Something Special: Hotel Du Cap's Champagne Lounge

John O'Ceallaigh, The Daily Telegraph, August 8, 2013

Luxury hotels typically resist the urge to call any of their short-term projects ‘pop-ups’, which is just as well because that tired term wouldn’t quite work to promote Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc’s Champagne Lounge.

Following the hotel’s €50million restoration (completed in April 2011), the property in Cap d’Antibes in the south of France is continuing to enhance its offering with new features and services. This summer a section of the grounds that overlooks the Mediterranean has been remodelled to become the Eden-Roc Champagne Lounge.

For all of us who enjoyed the recent heatwave in Britain, the lounge ’s appeal is obvious. An open-air terrace, it capitalises on the region’s reliable good weather – clear skies and average daytime temperatures of 86F (30C) are forecast over the next 10 days – and is surrounded by water. For guests prepared to indulge, the drinks menu is equally inviting. The lounge has collaborated with 14 champagne houses to provide a varied selection of its speciality drink. The most notable inclusion on the menu is perhaps the jeroboam of Louis Roederder ‘Cristal Or’ 2002 – only 200 bottles are available worldwide and they have each been decorated with a gold coin, handmade by a goldsmith.

The lounge accommodates up to 40 people and is open until September 1. If you’re looking to visit somewhere open a bit longer, consult our gallery showing permanently open stylish hotel bars around the world, and our guide to the world’s best cocktail bars .


Image: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc