Breathtaking views, giant infinity pool and cinema: look inside the palace where Thibaut Courtois and Michel Gerzig were married

Situated on the French Riviera, a few minutes’ drive from the world-famous Boulevard de la Croisette, the Château de la Croix de Gardes is set 200 meters above the Bay of Cannes. It is the only castle that offers a panoramic view of the Lérins Islands, the Mediterranean Sea and the snow-capped Alpine peaks from sunrise to sunset.

Not convinced yet? Then some numbers: the neoclassical palace itself is 4,400 square meters in size and sits on an 11-hectare estate of beautiful “Italian-style” gardens with a 36-meter-long infinity pool. The main building has 5 floors, 16 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, and of course there’s a ballroom and a dining room for those who want to entertain, which can accommodate up to 200 guests. There are more entertainment options in the basement, including a movie theater and several bowling alleys. There is also a private helipad and yes – before we forget – there is air conditioning and WiFi.

(Continue reading below the Instagram video)

As you may have already figured out, quitting isn’t for everyone. The cost of an overnight stay or an event is only available “upon request” and its own website states that only a “privileged few” get the chance to be invited.

Hitchcock

Although it is known for its exclusivity and discretion, it may well be that the palace looks familiar to you. Apart from Hollywood greats Cary Grant and (Princess of Monaco) Grace Kelly, the Château de la Croix de Gardes was one of the protagonists in the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock classic To Catch a Thief. While Grant and Kelly were among the statues. As the fountains and fountains of ‘Sandford Villa’ (as the palace is called in the film) become devoted to each other, Hitchcock allows the audience to dream away to the beauty and grandeur of the French Riviera.

A few years after the recording, the estate passed into the hands of Gustave Levene, the founder of the water brand Perrier. After that, the palace remained closed to outsiders for decades, until it was bought by American billionaire Christopher Parker in 2016. He probably paid between 50 and 100 million euros for it. They reopen the château in the spring of 2022, after years of renovations.

Read this also. A multi-day wedding and gifts for guests: These are the trends according to wedding planners

Precisely because privacy is so highly respected – the palace has a state-of-the-art security system – little can be said with certainty about which celebrities have ever stayed there. Others including British singer Elton John and French actress Brigitte Bardot will be on the guest book and American director Martin Scorsese threw a private party for the cast of his latest film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ after the last Cannes Film Festival. Year. Film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and others. More recently, the gardens were also used for ‘La Vacanza’, a fashion show by Dua Lipa and Donatella Versace.

Now Belgium’s top goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Israeli Michel Gerzig are also going to get married.