captured that air of rebellion, and turned it into an experience. 

For all its 5 star, luxury pedigree, there reigns a distinct sense of freedom throughout the property. A particular lightness that begins with the design, of course, but is most importantly carried on by the service. This is what makes the hotel a true modern classic- its approach to hospitality. 

Indeed, if I were bound to describe the hotel in just one word- that word would be light. And that applies to every sense of the word. 

First, there’s the physical light. From the floor-to-ceiling glass prevalent throughout the estate, courtesy of renowned architect Jean Michel Wilmotte, to the hotel’s South facing position, ensuring it gets as many hours of natural sunlight as possible. Then as the evening turns into night, you’ll feel the pull of the outdoors in full force; as if mesmerized by the twinkling lights of Monte Carlo below, and the mega yachts glowing like distant fireflies in the dark. 

Then there’s the service, which is delicate and gentle- always attentive, never stifling. The team have struck the perfect chord: anticipating their guests’ needs, without ever being intrusive. As a result, every interaction is lighthearted, and feels natural and sincere. The treatment is warm, but the priority here is on giving the guests room to breathe. To just be. 

The cuisine is also light. Starting with Ceto, the Michelin-starred restaurant by Mauro Colagreco, who is a Côte d’Azur legend in his own right. His restaurant Mirazur in Menton has been voted no. 1 in the world by San Pellegrino’s ‘50 Best’, and has held 3 Michelin stars since 2019. 

Ceto is, according to Mauro, inspired by Greek mythology and is above all else an ode to the sea. At its heart are an open grill, and a state-of-the-art cold chamber lined with Himalayan salt crystals. It’s a one of a kind, and is used to mature the fish, helping to achieve flavours and textures that are unique and unexpected. 

This not only means fresh fish, sourced locally and brought in daily, but also other sea delicacies including algae, herbs and of course all types of seafood. 

There’s Jean Georges Vongerichten, a firm Maybourne collaborator (Jean Georges at the Connaught, Connaught Grill, and the upcoming ABC at the Emory Hotel) who needs no introduction and heads La Piscine- a poolside restaurant focusing on light fare revolving around a pizza oven. Riviera, with an offer inspired by regional specialties, and ‘Le 300’ bar complete the food and drink lineup. 

The spa is an exercise in balance, and comes courtesy of André Fu. Its essence is, in keeping with the general direction of the hotel, to ‘bring the outside in’. This creates a seamlessness, a symbiotic relationship that is both inspired by yet contrasting with the outside elements: the rocks, the sea, the sunlight. It’s an interplay of rugged edges and sultry curves. Of light and shadow. 

Finally, there’s the height. And I was so tempted to write hauteur here, just to be consistent with the French theme of this article, but the truth is- I would be lying. Hauteur, when translated into English, carries connotations of haughtiness, of being arrogantly superior. And arrogant, the Maybourne Riviera most certainly isn’t. For all its unequivocal luxury the hotel feels, perhaps surprisingly, utterly unpretentious. Décontracté. 

There’s a distinct feeling of weightlessness that comes from the hotel’s very position at the top of the cliff. With views over France, Monaco and Italy, on a good day and with clear skies, you can even see as far as Corsica. 

At times, it really feels like you’re flying. This is notably visible from the infinity pool, where the feeling is even more accentuated by the paragliders pirouetting atop the hotel from the nearby mountains. It’s easy to imagine that the white structure is actually a giant hang glider that’s headed towards the blue eternity of the horizon.

The communal spaces, as well as some of the suites, with almost 360° panoramic views, make you feel as though you are in a huge ocean liner that’s floating 300 metres above the sea. The blue and pastel hues, light woods and rounded shapes of the interiors also contribute to the illusion. 

So the Maybourne Riviera defies convention. And in doing so, it redefines the 5 star hotel experience. But it’s important to highlight that it does it in the classiest way possible. This is by no means a loud, rambunctious statement. On the contrary. It’s light. It’s nuanced, and it’s measured. It’s elegant and subtle. And most important of all : it’s respectful. 

And so it shines, like a beacon at the top of that cliff. But it doesn’t do it in order to attract attention. On the contrary- it shines with its own light. It does so by focusing inward rather than outward. 

It gets the basics perfectly right, starting with what Danny Meyer, the famous New York-based restaurateur would label enlightened hospitality: a service approach that preaches if you focus on your people and your community first, then this will radiate outward and onto your guests. 

And it’s thus become a beacon of light not only for other luxury accommodation players in the area, but for luxury hotels in the world at large. 

Going back to that modernist spirit for the last time, it challenges convention not for the sake of being merely defiant- but out of the overwhelming respect it has for the area, the industry and its competitors within it. 

It’s defiant just because it dares to be different. To be itself. And that is a rebel move.