Hotel in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Villa on the French Riviera Celebrates Anniversary of The Great Gatsby

It’s been a hundred years since the masterworks of American literary luminaries living in France in the roaring 20s epitomized and inspired the modern era of American travel to Europe. Between F. Scott Fitzgerald and close friend Ernest Hemingway and others, we have a treasure trove of accounts of the glamour and allure of life after WW1 in Europe, including Paris and the French Riviera, where the F. Scott and his wife Zelda Fitzgerald owned a seaside villa and held legendary house parties overlooking the Mediterranean. 

Today, visitors to the South of France can re-live the era by staying in the hotel in the Fitzgerald’s former villa, which continues a tradition of celebrating high-profile, trans-Atlantic literary achievements. 

In 2025, the Hôtel Belles Rives invites the world to mark a milestone in literary history: the centennial of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterwork that has captivated readers for generations. 

Published on April 10, 1925, The Great Gatsby defined the Jazz Age, immortalizing the glamour, ambition, and complexities of 1920s America through the unforgettable tale of Jay Gatsby and his elusive American Dream. It is also the 100th celebration of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s time on the French Riviera, where their lives became woven into the lore of the Lost Generation. 

The villa is also where Fitzgerald began writing his beloved novel, Tender is the Night. 

Literary Hotspot Turned Hotel 

What was once the Fitzgerald’s Villa Saint-Louis—a captivating villa perched on the sparkling Mediterranean—would later become Hôtel Belles Rives, an art deco landmark on the Côte d'Azur that today stands as a living tribute to the tone of the period Fitzgerald captured, which was both luxurious, despairing, and creatively charged.

The villa on the sea set a relaxed yet elegant backdrop for his literary pursuits. Here, in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing his seminal novel, Tender is the Night, drawing on the dazzling yet complex life he shared with Zelda and capturing the Riviera’s allure in prose that would immortalize it forever. 

Perched at the edge of Juan-les-Pins, Belles Rives was, and remains, a sanctuary for creativity and escape. As the story goes, Scott would sit in the very rooms that now bear his name (as well as the Zelda suite, pictured), penning early chapters of Tender is the Night, with the blue expanse of the Mediterranean serving as both inspiration and metaphor for the novel's themes of beauty, decadence, and longing.

By the time the Fitzgeralds left in 1927, Antibes, the Cote d’Azur and the French Riviera had become a playground for the avant-garde -artists, actors, and emigres. In 1930, Villa Saint Louis was rebuilt and opened as Belles Rives, quickly becoming the destination for Riviera escapes. 

Today, Belles Rives is still owned and operated by the Estène-Chauvin family, whose visionary leadership has preserved its art deco heritage since 1929. As one of the few independently owned hotels on the French Riviera, the hotel continues to honor its legacy with period-authentic decor and artisanal touches. 

As this iconic landmark reaches its centenary, it stands ready to welcome a new generation of visitors, writers, and dreamers to revel in the same beauty that captivated the Fitzgeralds a century ago.

Celebrating a Century of Literary Legacy 

In homage to Fitzgerald’s legacy, Hôtel Belles Rives will be hosting a series of exclusive literary events, dinners, and themed experiences throughout 2025, each designed to bring guests closer to the world of the Lost Generation. 

Special menus at the one-Michelin-starred La Passagère will feature the period’s culinary delights, curated cocktails at Bar Fitzgerald will bring Gatsby-era glamour to life, and expert-led tours will guide guests through the history of the hotel and its former residents, offering insight into how these surroundings shaped Fitzgerald's timeless work. 

Further, the hotel's beach club, La Plage Belles Rives, with its Art Deco design and sweeping Mediterranean views, perfectly captures the glamour epitomized by the Fitzgeralds during their time on the Riviera. Alongside Sara and Gerald Murphy, Ernest Hemingway and other legendary figures of the era helped shape the vibrant beach culture for which the region is now celebrated. Visitors can unwind on the private lido, partake in water sports, and even connect to the birthplace of waterskiing—a legacy born at this iconic locale.

Notable events already on the calendar include:

• Bal Rêves: June 5, 2025 – a charity ball to support Tara Océan
• The Annual Fitzgerald Literary Prize: June 14, 2025 – Former winners include American writers Joyce Carol Oates (2024), Quentin Tarantino (2023), Jeffery Eugenides (2013), Amor Towles (2012) and more. 

About Hôtel Belles Rives

Hôtel Belles Rives is an Art Deco gem that stands above the sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean. F. Scott Fitzgerald penned Tender is the Night here, and the property is a testament to the breezy extravagance of a bygone era yet reveals a modern design, offering 43 rooms and suites. A gastronomic Mediterranean experience awaits at La Passagère, the onsite, one-star Michelin restaurant led by culinary maestro Aurélien Véquaud. Classic cocktails can be found at Bar Fitzgerald, named for the property’s original resident. The hotel’s private beach features the Belles Rives Beach Restaurant, the Water Sports Club, and the jetty that’s home to the hotel’s private boat dock. Extend that sun-kissed, blissed-out feeling with an innovative treatment by luxe Swiss skincare house, Valmont, onsite at its namesake beauty corner. The property is now helmed by the fourth generation of the same family who took over the villa after the Fitzgeralds departed. 

***Images courtesy of the Hôtel Belles Rives

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