Cannes Hotels

Cannes ("Canas" in Provençal) (pronounced /kan/) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the French Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département. Population of the city (commune) of Cannes at the 1999 census was 67,304 inhabitants (69,700 inhabitants as of February 2004 estimates). Cannes is part of the Nice metropolitan area (aire urbaine) whose total population was 933,080 inhabitants at the 1999 census.

Geography

Cannes lies on the Côte d'Azur within easy reach of the Maritime Alps. It is noted for its sandy beaches (in contrast to Nice), which interestingly are mainly public, particularly as one moves west to Cannes Bocca.

History

From the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, Cannes was a small agricultural and fishing village. Beginning in the 1830s, foreign and French aristocrats built vacation homes in the area, gradually turning Cannes into a resort town.

The man responsible for Cannes' growth is Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778-1868). A respected and talented British politician at his time, he discovered Cannes in 1834, on his way to Italy. After having bought land to the west of the Suquet he used his many contacts in French politics to help develop the French Riviera.

905km (562 miles) S of Paris; 164km (101 miles) E of Marseille; 26km (16 miles) SW of NiceWhen Coco Chanel came here, got a suntan, and returned to Paris bronzed, she startled the milk-white ladies of society. Today the bronzed bodies -- in nearly nonexistent swimsuits -- that line the sandy beaches of this chic resort continue the trend started by the late fashion designer. Cannes is at its most frenzied during the International Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on promenade de la Croisette. On the seafront boulevards, flashbulbs pop as the stars and wannabes emerge and pose and pose and pose. For wannabes (particularly female), outrageous is the key word.

The festival's stellar activities are closed to most visitors, who are forced to line up in front of the Palais des Festivals. Known as "the bunker," this concrete structure is the venue for premières that draw some 5,000 spectators. With paparazzi shouting ("Brad, Jennifer, over here!") and shooting away, and a guard of gendarmes holding back the fans, the guests parade along the red carpet into the building, perhaps stopping for a moment or two to strike a pose and chat with a journalist. C'est Cannes!

International regattas, galas, concours d'élégance, and even a Mimosa Festival in February -- something's always happening at Cannes, except in November, traditionally a dead month.


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