Cannes township has a wonderful system in place for those who just want to comfortably soak up the sun without spending a fortune on a private beach. In French, it's called "regie municipal" which loosely translates to "managed by the municipality and there are two of them in Cannes, both placed on the glittering stretch of beach known as "La Croisette".
Macé beach is on the western end of the boulevard de la Croisette and Zamenhoff is on the eastern end. On these beaches you can rent an umbrella and a lounge chair at less than half the price of a private beach including restroom facilities and a hot shower. A locker is extra.
The lounge chairs are not reclining as on private beaches but they are certainly comfortable enough at least for a half-day. Unlike private beaches which offer restaurant dining, the municipal beaches prohibit food. Not to worry! There are snack and sandwich kiosks just up the stairs and on the seaside promenade.
The municipal beaches are open from 8.30am to 6.30pm from June 1 to September 30. Reservations are not necessary.