Cannes: Nikki Beach

Coverage by Rehna Azim

Cannes, for all the fun, can be tiring. So the marquees along the croisssette are a welcome sight. They mostly hide their delights under white canopies that at night sway to live music and the murmur of party chatter while during the day it’s usually the clatter of cutlery as hard working waiters lay the tables for lunch.

Chief among the Croisssette pop ups is Nikki Beach. Celebrating fifteen years at Cannes it is a glamorous staple of the festival hosting lunches at which major deals are made, charity soirees, fashion shows and press junkets.

I was invited to a lunch at the famous hotspot and a delightful experience it was too. The blue of the sea behind me, the cool breeze calming tired limbs and a charming waiter to advise me on which dishes to choose, what was not to love?

Nikki Beach, essentially a luxury beach club brand, has thirteen locations already including in Italy, Dubai, Thailand and Turkey and will soon be adding a fourteenth in Barbados. The Nikki Beach brand started in the USA very much as a place you ‘only told your best friends about.’

Entrepreneur Jack Penrod started the concept in 1998 fusing the elements of Film, music, dining, fashion and art into one location and the brand has now branched out into a hotel and resort division. Big name celebrities from Robert De Niro and Madonna to Naomi Campbell and Ryan Gosling have graced Nikki Beach’s doors and during this Cannes, the brand also had a presence in Monte Carlo ready for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Nikki Beach vibe is informal and rather bohemian and the food is increasingly a range of recipes that are health conscious but utterly delicious. The portions are generous and the ingredients fresh to a tee.

Amanda Greenberg, director of global PR was an engaging hostess who liked my suggestion of bringing Nikki Beach to London -despite our distinct lack of sea and good weather. Fingers crossed for that and if not, definitely a lunch date next year at Cannes!