Help with planning for Nice
May 14th, 2004, 02:45 AM
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Help with planning for Nice
My husband and I will be in Nice for 4 days in mid June. This is our first trip there so any suggestions as to what to do or see would be appreciated. Any suggestions for restaurants or Cafes overlooking the water? Is a day trip to Monte Carlo do-able, do we need a car or is there transportation?
I am also looking for a hotel overlooking the water and close to everything, has anyone stayed at the Riviera Marriott on the harbor? how is the location, can we walk to things? How about the Radisson? Any suggestions for a nice 4 or 5 five star hotel would be appreciated.
I am also looking for a hotel overlooking the water and close to everything, has anyone stayed at the Riviera Marriott on the harbor? how is the location, can we walk to things? How about the Radisson? Any suggestions for a nice 4 or 5 five star hotel would be appreciated.
May 14th, 2004, 03:24 AM
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Hi Yazlin. Are you going <i>this</i> June? There are some big conventions/events at that time. Hope you can find a room.
The hotels in Nice mentioned most often are the Westminster, the West End and La Perouse. If I'm not mistaken, the Marriott is actually in Cap D'Ail, which is above Nice, not in Nice. I think people have said it's "nice" with a small pool. What is your budget?
You can do a text search here for Hotels in Nice. Tripadvisor.com is another good source.
There is a train that runs more or less along the coast fairly regularly during the summer connecting the various towns. A day trip to Monte Carlo is very doable either by the train or car. HOWEVER, there was a train tunnel collapse a while back & I don't think it's yet repaired. I can never remember whether it's east or west of Monaco. If it's west, you would have to get off the train & be bused. It will just take longe. Maybe someone else here can provide more info.
For just 4 days, given it's your first trip, I think you can manage without a car if you'd rather not drive.
Most people enjoy at least 1 day trip to one of the charming hill towns. Eze or St Paul de Vence are most popular. Eze is a bit closer to Nice. You could take a train to Eze sur Mer (then you should take a taxi uo to the town! It's a very steep, long walk) & continue on to Monaco by train. (Or maybe you'd like to rent a car for a day)
I love the gardens at Villa Ephrussi in Beaulieu. It's a former Rothschild villa now open as a museum. They have a website.
If you like art, there are a number of museums both in Nice & the surrounding towns. There's a good Picasso museum in Antibes. You could certainly spend the 4 days touring around.
The hotels in Nice mentioned most often are the Westminster, the West End and La Perouse. If I'm not mistaken, the Marriott is actually in Cap D'Ail, which is above Nice, not in Nice. I think people have said it's "nice" with a small pool. What is your budget?
You can do a text search here for Hotels in Nice. Tripadvisor.com is another good source.
There is a train that runs more or less along the coast fairly regularly during the summer connecting the various towns. A day trip to Monte Carlo is very doable either by the train or car. HOWEVER, there was a train tunnel collapse a while back & I don't think it's yet repaired. I can never remember whether it's east or west of Monaco. If it's west, you would have to get off the train & be bused. It will just take longe. Maybe someone else here can provide more info.
For just 4 days, given it's your first trip, I think you can manage without a car if you'd rather not drive.
Most people enjoy at least 1 day trip to one of the charming hill towns. Eze or St Paul de Vence are most popular. Eze is a bit closer to Nice. You could take a train to Eze sur Mer (then you should take a taxi uo to the town! It's a very steep, long walk) & continue on to Monaco by train. (Or maybe you'd like to rent a car for a day)
I love the gardens at Villa Ephrussi in Beaulieu. It's a former Rothschild villa now open as a museum. They have a website.
If you like art, there are a number of museums both in Nice & the surrounding towns. There's a good Picasso museum in Antibes. You could certainly spend the 4 days touring around.
May 14th, 2004, 03:54 AM
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Here's an old thread I came across that has some wonderful sightseeing info (particularly the post from Capo). It also made me realize the Ephrussi is in Cap Ferrat not Beaulieu (Villa Keyrlos is in Beaulieu)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1331904
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1331904
May 14th, 2004, 04:33 AM
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Yazlin,
My wife and I spent part of our honeymoon in Nice. We stayed at La Perouse. A great hotel right off the east end of the beach. According to their webiste they just finished remodeling the place. We were there two summers ago and it was quite nice then.
http://www.hotel-la-perouse.com/welcome/index.html
La Perouse is on the Old town end of Nice. There is a large market a few blocks away. The streets of Old Town are narrow, winding, and full of shops and restaurants. The west end of the beach is where you'll find the larger hotels and casinos.
We had a car while staying in Nice (La Perouse will direct you to ramp about two blocks away). It is an easy and breath taking drive down the Corte de Azur to Eze and Monacco. Definitely worth part of a day.
