On the edge of Cap d’Antibes, not far from the seaside stage of the famous Jazz in Juan festival, a piece of musical history is up for sale. The hotel suite where American Queen of Jazz Ella Fitzgerald stayed during her French Riviera summers has been revived as a $9.7-million (€7.75 million Euros) luxury apartment at Le Provençal, the iconic former hotel recently transformed into one of the Côte d’Azur’s most exclusive residential addresses.
Fitzgerald – the legendary singer, composer and Grammy Award winner – first arrived in July 1960 for the inaugural Jazz-à-Juan festival and made the hotel her Riviera base. She returned often, once (in 1963) famously leaning from her Provençal hotel window to serenade fans gathered below, according to the Provençal.
Her Riviera performances were immortalised on record. Ella at Juan-les-Pins was recorded live at the 1964 festival, while two years later she joined Duke Ellington for Ella and Duke at the Côte d’Azur.
Now, her former suite has been reimagined as a three-bedroom show apartment with interior design and dressing inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and the music festival, paying homage to those Riviera golden years. Spanning more than 2,100 square feet (more than 200 sq.m) with terraces overlooking both the Mediterranean and the Alps, the new turn-key apartment borrows its rhythm from jazz: azure, gold and deep purple echoing Riviera sunsets, accented by bold artworks and warm textures.
seaviews, LeProvençal. Photo Credit: CAUDWELL
“The understated style reflects Ella Fitzgerald’s own down-to-earth persona and her humble musical beginnings on the streets of New York,” says the Provençal.
The Hôtel Provençal was built in the 1920s by American philanthropist and casino owner Frank Jay Gould, and swiftly became one of the most fashionable address in Antibes. Its guest list read like a cultural almanac: musicians, Hollywood stars, royals, authors, politicians and fashionistas.
John Caudwell, the British entrepreneur behind the £300-million plus (GDV) reinvention of Le Provençal, says: “The reopening of the refurbished and transformed Le Provençal marks a new chapter in Antibes’ history and the rebirth of the ‘Riviera Golden Years’. The newly unveiled show apartment is a striking mixture of vibrancy and understated elegance, paying homage to the ‘Golden Years’, the renowned Jazz Festival and the illustrious musical career and huge cultural impact of Ella Fitzgerald who was a frequent visitor to Le Provençal when it operated as a hotel.”
With concierge services run by five-star Hôtel Belles Rives and amenities from landscaped gardens, Art Deco cinema, health spa, restaurant, children’s playroom, retail boutiques, and a 30-metre pool (amongst other swimming pools). the residence offers the Riviera lifestyle on cue.
Lars Christiaanse, Group Director of Sales at Caudwell says: “The new Ella Fitzgerald inspired show apartment forms the latest in a collection of furnished residences we have unveiled at Le Provençal. If you are considering owning one of the breathtaking residences we have turn key apartments available or alternatively for fresh apartment dressing our dedicated team is here to assist you and can take care of every detail, from selecting exquisite pieces to ensuring your home is perfectly styled and move-in ready, so you can embrace the luxury of the Riviera lifestyle from day one.”
For Ella Fitzgerald, the Côte d’Azur was a place where jazz met the Mediterranean. For today’s buyers, it is a chance to own a slice of that legacy – an apartment where the echoes of her music still linger in the walls.
For further information contact Caudwell on Tel: +33 (0)4 93 65 53 36
E: lars.christiaanse@caudwell.com or visit: www.leprovencal.com
