Ermitage de l'Oasis & Spa - Cannes Mandelieu

Ermitage de l’Oasis & Spa is a 36-room hotel in a building opened in 1958, set beside the Bay of Cannes at Mandelieu-la-Napoule. The outlook runs over the Port of La Napoule, the Mediterranean and, from some rooms, the Lérins Islands or the Cannes Mandelieu golf course. It is a proper hotel rather than a compact dive base: a useful distinction if you want your non-diving hours to include a good view, a swim and somewhere to leave your wet day behind.

The English and French versions of the hotel's website make the property easy to research before you travel. Once there, the rhythm is straightforward: return to air-conditioned rooms, take a drink from the minibar, sit on the terrace or head for the spa. The atmosphere is built around the setting and the facilities rather than a programme of organised entertainment, which will suit you if a day off means choosing your own pace.

The address is 26 Avenue Henry Clews in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, on the western side of the Cannes area rather than in Cannes itself. The hotel overlooks the port at La Napoule, with Château de la Napoule and the Henry-Clews Museum roughly 0.4 miles away. Château de la Napoule Beach is about 0.3 miles away, while Robinson Beach is around 0.7 miles away; the coastline is close, but the hotel is not described as sitting directly on a beach.

The immediate surroundings give you several options for an evening on foot. Le Bistrot de l'Oasis is about 0.3 miles away, with Le Voilier and La Corderie also nearby. Mandelieu-La-Napoule railway station is roughly 0.4 miles away. For a change from the waterfront, the Mimosa Forest is close to the hotel, and the Esterel Massif is about 5 miles away.

The room choice matters here because the views and the amount of living space vary considerably. A Classic Double Room keeps things simple for a couple who mainly want a comfortable base, while a Superior Room with Balcony gives you somewhere private to sit with a morning coffee rather than having to make the terrace your only outdoor option. If the Mediterranean view is the reason for choosing this address, look towards the sea-view categories, including the Deluxe Double Room with Balcony and Sea View.

For a longer stay, or when a third guest is joining you, the Prestige Double Room and the suites make more practical sense than the smaller doubles. The Suite with Sea View, Junior Suite Panoramic with Sea View and Executive Suite give you more room to spread out, and the family-oriented layouts include sofa-bed arrangements where specified. The larger suites are the ones to consider when you want the room to function as somewhere to sit, not just somewhere to sleep.

Every room has air conditioning, a private bathroom, satellite television and free WiFi. A minibar and tea and coffee-making facilities cover the useful arrival ritual: cold water, a hot drink and a few quiet minutes before deciding whether you are fit for dinner. Bathrobes, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer are also included in the bathroom set-up.

The main dining address is Bistrot de L’Oasis, on the terrace facing the port of La Napoule and the Mediterranean. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served there, so you can keep meals close to the hotel rather than organising another outing every time hunger catches up with you. The setting does the talking: boats, the port and the bay provide the backdrop while you get on with the important business of eating.

Breakfast is served as a buffet with American and gluten-free choices. That gives you something more useful than a single continental formula, particularly if your post-dive appetite arrives early and without much interest in ceremony. Breakfast can also be taken in your room. A coffee house on site, plus tea and coffee-making facilities and a minibar in the room, cover the smaller gaps between meals.

The hotel has one named restaurant in its dining information, and the property also offers wine and champagne. There is no need to turn the evening into a major expedition: you can eat on the terrace, walk back to your room and let the air conditioning deal with the accumulated heat of the day.

The outdoor heated pool is the obvious answer when you want water without putting a mask on your face. It is available from April to October, with pool towels and sun umbrellas provided. Add the sun terrace, garden and outdoor furniture, and you have several ways to spend an afternoon without having to leave the property or pretend that every spare hour needs an itinerary.

The Spa de L’Oasis gives the quieter option. Treatments include massage, facials and balneotherapy, with an infrared sauna and Sothys products. A couples massage is available, along with head, neck, back, foot, hand and full-body massages. That is a reasonably clear plan for the day when your shoulders have had enough of carrying kit and your main ambition is to become horizontal for a while.

There is also a fitness centre, temporary art galleries and access to a golf course within 3 km. Tennis is available at an off-site court, and the hotel offers cultural excursions. The nearby Château de la Napoule and Henry-Clews Museum add an easy non-beach outing, while the Esterel Massif gives you a larger change of scenery when you want a proper excursion rather than another poolside hour.

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is about 20 miles away by road. Mandelieu-La-Napoule railway station is roughly 0.4 miles from the hotel, and private parking is available on site, including valet parking; parking requires a reservation. A 24-hour front desk, concierge service, luggage storage and private or express check-in and check-out make the arrival and departure mechanics fairly manageable, particularly if your transport does not follow ordinary office hours.

Check-in runs from 3 pm to 11 pm, and check-out from 1 am to 11 am. You need to tell the hotel your expected arrival time, which is worth doing if your flight or train connection is late in the day. Cash is accepted, and pets are allowed. Children of all ages can stay; cots and extra beds can be requested, subject to the room's arrangement and availability.

Free WiFi is available throughout the property, and daily housekeeping is provided. The hotel is non-smoking throughout and has a lift, air conditioning and heating. If you are travelling with family, babysitting and child services are available, while non-smoking rooms and family rooms give you more room to match the booking to the group.