COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 39.
The 25-room hotel is settled in a 19th-century villa that became
a marine research station and aquarium back in 1934. Open to
the public since 2015, this is now a luxurious 5-star lodging that
offers comfort, indulgence and upscale amenities, although here
visitors don’t really feel they’re in a hotel, but rather a villa of the
era, revisited in history.
Responsible for transforming the hotel’s interior, designer San-
dra Benhamou, in association with interior designer Léonie Alma
Mason, faced the challenge of keeping the place authentic while
projecting it into modernity. In the words of Sandra, the design-
ers refused to “fall into the trap of nostalgia” and decided to keep
the old character of certain elements (a fireplace, wooden ceil-
ings, stunning stairs), to rebuild others likewise (woodwork, par-
quet floors), while bringing to the overall design a touch of “quiet
sophistication and assumed eclecticism”.
At the reception of the hotel, guests find bottle-green woodwork,
plaid fabrics, and houndstooth armchairs, perfectly arranged in
a large room with unique wooden ceilings opening to the sea
through wide windows.
The library’s layout shows beautiful dark wood, armchairs in
antique pink and saffron velvet, ottomans and benches covered
with tortoiseshell motif fabric from Le Manach, and curtains
with palm patterns, whereas the reading lounge extends to a
large terrace overlooking the sea.
Situated on the terrace, overhanging the sea and the Clare de Lune
promenade, there’s a cosy restaurant with judiciously chosen fur-
niture that allies its attractiveness to the “Aquarium bar” close-by.
This saloon was built within the former aquarium museum and is
now lit by gold leaf suspension lamps, glittery granite, and metal-
lic silver tones. The first peculiar object is the cocktail table from
BRABBU - a perfectly subtle marine reference for the bar’s aquari-
um inspiration since its brass base has scales motifs.
In order to create such a “warm and cozy” atmosphere in the
overall design of the hotel, Sandra selected some decorative el-
ements inspired by the sea, such as ironwork, the central stair-
case, and smaller details like door handles, switches, faucets,
headboards and frames, blending them in an art deco style. The
result is a stunning, welcoming interior design that promotes lav-
ishness, serenity and relaxation.
HOTELS WE COVET //