I took an amazing trip to the French Riviera with friends last weekend and had a chance to take a quick hop to Cannes, Monte Carlo, and Nice. My first stop was Cannes, and it included a night at the Grand Hyatt Cannes. Since I was traveling with friends, we had two rooms at this property, one suite and one standard ocean-front king room.
Booking the room
At time time I was traveling, the room was being offered for 280 Euro (~$380) under the “My Elite Rate”. If using points, it is bookable for 25,000 Hyatt GoldPassport points. Aside from the Grand Hyatt, I was also considering the Intercontinental (a few hotels down), and the Radisson Blu (about a 15-20 minute walk). I settled on the Grand Hyatt Cannes simply because the people I was traveling with are loyal to Hyatt and their wanted stay credits.
Getting to the hotel
When I arrived at NCE, I headed to the nearby train station, which is walkable from the airport (about 15 minutes). I was given a map to the station by visiting the airport’s information desk. I kind of got lost at first (females + maps), but several locals helped point me in the right direction. A train ticket to Cannes cost 5.80 Euro, and the ride is pleasant and only 30 minutes long.
Once I arrived at Cannes station, a taxi to the hotel (about 2 km away) cost 15 Euro. Of course, there’s always the option of taking a taxi or car service from the airport directly to the hotel, but then you’re looking at 70 and 100 Euro, respectively. The train + taxi combo was perfectly fine for me.
Location
The Grand Hyatt Cannes is in a perfect location- on the main strip, right smack in the middle of all the action. You can walk along the water to many of the shopping areas, casinos, the ferry pier, restaurants, and other hotels.
First impressions & check in
When I arrived at the property, the main lobby area was lively and busy, which I expected during high-season in Cannes. The check-in agents were very friendly, and the process was seamless. Since there is no club lounge at this hotel, Hyatt Diamond members are extended an invite for a complimentary happy hour outside by the pool between 5-7pm.
The rooms
I had a beautiful ocean-front king room all to myself, and my friends used an upgrade certificate to upgrade to a top-floor suite, which included a huge terrace. Both rooms were modern and lavishly-decorated. I received two large bottles of Evian water and some fresh peaches as a complimentary amenity (I chose the points amenity at check-in). My friends were greeted with a welcoming bottle of champagne.
The bed was super comfortable and the sea view was beautiful. The bathroom included rain shower and a separate bathtub. The bath products were “high end”, but way too perfumed. To be honest, the scent resembled what I’d imagine a brothel mixed with cheap aftershave would smell like.
The pool/beach
The pool area was pretty standard, nothing special, but the water was very warm; I enjoyed a quick dip during the complimentary evening happy hour. We spent most of the day at the beach across the street. The Grand Hyatt has a dedicated beach area, but beach chairs and umbrellas are not included (not even for elites). I believe it was 25 Euro to rent a chair, per person, which is a bit astronomical in my opinion.
Speaking of astronomical, can we talk about the food and beverage costs at the hotel? A typical cocktail is priced at 22 Euro, and at night, the beach bar raises their drink prices even more – 27 Euro for a mojito!
The tuna salad pictured below cost me 32 Euro, but after a full day of traveling, I was starved, so I gave in.
The one thing I loved most about the hotel was the nail bar. Complimentary manicures daily! Who wouldn’t love that?
  
Overall I had a great stay at the Grand Hyatt Cannes, and I really enjoyed Cannes in general. Yes, the hotel is a bit “fancy pants” for me, but I expected nothing but ritziness and high-roller prices to begin with, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise. I would probably stay at this property (on points, of course) again if I ever return to Cannes.
Have any other readers visited this hotel?
We stayed at the Marriott down the street for 5 nights all on points and checked out with a $0.00 bill + 5 breakfast buffets. While we were there the Hyatt announced they had acquired three new properties in France and Martinez was one of them so we went down and asked for a tour and the front desk showed us a couple of the rooms and the spa……..I would definitely pick this hotel on points in Cannes…….we loved Cannes and loved the restaurants and the shopping……..shopping for this small town was pretty special I thought! And we rented the umbrella and chair and paid thru the nose but had a great day on the beach…….
during the summer they also have peak prices like $50 for the beach, $25 for the pool. This was the only hotel where we have been charged for pool access. So ridiculous!
I was in the area last February, and I opted to stay at the Fairmont in Monte Carlo for 2 nights (2 free nights from the sign up for the card from Chase). I did not stay in Cannes, but if visiting Monte Carlo, I would recommend the Fairmont!