Le Meridien Garden Beach, Juan Les Pins, France

Europe > France > Juan-Les-Pins hotels

Le Meridien Garden Beach 15 17 Boulevard Baudoin Juan Les Pins, 06162 FR

By Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com, October 2006

Juan Les Pins was an interesting diversion on our trip around the French Riviera. Guide books had referred to the area as the “Coney Island” of France. Well, our offices aren’t far from the real Coney Island, and Coney Island this is not.

That said, Juan-Les-Pins *is* a nice little beach town with perhaps a bit of the crowd that might venture to Coney Island. It’s not the crowd that you would find in say, Cannes or St. Tropez. This is a more middle class town and that lends a bit of fun to it. It also keeps prices down a bit.

Hot Tip from the Hotel Magician: Parking in the hotel lot is expensive. What they probably won’t mention is that there is free parking all around the park just past the hotel and there is normally a free space or three to be had. If you’re normally comfortable parking your car on the street, these spots will do just fine.

The Le Meridien Garden Beach hotel is the ideal spot to enjoy a night or two in Juan-Les-Pins. It is directly on the beach and shares the property with the Eden Casino – a centre of night life in the town albeit a small casino. It’s a nice property for the area. The hotel rooms have been renovated (although the building is not as new as it used to be) and would be considered a solid 3-Star hotel. A Sea View room offers a beautiful view of the beach as they are situated directly above it – and for that reason we recommend selecting this room type. Starwood Preferred Guest Gold and Platinum members might be upgraded to this room type based on availability. If a member of the program, when booking be sure to select “Other Rates” and select a regular (not SaveRate) rate plan. HotelMagician.Com SaveRates are not eligible for SPG stay credit / Elite privileges but our regular rates (pay at checkout) are. In colder months, a pool is available in the health club (additional charge)

Hot Tip from the Hotel Magician #2: When you check-in to the hotel, you will be given your beach passes. You will need to present these outside to get your beach chair. You will also need to return these at checkout or face a penalty charge. Don’t lose them! Also, they will charge for you to sit in the first two rows of the beach. But keep in mind that behind that, it’s all free (if you are a hotel guest).

Hot Tip from the Hotel Magician Tip #3: Dinner. There are only a few decent options right in town, though a few are right on the water. But take a very short drive to the old town in Antibes and you will find a treasure trove of restaurants in the pedestrian walkways. French, Italian, and Alsatian options abound. One even has fondue – a French food quite elusive in the South of France.

-DG