What’s Cannes beside a super chi-chi festival hotspot, where stars and deal-makers booze and schmooze? True, the film festival, held here each year in May, promises a parade of pretty people promenading through the portal of the Palais des Festival, but if you’ve got a profusion of pennies and a penchant for profligacy, plenty of other pleasurable pursuits present a plethora of possibilities.
Cannes is located along the Côte d'Azur of France, so count on plenty of bronzed, barely clad bodies littering its beaches like discarded baguettes. The promenade de la Croisette curves along the coast, with private and public beaches, palm trees and flowers, as well as hotels, shops and housing. Cannes is a gambling mecca, and its world-class casinos are painfully posh temples where mammon is god. The nightlife sizzles in Cannes, with cutting edge discos, gay clubs and poser pubs. A confabulation of boutiques caters to the cravings of the devout materialist along La Croisette as well as the Rue d’Antibes. From designer duds to rare antiques to funky flea market finds, everything has its price here in Cannes. Two islands off the coast, Saint Marguerite and Saint Honorat, draw culture buffs seeking sites with historical substance.
