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Hotel Negresco Review

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Hôtel Negresco

Address: 37 promenade des Anglais, Promenade des Anglais, Nice, 06000
Phone: 04-93-16-64-00
Fax: 04-93-88-35-68
www.hotel-negresco-nice.com

Price range: $$$$
Location: Nice

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 3.2/5

Fodor's Review:

One of those names, like the Pierre or Claridges, that is synonymous with "Grand Hotel," the Negresco is a wedding-cake, white-stucco slice of old-fashioned Riviera extravagance. Still the icon of Nice and a living monument to the city's golden age of travel, it has hosted everyone from the Beatles to the Burtons, and you'll feel a bit like a V.I.P. just pulling up in front of the entrance as the doorman, in uniformed splendor (knee-breeches and ostrich-plumed tricorn), helps you with your luggage. No other hotel can boast today of quite so many pillars, busts, coffered and painted ceilings, or, indeed, so many acres of white paint and gilding. The place is, in short, the very epitome of La Belle Epoque, justly so since it was built by Henri Negresco in 1912. Yes, the main hall, now denuded of the world's largest Aubusson carpet, is a bit forlorn, but its Gustave Eiffel glass ceiling still awes, as does its qualité du Louvre collection of Old Master paintings. Upstairs, each floor is devoted to an era from French history; Napoléon III on the fifth, Louis XV on the third, with some jarring modern notes, like the plastic-glitter bathtubs, the Vasarely Op-art carpet, and the rotating Nikki de Saint Phalle sculpture. Happily, each guest room is decorated differently and even the smallest have been done up with elegance and swank. By the elevators, you'll find a kitty-litter tray, as Madame Augier, the owner, loves her cats (and all animals—you are requested to leave "tips" for humane societies, not the staff). Downstairs, Le Chantecler ranks among the very finest restaurants in France, while the Carrousel Room (complete with merry-go-round horses and Folies Bérgère chandelier) is an over-the-top setting for your breakfast buffet. Never mind if you can't indulge in a room; dress up in your swankiest and have a champagne cocktail in the glorious walnut-and-velour bar, and you'll recapture some of the glamour of the Old Riviera.

Hotel Details: 145 rooms
In-room: Internet.
In-hotel: 2 restaurants, bar, beachfront, some pets allowed.
Credit Cards: AE, DC, MC, V

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by quiddity33 from new york, new york on 9/23/09
We just returned from a trip to the cote d'azur ad spent two nights at the Negresco. This hotel, in my opinion is mediocre at best. I found it and its history to be very interesting and unique, but for what they are charging, I would have thought the accommodations to be a bit more "refreshed". The interiors of the room are tired, towels stained along with walls and carpets. It's clean but just needs some updating. The breakfast buffet at the Rotunde is not great. I would have been very upset if it was not included in our stay. Some of the staff we encountered at the front desk and concierge were not that great either. For example, one day it was pouring rain and I asked the concierge how to get to St Paul de Vence via bus. He told me that I had to walk to the gare routiere which is clear on the other side of town. So we walked there, in the rain, waited for the bus and after three stops, realised that we could have caught this bus about two blocks from the hotel! Then another night it was late, around 930 and my husband and I felt like something light and unfussy for dinner so I asked a bellhop where we should go locally for a hamburger and he said very sarcastically that we should go to "Mc Donalds". I was not laughing as I was very insulted at his lack of willingness to help us. Because of these instances and general hotel feel I dont think I would recommend this hotel to any of our friends.

Member Rating: 3.2
Ratings details: Room: 3.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 3.0 Value: 3.0

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