I  think Cannes is the place to plonk down some dough.  Far more beautiful out of season than in, it has one of the world’s most gorgeous bays that can be enjoyed even in the dead of winter when temps are a mild 50 degrees.  Sparkling with as much natural energy as a string of Christmas tree lights or a Vuitton beaded shift, the wide graceful harbor opens up to a generous hemispherical  beach, packed in high season but now windswept and empty.  Just a step from the curve of beach is the Avenue Croisette that hosts the grand dames of old-style hotels and old-school casinos–Majestic, Carlton, Miramar and Martinez among others–which, themselves, stand tall against a  backdrop of mountains that, today, are covered in snow.  You can imagine how beautiful it all is;  if it were a meal it would be oysters on bed of rock salt, followed with a blanc de veau, and finished with blancmange.

Let me get back to my point…I come here every year out of season and each year – even when it is pouring with rain – I think “this is the smart place to buy real estate.”   A condo, overlooking the beautiful harbor, keeps the memory of summer alive and its balcony offers, on milder days, al fresco lunches in healthy sea air. Boats in the old port jockey around, clanging on their anchors, a lovely sound reminding you of what real boats do. Next to them are the precursors of the summer stock – well-tied mega yachts of exciting provenance that become the subject of the evening quayside passeggiata.