Best for: glitz
After a day snaking through the ancient streets of Nice (beware, these roads were not made for family-sized cars, or wheels – as we discovered in our slick loaned Bentley Bentayga), the vision of the cloud pine-filled gardens of the Four Seasons Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat could not come soon enough. Electric gates whir open, and the overheated brood is unleashed. They are immediately furnished with mini Four Seasons ‘passports,’ complete with a photograph of their beaming selves, to gain stamps in various locations and a prize at the end. Families here are best suited to the more modern Les Terraces du Cap Pierre Yves-Rochon-designed rooms, renovated in 2009, where murals of banana palms and mid-century furniture lend it a more modernist Brazilian vibe. And what a welcome! Scores of helium balloons line the room, each attached to a Polaroid of the family (retrieved from social media). Bespoke monogrammed biscuits, plush dolphins and colouring books offer immediate diversion. Here, the minibar is included, which means you’ll find spiced nuts, pear juice, and chocolate-covered almonds. A terrace provides a jungly view of the lush Aleppo pines, Star Jasmine-packed gardens and the inviting sea beyond. What must be one of the most photographed vistas emerges as we head down to the kids’ club – the majestic, storied 75-room hotel, which was constructed in 1908 and acquired by Four Seasons in 2015.
The thoughtfully renovated kids’ club is found next to the famous saltwater lap pool and Club Dauphin restaurant. Mini wood-hewn hubs invite children to play Babyfoot, wooden board games or archery. With crickets chirping and soft downy pine falling underfoot, the shaded adventure playground is a wonderland of pirate ships, rope bridges and zip wires. For rainy days, there is a room for all ages, with board games, art and craft, alongside honey making and crafting fish keyrings. A volleyball court helps work off the incredible spoils from a lazy lunch – real mangoes and pineapples filled with ice cream churned from their fresh juice. Once adults tuck into the second bottle of rosé, they can dispatch their children back into the kids’ club – a great bonus for those not staying at the hotel is that it is also available for those booking a table at Club Dauphin at 50 euros per child per day.
The divine pool can feel more adult-focused, although plenty of families congregate at the shallow end. Mine complained about the saltiness of the water on their mosquito bites, so they refused to go in again, but scores of less fussy children were loving it; the spa pool offers a warm alternative during certain hours.
A highlight was feasting on fresh salt-baked turbot, wood-fired steak and hand-cut fries during BBQ night at Le Veranda, regaled by a brilliant band, who regaled us with our favourite John Denver hits. A lowlight was receiving a call from Reception asking if ‘everything was all right.’ We had just returned from an early morning swim with bird nest hair, and the howls as we vainly attempted to detangle the unruly mops had alerted our concerned neighbours. We bundled them out of earshot to let off steam on the mini race cars, to zoom around the grounds in their mini McLaren, eliciting, thankfully, cries of joy.