Villa Croisette

Villa Croisette is built in long white layers on the hillside above Cannes, and from almost every terrace the view runs over the treetops to the bay and the islands offshore. At dusk the whole house glows, from the lit driveway to the edge of the infinity pool.

The main salon is double height, with glass walls, a mezzanine and crystal chandeliers over deep white sofas. There's a sunken family room with oak panelling, a dining room for twelve and a professional steel kitchen for whoever is cooking. Downstairs, things get serious: an indoor pool with a gym beside it, a spa with a sauna, steam room and treatment room, and a cinema with three rows of leather recliners under a starlit ceiling. As a luxury villa rental in Cannes, it's about as complete as a house gets.

Villa Croisette sleeps sixteen guests in eight bedrooms, each with a king bed, and eight bathrooms. The main suite has a fireplace, a walk-in dressing room and a marble bathroom with a freestanding tub.

Outside, the long pool is lined with sunbeds and parasols, lawns step down the garden, and a white pool pavilion sits at the end of a path of stepping stones. Hautes Vallergues is a quiet residential quarter of Cannes, with the Croisette and the beaches of the Côte d'Azur below. Bring a large family or a celebration crowd who want room to spread out.