Stuck for a room for the festival?

I'm a little surprised, but there are still some rooms available in and around Cannes for the festival. I did a quick check and came up with three within 5 kilometers. Your best bets are in either Mandelieu or Juan-les-Pins. Click on this hotel selection for an example. But don't be surprised if the link draws a blank first time as rooms are booked. You might have to spread the range further. Good luck.

Pan-African film fest, April 18-23

The other film festival in Cannes, the International Pan-African Film festival, will kick off this year on April 18 with a special reception on the beach of the Noga Hotel. Guests this year include Marie-Ange Banbancourt, Emile Abossolo MBO, Roger Cantin, Wyoma, Oxaï Roura and Serge Diantantu. The line-up includes films from across the African diaspora (notably a strong selection from the US), as well as featuring fashion, music events and workshops on the island of Sainte Marguerite.

Wi-Fi connections in Cannes

It's almost unthinkable to be in Cannes for a few days and not have access to your e-mails. Midem obviously has Internet connections for visitors, although you usually have to stand in a queue. If you want a more accessible connection, you should think about taking a WiFi subscription. SFR is the supplier within the Palais, but I've had no luck finding out how much it costs. The site simply says that you turn your computer on, find the network and follow the payment process (without actually giving a price). The SFR site provides no details. The hotels obviously also have connections you can use. But if you're staying outside town, that doesn't help much during the day.

Amongst the prepaid solutions, the easiest one I could find information about is Orange. They offer 1, 3, 10 and 30 hour packages you can buy in Relay newsagents or online from the Orange site (in French but quite clear). I'll probably opt for the 3-hour option for €10 (with 50% extra for €1 if you purchase before January 15), which should be enough to grab e-mails, work offline and then send them out afterwards. If you have experience using other prepaid WiFi solutions in France, why not drop a line about it in the comments?

Cannes amongst Forbes' "Top 10 Topless Beaches"

Forbes has just published their Top 10 choice of topless beaches, which includes Cannes. As they say themselves, "Call us old-fashioned, but we tend to favor topless beaches rather than nude ones. Nearly all European beaches are topless, and sunbathers there have a blasé attitude towards nudity, which means no gawking or cameras". The fact that they recommend staying during the film festival is not very helpful as 1) there are more cameras per square meter than at a Nikon factory and 2) it's almost impossible to book a hotel. So their suggestion of the Carlton is a bit optimistic. You might want to book now for next May.

Other beaches on the hotlist include Santorini (Greece), Bora Bora (Polypenesia) and St Martin (West Indies). Funnily enough, Cannes is amongst the cheapest of the bunch.

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat sold to Russian oligarch

Over the past few years, the Russians have become a very notable presence along the Riviera and inevitably have started investing there. So the news that the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat between Nice and Monaco has been sold to Russian "oligarch" Leonard Balavatnik is not entirely surprising. Roman Abramovich had already bought Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc near Cannes last year. These magnificent hotels are favourites with the major stars that visit the Cannes festival.

Over the years, noted guests at Cap-Ferrat have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis, Pablo Picasso, Sir Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra. Visit their site here.

Carlton Hotel: What would you pay?

According to a report in The Times, the Carlton Hotel is about to change hands. The grand old favourite of Cannes' wealthier visitors is currently being sold together with other properties in the InterContinental Hotels Group. Of the £400 million price tag, the Carlton is estimated to be worth £150 million. The new owner will most likely be Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund. InterContinental, however, will retain day-to-day management for some time to come (although there are rumours about a senior management figure moving to London).

The Carlton has been in the movies again with France's "Quatre Etoiles/Four Stars" being the most recent film to use it as a location. It was also completely booked out during the recent Cannes Film Festival, despite the downturn in the movie business. The Carlton is consistently one of the favourite places to hang giant billboards (significantly, one for "Casino Royale" replaced "Da Vinci Code" after the first-night reviews).

Where to stay at Midem 2006?

Originally posted on January 12, 2006. If you're still making plans, don't despair. Midem 2006 is going to be one of the busiest in years. That's the good news. The bad news is that all the hotels in the centre of town are full. So you're going to have to try either for an apartment (see ads elsewhere on the page) or look further afield. Out of town, my first choice would be for Juan-les-Pins. It's about 6-8 kilometers, but the train will whisk you to the Palais in a few minutes. There are deals from about €190 for three nights in some hotels. You could also hire a car or a mobylette. Try this link for last-minute hotels or check the booking button to the right.