Essential Sailing (0845 653 0126; www.essentialsailing.com) is offering an affordable way to experience the French Riviera during the Cannes Film Festival (11-22 May 2016).

Two of the seven-night cruises on First Essential – which is, unusually, available for cabin bookings as well as whole charter – will call at Cannes during the stellar event. The Beneteau Oceanis 50-foot yacht, with its smart, contemporary quarters for up to six guests in three cabins, will weigh anchor alongside the stars of the silver screen as they converge on the Provençal port for one of the most glamorous dates in the social calendar.

Cote d'Azur East, from St Tropez to Cannes, is available for the week beginning 7 May, arriving in port as the film festival opens. The French Riviera departs Cannes during the event, bound for Menton via Monaco, in the week of 14 May. The seven-night cruises benefit from Essential Sailing's introductory 20 per cent discount, and cost £1,540 per person, based on two sharing a cabin, or £9,240 for whole-yacht charter.

Cote d'Azur East is also available for the weeks beginning 16 July, 6 August and 15 October. The French Riviera can also be booked for the weeks of 9 July, 13 August and 8 October.

First Essential is one of the best blue-water cruisers in its class, a suitable craft on which to mingle with the rich and famous. The yacht has a spacious deck for sunbathing and dining al fresco – or just to watch the world go by. Within, the air-conditioned yacht has an elegant saloon furnished with comfortable sofas and a TV/DVD. The double en-suite cabins are spacious, with beds dressed in luxury Egyptian cotton sheets and complimentary toiletries provided by L'Occitane.

Essential Sailing offers five further week-long cruises: east and west from Hyères to St Tropez; Menton to Genoa; Genoa to La Spezia; La Spezia to Punta Ala Marina; and a voyage around the Tuscan islands of Elba and Capraia.

More about Essential Sailing

Essential Sailing's “turn up and go” luxury cruises are great for couples, groups of friends or families. They mix refreshing morning sailings with afternoons spent enjoying exhilarating watersports, playing on the beach, or heading off to explore cultural sights. In the evenings, guests will enjoy fine dining on deck beneath the stars or in recommended restaurants in the different ports of call.

Itineraries are ultimately flexible. Guests can choose to pre-book as many or as few excursions as they prefer – the hilltop village of Èze, the Îles de Lérins off Cannes, and the marble mines at Carrara are just a few interesting examples of the experiences on offer. Hidden bays, sea swimming, snorkelling, shopping, a trip to the casino and a nightclub – whatever guests enjoy can be arranged through Essential Sailing's personal service.

Gourmet four-course dinners are provided on four nights, with menus featuring dishes such as pan-fried local scallops with crispy jambon cru and crushed petits pois, salt-baked local sea bass with seasonal vegetables and crushed herb potatoes, and chilled cardamom panna cotta with summer berry coulis. Dishes are accompanied by the best regional wines. Guests are also free to slip away and dine privately on shore as and when the mood takes them.

Cruises start from £1,442 to £1,924 per person, based on two sharing, including breakfast and lunch daily and dinner on four nights, a Champagne and canapés welcome reception, the services of a professionally qualified skipper and personal hosts, daily cabin service, soft drinks, confectionery and ices on demand, and use of snorkelling equipment, beach gear and an inflatable kayak. There are no hidden extras – mooring fees, fuel, gas and cleaning are all included in the price. A selection of shore excursions is available to pre-book and special requests can also be arranged. Chauffeur-driven airport transfers are available for a supplement.

To book: visit www.essentialsailing.com or call 0845 653 0126

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For further information, hi-res images, or to arrange press trips, please email: travelnews@lbbcreative.co.uk. Alternatively, contact Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk, or Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@lbbcreative.co.uk.

Notes to editors

Essential Sailing is a family business, founded in 2010 by Richard Reeves, a chartered civil engineer in the construction industry, and Phil and Kate Reeves, both of whom have many years' professional sailing experience. The company is relaunching its offering for 2016 with a redesigned website that features lots of destination information, giving insight into ports of call and recommendations on places of interest. Richard has had a passion for sailing since childhood, and aims to offer luxury crewed sailing without the responsibility of owning a yacht, making such holidays more accessible to a wider clientele.