Recommended Hotels

Nice and Cannes are among the towns with the largest quantity and variety of accommodation in France, ranging from the grandiose seafront ‘palace hotels’ to small family-run places in converted townhouses. Even so, they can be heavily booked during major events and in the high summer. Monaco’s hotels are mainly geared to the luxury end of the market, although there are a few small, inexpensive options in La Condamine. The symbols below indicate the average cost of a double room per night in high season, including TVA (VAT), but generally excluding breakfast. An additional tourist tax is charged per person per night, which varies according to the official star rating. All hotels listed have air conditioning and private bathrooms with bath or shower unless indicated. Many hotels also have triple or family rooms, or can add a bed (sometimes for a fee) for a child. The traditional breakfast of coffee, baguette and croissants is increasingly being replaced by a generous buffet. Prices may be lower in winter, but rocket for special events such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival. Look out also for special packages and last-minute deals on the internet. All the hotels listed take major credit cards unless otherwise stated.

€€€€€ over 380 euros

€€€€ 260–380 euros

€€€ 160–260 euros

€€ 90–160 euros

€ below 90 euros

Nice

Hi Hôtel Eco Spa and Beach €€€–€€€€€ 3 avenue des Fleurs, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 97 07 26 26, www.uniqhotels.com. The hip and colourful Hi Hôtel has become a cult address for design fans, where Matali Crasset’s nine different room concepts encourage you to experiment with new ways of living – bath in the middle of the room, pontoon living, high-tech, four-poster bath and operating table bed. There’s an organic snack bar and restaurant, and DJs in the bar at weekends. The hotel has a spa and an equally stylish private beach on the promenade des Anglais.

Hôtel Aria €€ 15 avenue Auber, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 88 30 69, www.hotel-aria.fr. This good-value, recently renovated 19th-century hotel overlooks an attractive garden square amid the Belle Epoque and Art Deco buildings of the Musicians’ Quarter. Rooms are light and high-ceilinged, in sunny colours.

Hôtel Beau Rivage €€€€€ 24 rue St-François-de-Paule, 06300 Nice, tel: 04 92 47 82 82, www.hotelnicebeaurivage.com. Located near the Opéra, the hotel where Matisse stayed when he first came to Nice is now a gorgeous exercise in sophisticated minimalism, decorated in natural wood and tones of grey by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. TV and internet in every room.

Hôtel du Petit Palais €€ 17 avenue Emile Bieckert, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 62 19 11, www.petitpalaisnice.com. A small, friendly hotel in the pretty ochre-coloured villa on Cimiez hill that once belonged to actor-playwright Sacha Guitry. Some rooms have terraces or balconies with views over Nice and the Baie des Anges, and there’s a small paved garden courtyard.

Hôtel Ellington €€€ 25 boulevard Debouchage, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 92 47 79 79, www.ellington-nice.com. This elegant town centre hotel is a homage to jazz, with an atmospheric 1950s speakeasy-style whisky bar downstairs and photos of jazz musicians in lifts and corridors. Bedrooms vary between black-and-white minimalism and a more traditional Provençal style.

Hôtel Gounod €€ 3 rue Gounod, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 16 42 00, www.gounod-nice.fr. A comfortably refurbished Belle Epoque hotel in the Musicians’ Quarter. Guests have access to the pool, spa and gym of the modern but ugly Splendid Hôtel next door.

Hôtel Grimaldi €€–€€€ 15 rue Grimaldi, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 16 00 24, www.le-grimaldi.com. A lovely intimate hotel in the New Town stretching between two Belle Epoque houses on either side of a central courtyard. Helpful staff and comfortable good-sized rooms decorated with colourful neo-Provençal fabrics.

Hôtel Ibis Centre Gare € 14 avenue Thiers, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 88 85 55, www.accorhotels.com. A big, modern branch of the budget chain located near the train station. The 199 rooms offer standard chain decor, but the price is hard to beat, the service efficient and the outdoor swimming pool is a rare plus.

Hôtel La Pérouse €€€€–€€€€€ 11 quai Rauba Capéu, 06300 Nice, tel: 04 93 62 34 63, www.hotel-la-perouse.com. A luxurious secluded hotel with an astonishing location hidden up the Colline du Château, reached by lift from the quayside, with stunning views over the Baie des Anges. Comfortable traditional rooms, some with a terrace. Swimming pool and an outdoor restaurant open only in summer. Small fitness room.

Hôtel Negresco €€€€€ 37 promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 16 64 00, www.hotel-negresco-nice.com. Under its pink-and-green cupola, the Negresco is both Nice’s most celebrated hotel and one of its most eccentric, with a mix of elegance and kitsch. Original Old Master paintings, modern sculptures by Nikki de Saint Phalle and a winter garden by Gustave Eiffel mix with gold-plated basins and curiously tacky souvenir shops, while the rooms are furnished with antiques and satin flourishes. There are two restaurants: the haute-cuisine Chantecler and the popular Le 37 Pop. Private beach in front of the hotel.

