Just a word about the Cannes Film Festival: In my view, unless you’re connected with the film industry, you’re not likely to see a lot beyond stars arriving for the evening; if you’re lucky, you’ll get a glimpse.
Many people think that the major stars stay in Cannes, and therefore think that they’ll be walking around during the day.
I’d arrived once in Cannes without realizing that my arrival coincided with the Film Festival, and, once it dawned on me, I went on to Juan-les-Pins, which is about 5-10 minutes away. I found a room in an inexpensive hotel that is run by a very friendly family, and I’ve been back a few times since, sometimes during the Festival.
Here’s the funny part: The stars stay in a hotel called Eden Roc, which is between Antibes and Juan-les-Pins, more or less on the hillside overlooking Juan, and I stay in the Eden Hotel (and the price difference is probably 1500 euros!).
Once I figured that out, I noticed a fleet of limos headed to the Eden Roc about 6:15PM, and guessed correctly that they’d be headed to Cannes about 6:45 PM. I finished my drink, and walked along the road back to my hotel and, right on schedule, the fleet of limos came by, and I had a great view of stars such as Angelina Jolie from my vantage point on the sidewalk. Even better was the fact that the procession was slowed by traffic…