Enjoy...Chris
My wife and I spent part of our honeymoon in Nice. We stayed at La Perouse. A great hotel right off the east end of the beach. According to their webiste they just finished remodeling the place. We were there two summers ago and it was quite nice then.
http://www.hotel-la-perouse.com/welcome/index.html
La Perouse is on the Old town end of Nice. There is a large market a few blocks away. The streets of Old Town are narrow, winding, and full of shops and restaurants. The west end of the beach is where you'll find the larger hotels and casinos.
We had a car while staying in Nice (La Perouse will direct you to ramp about two blocks away). It is an easy and breath taking drive down the Corte de Azur to Eze and Monacco. Definitely worth part of a day.
Enjoy...Chris
May 14th, 2004, 04:55 AM
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The Riviera Marriott is in Cap d'Ail about 16 miles from Nice, but very close to Monte Carlo. I would recommend renting a car if you plan to stay there.
I have stayed a week in Cap d'Ail just above the Marriott. It has a very small downtown strip with a post office & a few local restaurants(none to write home about).
It's a bargain to stay beachfront for 140 euros, on the downside it's a generic Marriott room. It's not a bad choice if you have a car, it's short drive to everything. Cap d'Ail is a nice residential town close to several tourist attractions.
I have stayed a week in Cap d'Ail just above the Marriott. It has a very small downtown strip with a post office & a few local restaurants(none to write home about).
It's a bargain to stay beachfront for 140 euros, on the downside it's a generic Marriott room. It's not a bad choice if you have a car, it's short drive to everything. Cap d'Ail is a nice residential town close to several tourist attractions.
May 14th, 2004, 07:35 AM
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The La Pérouse is considered one of the finest hotels in Nice; it is also quite expensive: a deluxe double room with a sea view and balcony will run about 300€ minimum. Also, the La Pérouse is so popular that it is booked well in advance; you may not be able to get a room. Another 4* hotel with sea-view rooms is the Le Meridien. Like the La Pérouse, it is quite close to the attractions of Vieux Nice and the Cours Saléya market. That's the general area in which it's best to stay. Rooms will be around 350€ for a view.
The Radisson is quite a distance from Vieux Nice, and recently there have been some bad reviews of it. Ditto for the West End and the unrenovated rooms of the Westminster.
Another possibility for you would be the famous Negesco, which has rooms with a view if you're willing to pay quite a lot for them.
If you can't get a room at one of the above, try the Beau Rivage, which just underwent an extensive renovation. It's just down the block from the Cours Saléya and has a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean--and also a private beach.
If you stay near the Cours Saléya you can easily walk to Vieux Nice and central Nice.
The Radisson is quite a distance from Vieux Nice, and recently there have been some bad reviews of it. Ditto for the West End and the unrenovated rooms of the Westminster.
Another possibility for you would be the famous Negesco, which has rooms with a view if you're willing to pay quite a lot for them.
If you can't get a room at one of the above, try the Beau Rivage, which just underwent an extensive renovation. It's just down the block from the Cours Saléya and has a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean--and also a private beach.
If you stay near the Cours Saléya you can easily walk to Vieux Nice and central Nice.
May 17th, 2004, 06:10 PM
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Thank you all for the advice. Yes, we're going this June, as a last minute decision. So far I have found rooms only at the Marriott Cap D'ail for 195 Eur and La Perose for 405 Eur. I would go for the cheaper option and spend on restaurants and shopping, but should we consider La Perouse for the location? How about beaches, I heard that Nice beaches are not that great, are there any near the Marriott? Should we look into Cannes and Monaco for hotels? any hotels in particular. Our budget is around 350 Eur per night nut we expect luxury at that price!
May 17th, 2004, 07:26 PM
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In Cap D'Ail, IMO, you absolutely need a car so add that into the equation. The best beaches are in Cannes & west of there (Antibes). At 350e, you should get exactly what you want. There are also some lovely places in Cap Ferrat that have gotten good reviews. Do a textsearch here for Cap Ferrat AND hotels.
May 17th, 2004, 08:10 PM
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If you can get in at the La Pérouse, go for it! The rooms are lovely, and the view is sensational. It's also close to just about everything.
If you want a good beach with sand instead of pebbles, Cannes is one possibility. It's an easy town to get around in without a car, but the good hotels are quite expensive. You might check out St-Juan-les-Pins: good beach, a few nice hotels.
My favorite spot would be St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, but unfortunately true luxury hotels there cost a whole lot of Euros. You could, however, check out the Voile d'Or.
If you want a good beach with sand instead of pebbles, Cannes is one possibility. It's an easy town to get around in without a car, but the good hotels are quite expensive. You might check out St-Juan-les-Pins: good beach, a few nice hotels.
My favorite spot would be St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, but unfortunately true luxury hotels there cost a whole lot of Euros. You could, however, check out the Voile d'Or.
May 18th, 2004, 01:04 PM
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La Belle Reve in Juan les Pins is a lovely smaller hotel on a small beach. In rereading your post, I would say go here for a drink or dinner whether you stay there or not. Juan also ahs a great public beach. The downside is there are lots of discos, clubs in Juan so it's noisy at night.
