Few hotels are as venerable as the gloriously refurbished Grand Hôtel Villa de France. French painter Eugène Delacroix stayed here in 1832; his compatriot, Henri Matisse, followed just before WWI. You can enjoy the still-spectacular views Matisse painted from his old room (35), decorated as it was in his day.
The attention to detail in the salons and dining rooms is superb, and the service is attentive. There's a piano bar and suites around a pool at the rear, next to an old villa once occupied by the Napoleons.