Hôtel Régence € 21 rue Masséna, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 87 75 08, www.hotelregence.com. This no frills budget hotel is ideally located in central Nice, close to all the attractions. Rooms (€60) are on the small side and simply furnished but clean and tidy.

Hôtel Suisse €€–€€€ 15 quai Rauba Capéu, 06300 Nice, tel: 04 92 17 39 00, www.hotel-nice-suisse.com. Behind a period facade virtually built into the cliff face of the Colline du Château, the attractive Hôtel Suisse has been stylishly modernised with a different colour scheme on each floor. Most rooms have a sea view and balcony. The gorgeous ground-floor salon includes a tiny cave.

Hôtel Westminster €€€–€€€€€ 27 promenade des Anglais, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 92 14 86 86, www.westminster-nice.com. This venerable pink-stucco seafront hotel has preserved its impressive ground-floor salons and the magnificent open staircase, hung with an interesting collection of historic oil paintings of Vieux Nice. Bedrooms have gradually been redone floor by floor – some in traditional style, the most recent ones in more contemporary soft pearly blues with subtle lighting. Restaurant and bar.

Hôtel Windsor €€–€€€ 11 rue Dalpozzo, 06000 Nice, tel: 04 93 88 59 35, www.hotelwindsornice.com. From the outside it looks like any 19th-century hotel, but within is a true one-off. Many of the rooms have been individually decorated by internationally renowned contemporary artists, including Robert Barry, Lily van der Stokker, François Morellet, Peter Fend, Jean le Gac, and Ben, who has written all over the walls. Simpler rooms have frescoes or posters. There’s a Turkish bath and fitness room, plus outdoor swimming pool and aviary in the lushly planted garden.

Villa La Tour €–€€ 4 rue de la Tour, 06300 Nice, tel: 04 93 80 08 15, www.villa-la-tour.com. With just 17 rooms in a former monastery, the Villa La Tour is for romantics who want to stay in the Old Town itself. Squashy decrepit sofas in the entrance and individually decorated rooms have a boho charm. You pay slightly more for a view over the Vieux Nice rooftops. No lift.

Cannes

Carlton Intercontinental €€€€€ 58 La Croisette, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 93 06 40 06, www.intercontinental.com/cannes. The legendary palace hotel where the jury stays during the film festival has a sweeping Belle Epoque facade and sumptuous suites. It helps to have film-star means as standard rooms can be disappointingly small; avoid those at the rear without sea views. Restaurant, private beach and seasonal beach restaurant, health club and swimming pool.

Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez €€€€–€€€€€ 73 La Croisette, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 93 90 12 34, www.hotel-martinez.com. The splendid facade, acres of marble hallways and grand staircase perpetuate the Art Deco glamour of the 1920s when it was built by Frank Martinez. The 409 bedrooms alternate between classic and Deco style. Two vast penthouse apartments have huge roof terraces, butler service and Turkish baths. Facilities include the Palme d’Or restaurant, a beauty spa and the trendy Zplage in summer.

Hôtel Cavendish €€€–€€€€ 11 boulevard Carnot, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 97 06 26 00, www.cavendish-cannes.com. A characterful boutique hotel in an attractive Belle Epoque building on the boulevard that leads towards La Croisette. The comfortable period townhouse style was conceived by decorator Christophe Tollemer as a homage to the English lords who once frequented the coast; some wonderful circular rooms in the corner turret.

Hôtel Château de la Tour €€€–€€€€ 10 avenue Font-de-Veyre, 06150 Cannes La Bocca, tel: 04 93 90 52 52, www.hotelchateaudelatour.com. On the hill above the Plage du Midi, this is a rare place where you can capture a taste of the aristocratic villa lifestyle – the original wing complete with crenellated turret was built for a countess in the 1880s. Comfortable traditional rooms. The restaurant, open to non-residents, moves out in summer to the exotically planted garden, where there is also an outdoor pool.

Hôtel Molière €€–€€€ 5 rue Molière, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 93 38 16 16, www.hotel-moliere.com. Small, well-placed contemporary design hotel with colourful minimalist rooms, at the rear of a long flowery garden; most rooms have balconies.

Hôtel Splendid €€€ 4–6 rue Félix Faure, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 97 06 22 22, www.splendid-hotel-cannes.fr. A sparkling white Belle Epoque edifice splendidly placed in the heart of the action, near the port and almost opposite the Palais des Festivals. Rooms have been comfortably updated while retaining period flourishes; breakfast is served on a large sunny terrace.

Le Mistral Hôtel €€ 13 rue des Belges, 06400 Cannes, tel: 04 93 39 91 46, www.mistral-hotel.com. A great budget discovery in a simple blue-shuttered building just a couple of streets back from the Palais des Festivals, with friendly staff and compact but comfortable rooms in colourful minimalist style. No lift.

MONACO

Hôtel de France €€ 6 rue de la Turbie, La Condamine, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-93 30 24 64, www.hoteldefrance.mc. This friendly budget hotel on a side street has an air of the provinces. Rooms are not air-conditioned but have ceiling fans and are clean and tastefully decorated with colourful fabrics. No lift.

