Where to Stay for the amfAR Gala
Cap d'Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, the Croisette, villas in the hills: the addresses that matter around the evening, compared for a week in May on the Riviera.
Last updated 5 October 2026 · 4 min read
For a stay arranged around the amfAR Gala, two approaches stand apart. Cap d'Antibes, first: you sleep close to the evening, away from the bustle of Cannes — the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, which hosts the gala, the Hôtel Belles Rives in Juan-les-Pins or the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, named by way of illustration. Cannes, second: the grand hotels of the Croisette, to live the Festival on foot. A villa with staff, on the Cap, in Super-Cannes or in Mougins, suits those who wish to receive. Staying at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc gives no access to the gala. During the Festival, everything is booked early; every stay is quoted individually.
Cap d'Antibes or Cannes: two approaches
Cap d'Antibes is a wooded peninsula between Juan-les-Pins and Antibes, around fifteen kilometres from Cannes along the coast road. Staying there means living the week away from the Croisette: the sea below your room, quiet evenings, and the gala a few minutes away.
Cannes offers the opposite: the Festival on foot, the tables and evenings of the Croisette, but the drive to make on gala night, at the hour when the road is very busy. The right choice depends on what you are coming for: the Festival itself, or the Riviera around the evening.
The Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc: where the evening is held
Built in 1870 under the name Villa Soleil and a hotel since 1889, the house stands in a park that runs down to the rocks, where the Eden-Roc pavilion was built in 1914. It belongs to the Oetker Collection and opens only in season — from 20 April to 18 October in 2026.
This is where the gala has been held in recent years. Two points matter: staying there gives no access to the evening, which is for the foundation; and during gala week, the hotel is in high demand. When a room is not available, we say so and suggest an equivalent.
Juan-les-Pins and the Cap: other houses by the water
In Juan-les-Pins, the Hôtel Belles Rives has been run by the same family since 1929: a house set right at the water's edge, on the scale of a private residence. On the Cap, the more contemporary Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel is home to Les Pêcheurs, a restaurant awarded one Michelin star in the 2026 guide.
These addresses, named by way of illustration, place the evening a few minutes away by car, while keeping the beach and the sea for the daytime. We book with the hotels as any guest does: TGZ is affiliated with none of them.
Cannes: the Croisette
On the Croisette, the grand hotels — the Carlton, the Martinez, the Majestic, named by way of illustration — put the Palais des Festivals and the city's tables within walking distance. This is the address for those who are also living the Festival, its screenings and its dinners.
On gala night, you then need to reach Cap d'Antibes along a very busy road, or by sea. We plan the hour of departure and the route accordingly. Our complete guide to the Cannes Film Festival details where to stay on the Croisette.
A villa with staff: receiving guests
For a group, a family or a stay where you receive, a villa with staff — on Cap d'Antibes, in Super-Cannes or in Mougins — offers what a hotel does not: a terrace for an after-gala dinner, a room for fittings, the discretion of an address that is not public. A minimum number of nights is often required during the Festival; we check every property before proposing it.
| Address | Area | For whom | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc | Cap d'Antibes | Sleeping where the evening is held | Seasonal opening; no access to the gala; in high demand that week |
| Hôtel Belles Rives | Juan-les-Pins | A family-run house by the water | A few minutes from the Cap by car |
| Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel | Cap d'Antibes | Beach, sea and a starred table on site | Les Pêcheurs restaurant in high demand in May |
| Grand hotels of the Croisette | Cannes | Living the Festival too, on foot | Busy road to the Cap on gala night |
| Villa with staff | Cap d'Antibes, Super-Cannes, Mougins | Group, family, receiving guests | Minimum stay often required during the Festival |
When to book, and how we proceed
Gala week falls in the middle of the Festival: the whole coast is in demand, and Cap d'Antibes even more so. We advise settling the address as soon as your dates take shape, and adjusting once the foundation publishes the 2027 date.
The quote depends on the address, the room category or the capacity of the villa, the length of stay and the timing of the booking. It includes no gala table. For the rest of the stay — tables, evening dress, journeys, a day at sea — our amfAR Gala VIP page composes the whole, and our guide Getting to the amfAR Gala settles the journeys.
Frequently asked questions
No. It has been the venue of the evening in recent years, and an address in high demand that week, but staying there gives no access to the gala. Other houses on the Cap or in Juan-les-Pins place the evening a few minutes away.
On Cap d'Antibes to sleep close to the evening and away from the bustle of the Croisette; in Cannes to live the Festival on foot as well. We choose according to your plans, not according to the reputation of an area.
Around fifteen kilometres along the coast road, via Golfe-Juan and Juan-les-Pins. During the Festival, the road is very busy in the late afternoon and evening: we allow a margin, or a journey by sea.
As soon as your dates take shape. The 2027 gala date has not yet been published, but it will fall during the Festival, from 11 to 22 May 2027: we can commit to the address early and adjust afterwards, according to each house's terms.
Yes: a villa with staff, on Cap d'Antibes, in Super-Cannes or in Mougins, lends itself well to a group or to a stay where you receive. A minimum number of nights is often required during the Festival; we check every property and its terms before proposing it to you, quoted individually.
No. No hotel and no villa gives access to the evening: tables and places are sold by amfAR itself. Choosing the right address simply makes the evening — and the week — easier.
Take it further
Let us choose your address on the Riviera
Tell us your intended dates, the number of guests and how you wish to live the week: we propose the right address — hotel or villa — then compose the rest of the stay, quoted individually and subject to availability.