The ultimate insider guide to where Gulf royalty, celebrities, and the fashion set summer on the Côte d’Azur.
The South of France has long existed as a playground for the global elite, but increasingly, the French Riviera feels like an extension of Gulf luxury culture itself. Every summer, the likes of Monaco, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, and Cap Ferrat transform into seasonal social capitals for the Gulf set, where regional royalty, founders, fashion insiders, athletes, and celebrities now shape its social rhythm as much as European aristocracy once did. From billionaires anchoring superyachts off Saint-Tropez to Arab stars dominating the red carpets of the Cannes Film Festival, the modern Riviera has become deeply intertwined with Middle Eastern luxury. Of course, the real art of the South of France lies in knowing where to go—the right beach club, the right dinner reservation, and the places where celebrities disappear after Cannes premieres and Formula 1 drivers eat in Monaco. Here is your guide to doing the Côte d’Azur the Gulf way.
STAY
The Riviera’s grand hotels remain its true social infrastructure. Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc still reigns as the starriest address, where the old glamour of the Côte d’Azur persists beneath parasol pines and white cabanas. During summer months, the hotel becomes a floating micro-city of actors, A-list wedding parties, royals, and discreet high society. Yet beyond the star power, what keeps the Gulf set returning here is the rare combination of spectacle and privacy, a difficult balance the Riviera often struggles to master.
Meanwhile, Monaco continues to attract a younger Gulf crowd increasingly interested in contemporary glamour over Riviera nostalgia. Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo remains central to that orbit, particularly during Formula 1 season, where fashion, motorsport, jewelry culture, and high society intersect in the hotel lobby. Still, insiders often retreat slightly beyond Monaco itself to the coveted Maybourne Riviera. Perched high above the coastline, the hotel feels suspended between sea and sky, with cinematic views stretching across the Mediterranean. The property has become one of the Riviera’s buzziest stays among Gulf travelers seeking ultra-private luxury away from the density of Monaco below.
In Saint-Tropez, the hotel scene has evolved into its own modern luxury spectacle. Cheval Blanc St-Tropez continues to attract those seeking understated beachfront elegance and the kind of discreet service money cannot usually buy, while Château de la Messardière has become something of a White Lotus fantasy since it emerged that the next season of the hit show would be filmed at the sprawling palace hotel. Perched above the coastline, expect sweeping gardens, cinematic pools, vintage convertibles waiting at the entrance, expansive spa rituals, and a constant flow of impeccably dressed guests drifting toward golden-hour aperitifs. For travellers seeking old Riviera glamour in Cannes, Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic remains the definitive address synonymous with the Cannes Film Festival. During festival season, the hotel lobby transforms into a rotating tableau of couture gowns and Arab actors and fashion personalities now firmly woven into the fabric of Cannes culture. Along the Croisette, its legendary counterparts—Carlton Cannes and Hôtel Martinez—are also popular spots to experience the Riviera’s enduring old Hollywood glamour. Though, for something more intimate, many Gulf travelers are increasingly opting for private villas in nearby villages Èze, Cap Ferrat, and Mougins, where summer life unfolds behind private gates and among the olive trees and infinity pools rather than within starry hotel lobbies.
EAT
The rapid rise of Lebanese dining across the South of France is evident in the immense popularity of Em Sherif Monte-Carlo, which has become one of Monaco’s defining reservations. Crystal chandeliers and white tablecloths remain, but the atmosphere is alive with conversation spilling between tables, shared mezze arriving endlessly, and music swelling late into the evening. During summer, it feels like a Gulf social club temporarily relocated onto the Riviera. Elsewhere in Monaco, you can expect to rub shoulders with F1 drivers, tennis stars, and Middle Eastern royalty at the usual fine dining circuit spanning Nobu, Amazonico, and Coya.
For a spot of casual dining, the UAE’s homegrown coffee institution Saddle Café has become a genuine social phenomenon thanks to its outposts in Cannes and Saint-Tropez. On weekends, queues form outside as Gulf travelers, influencers, and Riviera regulars gather for iced Spanish lattes and matcha beneath the South of France sun. Thanks to social media, too, beachside institutions such as La Guérite continue to dominate lunching itineraries. Accessible only by boat, the restaurant remains one of the Riviera’s great daytime rituals, gradually escalating into Dubai beach club-adjacent dancing by late afternoon.
In Saint-Tropez, Bagatelle remains one of the definitive see-and-be-seen spots, while nearby, Shellona has become especially popular among fashion crowds and younger luxury travelers thanks to its bohemian aesthetic and Mykonos-meets-Riviera atmosphere. Though, for ultraexclusive beachside glamour, Nikki Beach Saint-Tropez continues to attract celebrities and influencers alike throughout the summer season, while Byblos Beach Ramatuelle channels the old-school glamour associated with the legendary Hôtel Byblos itself, long favored by everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Leonardo DiCaprio. Back in Cannes, head to La Palme d’Or at Hôtel Martinez, Zuma Cannes, or Rüya at Carlton Cannes for fine dining with a side of celeb spotting.
PLAY
To truly appreciate the modern Gulf Riviera, you have to understand that leisure here functions on its own rhythm. Days rarely begin before noon, lunch stretches for hours, and plans change constantly depending on yacht invitations, beach club tables, and who happens to be in town that week. Monaco and Cannes continue to operate as the Riviera’s preferred stage for luxury shopping. Appointments at the infamous Carré d’Or unfold between high jewelry maisons and couture salons now deeply accustomed to Gulf clientele. Meanwhile, along Cannes’ iconic Croisette, designer boutiques and global luxury flagships spill out opposite beachfront hotels.
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