Hôtel de Paris €€€€€ place du Casino, Monte Carlo, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-98 06 30 00, www.montecarlosbm.com. The hotel that started it all in 1864 has welcomed anyone who is anyone and is still the grandest place to stay in Monte Carlo, with chandelier-hung lobby, grand staircase and bedrooms and suites that remain firmly in the spirit of another age. The splendid hotel which reopened after meticulous renovation in late 2018, is home to the ever-fashionable Bar Américain, the gourmet Louis XV restaurant and has direct access to Les Thermes Marins spa and gym.

Hôtel Hermitage €€€€€ square Beaumarchais, Monte Carlo, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-98 06 40 00, www.montecarlosbm.com. This Belle Epoque grande dame queens it over Monte Carlo. Already a giant when it opened in the 1880s, it has gone on adding bits ever since, the latest being two new floors and a rooftop putting green, but the winter garden with stained-glass dome by Gustave Eiffel remains the centrepiece. The best rooms have balconies and sea views. Direct access to Les Thermes Marins spa. Excellent Le Vistamar Michelin-starred restaurant of chef Benoit Witz.

Hôtel Métropole Monte Carlo €€€€€ 4 avenue de la Madone, Monte Carlo, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-93 15 15 15, www.metropole.com. Behind an astonishing curtain of vegetation, this grand 1880s hotel has been magnificently refurbished by decorator Jacques Garcia. The 141 bedrooms are plush, with lavish fabrics and mahogany and marble bathrooms. There’s a cocktail bar, Metropole spa, seawater pool and the Joël Robuchon restaurant.

Hôtel Miramar Cap d’Ail € 126 avenue du 3 Septembre, 06320 Cap d’Ail, tel: 04 93 78 06 60, http://miramarhotel.fr. Excellent-value hotel just outside Monaco where some of the 25 rooms have balconies with sea views. One of the loveliest beaches on the Riviera, Plage Mala, is a 10-minute walk away.

Hôtel Olympia €€ 17 bis boulevard du Général Leclerc, 06240 Beausoleil, tel: 04 93 78 12 70, www.olympiahotel.fr. Just across the border into France but only a short walk from the Casino. Corner rooms have attractive bow windows.

Hôtel Port Palace €€€€ 7 avenue Président J-F Kennedy, La Condamine, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-97 97 90 00, www.portpalace.com. All 50 rooms and suites have harbour views at this sleek, modern design hotel by the port. There are luxurious leather and marble finishes and floors themed by sea, shells, rock, sun and air. Gym and spa but no pool. The rooftop restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine.

Le Méridien Beach Plaza €€€€ 22 avenue Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-93 30 98 80, www.le­meridien.com. Just east of Larvotto Beach, the huge, modern Méridien Beach has contemporary artworks in the lobby and a 24-hour restaurant where you can watch the chefs cooking in the circular open kitchen. Landscaped outdoor pool, indoor pool and private beach. Two mirror towers provide a high-tech 180° vision of the sea; many of the other guest rooms have balconies with sea views.

Novotel Monte Carlo €€€ 16 boulevard Princesse Charlotte, Monte Carlo, 98000 Monaco, tel: +377-99 99 83 00, www.accorhotels.com. Built on the former site of Radio Monte Carlo, architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s building emphasises cream stone, natural wood and glass in a very upmarket branch of the modern business chain. There are 218 spacious, minimalist bedrooms, an outdoor pool, a gym and a restaurant with menu conceived by Frédéric Ramos.

Excursions

Cagnes-sur-mer

Sandton Hôtel Domaine Cocagne €€–€€€€ 30 chemin du Pain de Sucre, 06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer; tel: 04 92 13 57 77, www.sandton.eu. This lovely hotel, made up of several buildings set in lavender-scented lush parkland overlooking Cagnes-sur-Mer, has minimalist-style accommodation in poolside rooms. Also have family suites (babysitting service available). Closed from November to February.

Vence

Hôtel Diana €€ 79 avenue des Poilus, 06140 Vence, tel: 04 93 58 28 56, www.hotel-diana.fr. This modern hotel on the edge of Vence’s Old Town is tastefully refurbished, some rooms equipped with kitchenettes. A nice place to stay if you’re visiting Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire.

Mougins

Le Mas Candille €€€€€ boulevard Clément Rebouffel, 06250 Mougins, tel: 04 92 28 43 43, www.lemascandille.com. Set in wooded grounds on the edge of Mougins village with views across to the Pré-Alpes, this discreetly luxurious hotel has rooms furnished with antiques in an old Provençal farmhouse. There’s a poolside restaurant in summer and a gourmet Michelin-starred restaurant all year round with menus by chef Xavier Burelle.

The Estérel

Tiara Miramar Hôtel Beach and Spa €€€–€€€€€ 47 avenue de Miramar, 06590 Théoule-sur-Mer, tel: 04 93 75 05 05, www.miramar-beachspa.tiara-hotels.com. Located west of Cannes at the foot of the Estérel massif. Comfortable rooms, most with sea views, are all furnished in Provençal prints. The real pluses are the tropical garden, the steps straight down to the sea and a beachside pool.