Earlier in the year I picked up a good deal on BA “Club Europe” tickets to Nice, for the autumn school half term (my partner’s a teacher). Flying from Gatwick cost £250 each return, whereas the very same dates from Heathrow cost £750!!  Given that Gatwick’s so much closer to where I live, and I was keen to try out BA’s newly opened business class lounge in the South Terminal, to which they moved earlier in 2017, it was a no-brainer.

But it wasn’t as easy to choose a luxury hotel on the Cote d’Azure because many seem to close for the season, in early autumn. And of course some hotels are just too expensive, especially in Cannes whenever a conference or event is on.  Referencing the Leading Hotels of the World website (www.lhw.com) which has become a favourite collection of mine, I came across the Royal Riviera in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (a mouthful of a place name, normally shortened to ‘Saint-Jean’ or ‘Cap Ferrat’). I hadn’t stayed that side of Nice before, but I could see that the hotel was just a short walk from Beaulieu-sur-mer train station, to allow us easy access to Monaco and Cannes, which I wanted to visit on the trip. And the rates weren’t too ridiculous, at c€500/night for a deluxe garden room. So I booked up, through the hotel’s website, which didn’t require a deposit to be paid.

A week before I was due to stay I emailed the hotel’s Concierge to see if he might be able to get me a reservation at the renowned 2 star Michelin restaurant, La Chèvre D’Or.  He secured a table for me in less than 24 hours – very good service!

A thirty minute or so taxi journey from Nice Cote D’Azure airport got us to the hotel as it was getting dark. We received a warm welcome and a short tour of the grounds en route to our room, which was on the ground floor of “L’Orangerie”, a onetime private villa beside the Med. L’Orangerie sits in the gardens across from the main hotel building.  It is a charming building with a Neo-classical feel with pale blues and yellows (typical of the area).  This gentle summery palette continued into the room, which was a

comfortable size.

The room had a very large bed, a desk, a smaller table from where I checked my emails, a satellite TV and access to a secluded little garden area, which had two sun loungers and a small table. At the end of the ‘private’ garden area one could access the rest of the hotel’s grounds.  The garden, with its grass, trees and birdsong was a lovely place to start the morning, or to return to in the late afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The room’s bathroom was spacious and marbled, but aspects of it looked rather dated (and, IMHO, not in a classical way).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example, the shower head was old and not very good, and there was only a flimsy curtain around the shower area, which meant the marble floor became wet, which was a slip hazard. I guess there are plenty of people who think the 1930s sort of feel to the bathroom is spot on, and it would be a sin to renovate it with modern appliances.  Opinions will differ. Toiletries were Bulgari eau de the (pronounced tay) blanc, which I like.  Immediately outside the bathroom were the wardrobes and clothes drawers, which was handy.  One lovely little touch which pleased me was a “pillow fragrance” by D’Oreiller, in the room. Its aroma was refined, elegant and calming. One irritating little touch was a plug adaptor in the room which cost €15 to use. However, this charge wasn’t added to our bill. I do believe a good hotel should help its guests with electrical connections, not charge them for it.

Fresh mineral water was left in the room each day.  The only problem with the room, for me, was the air conditioning: I just couldn’t get it to cool the room properly.  One day a maintenance man came to the room to play with it, and that was the only night of our stay that the room was cool overnight.  Maybe our housekeeper fiddled with it during the days, or maybe I’m just incompetent, but for most nights I was too warm, and being on the ground floor we didn’t feel we should leave windows open to cool us at night.  But at check-out the front desk manageress kindly shaved a little off our bill, as compensation.

The front desk sits at the front entrance to the building, right opposite the gift shop. The manageress kindly enrolled me into the “Leaders Club” loyalty programme of the Leading Hotels of the World group (www.lhw.com) without the usual $150 fee. (And when I got home I discovered they also offered me a free night on my next booking.)  I must also note the excellent service from both of the Concierges I met. One addressed me by name before I had even spoken to him, and both helped me very well with restaurant suggestions, guide maps, and taxis. They even helped out when I found an injured robin in the gardens!

During our stay we didn’t eat in the hotel’s restaurants, though they looked very nice, with seductive menus.  But the main restaraunt (la Table du Royal) space was used for breakfast every day.  We sat on the terrace most days, in shaded sunshine, with the hotel pool and gardens on one side and the sparkling Mediterranean in front of us. It was simply stunningly beautiful!  But every morning my head was confused by the sun rising to our right side. If I’m on the south coast of France, facing the sea, how come the sun appears to be rising in the west?!  Of course it was down to our location on the Cap Ferrat peninsula, that we were’t facing south at all.  On our final morning we sat inside because there was a cool wind blowing outside.

Breakfast was a buffet, located inside, which offered a full choice of breakfast items, from fresh juices, cereals, fruits, yoghurts, breads, pastries, pancakes, cold meats and cheeses plus bacon, eggs and the other items you’d expect to see in a British cooked breakfast.  Teas and coffees were made behind the scenes and brought to your table.  Everything was of a very good quality, and over a leisurely hour we were able to set ourselves up for the day very nicely.

The hotel has a good bar with interesting decor and furnishings of an ethnic feel inside, and an outside terrace if the climate allows. Service is good and very personable and a selection of nibbles is provided with ones cocktail order.  But, like many things in this part of France, it’s not cheap; expect to pay €50 for a round of two drinks.

The Royal Riviera benefits from having its own private sandy beach area directly at the rear of the property; a relatively rare thing on the Cote d’Azure, though, in October, it wasn’t set up with loungers or staff to look after ones desires.   Supervised lounging with drink in hand was done beside the swimming pool which is heated.  Because we were out all day every day, we didn’t have the chance to enjoy either bathing spot.

Although the hotel’s address is Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, it’s actually located on the mainland section of the peninsula just metres from the road sign announcing the entrance to Beaulieu-sur-mer. It’s just five minutes walk into Beaulieu, with its shops, restaurants, railways station and marina. There’s a casino too, though we only went into it to use their ATM.  Everywhere is spotlessly clean and walking around at night felt completely safe.  Trains take about ten minutes to get to Monaco in one direction, fifteen to Nice in the other direction.

L’Hotel Royal-Riviera is a charming property with good facilities and excellent service standards.  It doesn’t have the reputation of its Beaulieu neighbour La Reserve de Beaulieu (which was closed for refurb during our visit) but it’s certainly a great place to stay in that vicinity.  I shall be pleased to return.