Some of the best buildings on the French Riviera have to be seen from the water. By land, you might get a flash of bright walls and arched doorways or architectural follies rising from between the foliage and palm trees, but to really take in their magnificence, you’ll need to be spying from the sea. It’s true of Pierre Cardin’s extraordinary, bulbous Palais Bulles near Théole-sur-Mer, and it’s especially true of the Château de l’Horizon. Located near Golfe-Juan, the 1932 Art Deco villa has undergone several transformations over its near century of existence – but approach by a little fishing boat during its heyday, and you might have been greeted by the sight of the magnificently understated, sleek buildings that made up actress and investor Maxine Elliott’s ‘white palace’. Sail in a little closer, and perhaps you could have caught a glimpse of Winston Churchill hard at work on his next book, or Noël Coward sunning himself on the private beach. Dock and wander up to the house, and you could have found the Duke of Windsor or Somerset Maugham or Douglas Fairbanks Snr enjoying the elegant swimming pool – often claimed to be the best on the Riviera.