Hi, ready to book another trip - 3 days Vienna, 3 days Salzburg, 4 days Nice. Now I am getting feedback from friends that Nice is ridiculously expensive. I live in NYC. How much more expensive could it be? Does anyone know about Le Meridian or Beau Rivage Hotels? <BR>Thanks clubbies!

I am planning a trip for Paris and Nice in May. I have found that the hotels in Nice are less expensive than in Paris. Also, transportation (trains/ buses)from Nice to other sites is pretty cheap. (For instance, I was told $7 for train from Nice to Cannes.) <BR> <BR>I am reserving well-recommended 3 star hotels and am paying $150 in Paris and $100 in Nice. I'd say that's less than NYC. I don't know anything about prices in restaurants, though. <BR> <BR>

why nice? its gross compared to the smaller, cozy towns of antibes, villefranche etc... much more room for the franc too

Ellen, I have only been there once, to Antibes and Juan Les Pins. It was not expensive at all. I spent much more in Florence and Venice than the French Riviera.

Well, I think the Meridian and Beau Rivage are too expensive (ca.$200), but that's me. We stayed at the 3-star Splendid in Cannes for $85 last year, right on the port, airconditioned, very nice. I think if you look for well-recommended 3-stars, you should be perfectly comfortable and not break the bank. Try http://digital.france.com or www.hotelboulevard.com

I do agree that the hotels you mention are in the expensive class. There are two hotels in Nice that get good reviews recently in UK papers. One is the Windsor which has a web site www.webstore.fr/windsor/anglais. The other is the Grimaldi but I have not stayed at either. I did stay at the Gounod some years ago which is a friendly family run hotel. We quite enjoyed our stay. Cannes is quite expensive but there is a Great Western Hotel there whose name is Hotel Univers. it was centrally situated and reasonably priced...about FF400 per room per night. I also love Antibes and have spent holidays there.It is a real French town and does not seem to rely on tourists. However, we were staying in a house and we noted that there were not many hotels there. Juan Les Pins is a more touristy place but quite pleasant. We are off to the area next month and we are staying in Cannes at an apartment right in town on Rue Antibes. It is a one bdr. place with all mod. cons and costs about £420 per week. Then we will go on to either Villefranche or Menton. Bob the navigator gives Menton rave reviews as a base and although we know it well we have never stayed there. It seems a good base to explore the Italian towns close by.Sorry I have digressed, but it is so good to be in touch with evryone again!

I have heard a few negative comments on Nice. I thought this would be a good central location to stay... where we could easily catch trains or busses to other towns in the area. Do you think we will be disappointed if we stay here? We are booked at the Gounod. <BR> <BR>(We are flying in and out of Nice airport, if that makes a difference.)

I don't know what time of year you are planning to go Nice. We usually go off season. I've been there in August and like the rest of the south of France, it is BUSY. <BR> <BR>I, too, am a frequent visitor to the Hotel Gounod. The price is right, the location is great, and they have the best staff. I also have to mention my favorite restaurant, the Barracuda, which is just down the street from the Gounod heading towards the sea. They make the best Moules Marinere and their seafood pizza is the great. <BR> <BR>Enjoy Nice.

Thank you for the responses. I know that Nice is not as charming as the other towns. We picked it because we will absolutely not be renting a car (causes marital stress - the men & directions/women & maps issue : - )) Staying in Nice should make it easier to navigate the area. We are not set on the Le Meridian or Beau Rivage. I am actually considering Splendid. We ar going at the beginning of June. I am more concerned at food & entertainment cost. A friend told me that a bottle of Evian is $20 US!

Hi Ellen, <BR> <BR>Last Memorial Day weekend, I stayed in a lovely 3-star in Nice, the Hotel Bleu Marine Victoria, which I booked through Travelocity. I paid $75/night for a well-air-conditioned single room overlooking the garden of the hotel--I can't remember whether the buffet breakfast was included but it, too, was great. The hotel is located on the Boulevard Victor Hugo which is midway between the RR station and the sea (10 minute walk in either direction). The Gounod and Windsor are nearby, but I prefer the broad tree-lined boulevard to the side streets. As to cost--I'm a New Yorker and I guarantee that you won't find Nice any more expensive than NYC. In fact, the less expensive options for accommodations and dining are significantly better values than you'd find in NYC. I also didn't have a car and found Nice a perfect base. The railroad is a little commuter line--think the LIRR but clean and with a French accent. You will love Nice, I promise--it's a wonderful small city, as long as you don't stay in a hotel on the beachfront (there it's like Miami).

That's crazy. It's like anyplace--if you buy Evian at the Negresco (think Plaza), you'll pay more than if you buy it at McDonalds.

Ellen, we were in Nice last October and we also stayed in the Bleu Marine Hotel on Blvd. Victor Hugo. (Chosen because of the recommendations on this board.) It was not fancy, but charming and very clean and in a good location. The buffet breakfast was not included in the price. We walked to the pedestrian area for most meals - only about 5 minutes away - where there are tons of sidewalk cafes. My husband also found the driving nerve wracking (!). The Evian we ordered was about $4.00 a bottle - about like the wine! I'm sure the large hotels and exclusive restaurants are expensive, but we were very happy with the smaller, sidewalk cafes that we ate in. I had never been to the south of France before and was not particularly anxious to go, but we loved our stay there. Most of our week was spent near Grasse at a cooking school held in Julia Child's house, where we also stayed. It was wonderful.