Sleeping in Nice

From British aristos to today’s beach-trotters, via business tourism, Nice has been cultivating the art of welcoming its guests for decades.

Supreme chic, the buildings multiply architectural genres and bear names that borrow from mythology, botany, the Russia of the Tsars, the magic of the Belle Époque… Here, the buildings are called Bel Azur, Savoy Palace, Les Mimosas, Palais de la Paix, Gloria Mansions, les Naïades, Neptune, Bel-Azur, Nathalia on the Russian cathedral side… We leave it to you to find Le Roy Soleil and Versailles: quite a programme! A priori, no problem to find a hotel room or even to rent a historical villa in the Cimiez district or on the Promenade des Anglais (hint, it is at n° 139).

Here are the favourites of the people of Nice:

LA COLOMBE D’OR

Place du Général-de-Gaulle, Saint-Paul-de-Vence – Tel. 04 93 32 80 02 – la-colombe-dor.com

We are not in Nice, but in the hinterland, only half an hour away by car. This Colombe d’Or is an absolute treasure, a café-bar from the 1920’s which became a haunt of artists – Montand and Signoret in the first place – thirty years later. A more than perfect Provençal address, still run by the Roux family (we give Danièle a big kiss), and where all the great painters and sculptors have left their mark, whether it be César, Fernand Léger, Calder, and even Picasso. In summer, the swimming pool is absolutely the place to be. It’s the perfect place to have a good time.

HÔTEL AMOUR

3, avenue des Fleurs, Nice – Tel. 04 65 27 10 10 – hotelamournice.fr

Mediterranean satellite of its über cool Parisian namesake. André Saraiva and his gang have opened this new hot spot a few dozen metres from the Prom. Bohemian brocanto decor, Malabar pink or sunny pastel walls, books scattered here and there and a swimming pool on the roof. Cute “small” rooms and a lovely 26 m2 studio to relax in after a day on the beach below. And as Mika, the owner, knows how to receive, you will have a stay that is more than worth the diversions.

HÔTEL WINDSOR

11, rue Dalpozzo, Nice – Tel. 04 93 88 59 35 – hotelwindsornice.com

In the “artist’s rooms” category, this is a lovely address with Antoine Beaudoin’s frescoes on the walls, installations designed by contemporary artists and a garden planted with tropical species and fruit trees.

HÔTEL LA PÉROUSE

11, quai Rauba Capeu, Nice – Tel. 04 93 62 34 63 – hotel-la-perouse.com

Set on the hill of the Château with a breathtaking view of the Prom (you’d think you were in a Dufy painting), this is a chic address that is a little out of the way even though everything is within walking distance. Choose a room with a terrace to enjoy a nightcap and breakfast facing the Bay of Angels.

HÔTEL LE SAINT PAUL

29, boulevard Franck-Pilatte, Nice – Tel. 04 93 89 39 57 – lesaintpaul-hotel.fr

A former seminary opened in 1840, this pink house with green shutters in the Lazaret district has been transformed into an establishment with a modern decor and a certain comfort. The restaurant’s terrace, facing the sea, is perfect to start the day.

LE NEGRESCO

37 promenade des Anglais, Nice – Tel. 04 89 49 31 50 – hotel-negresco-nice.com

One of the last independent palaces in France, opened in 1913 by a Romanian butler who served, among others, the Rockfeller family. The dome (under which the 100 m2 Angels suite is located) is said to be in the shape of his mistress’ breast… A hotel myth of its kind, long piloted by the stubborn Jeanne Augier (who died at the age of 90 in 2019), who imposed her taste for contemporary art alongside Grand Siècle furniture and paintings of the kings and queens of France. All the celebrities of the 20th century and a host of crowned heads have passed through here.