This unusual hotel is a clever conversion of medieval houses on the side of a cliff, by the ramparts of this fashionable hill village, inland from Nice. The hotel was purchased from the Barel-Laroche family (owners since 1960) by the Ivarsson family in 2011, and extensive renovations were completed in 2012. These include the restoration of antique furniture and the installation of underfloor heating in the bathrooms. The 'beautiful hand-painted ceiling' of the restaurant still slides away to reveal the sky. Meals are also served in a graceful, candlelit former guardroom, or on the terrace. Rooms are named after prominent artists associated with the town. Most are spacious, 'save for some in the older building'. They are reached along 'higgledy-piggledy corridors' or by an alley. Some have a balcony with views to the sea and mountains. A suite has a sunny terrace. 'Haut-de-Cagnes has narrow, bendy streets, mostly one-way': it may be best to use the car park below the village, or else a hotel staff member will come and pick you up. The feudal castle-cum-museum has Chagalls, Dufys, etc. Down the hill is Auguste Renoir's old house, uniquely evocative.