Menton
 

We are flying into Nice the middle of May and thinking about driving here to spend the night...any suggestions on places to stay and restaurants? Is this an interesting stop on our way to Italy or are there better places?

Where in Italy are you going? This is not very far from Nice...At the most maybe an hour or an hour and a half..
You might want to keep going into Italy and stay in Ligure...Just a thought.
DebiC

We stopped in Menton on our way to Italy also. We landed in the late afternoon and didn't want to drive to Italy late in the day. We were glad we stopped - the drive to SML was about 3 hours - with some tricky directions. Not sure where you are headed in Italy but Menton is a good place to stop if you have a long ride ahead of you. We stayed at the Napoleon. It was okay - heard it has been renovated in the 2 years since we were there.

Enjoy your trip!

We love Menton--stayed there twice. Go to www.menton.com and pick your choice.
We have done Prince de Galles and Prince and Richmond[??].

The Napolean is currently closed until March or April for a full renovation. We just booked it for late June. Seems as nice a place to stay as any from what I gather -- easy access driving --as opposed to be right in the city. Yet it's a very short walk to the old harbor and old city.

We're first headed for the Cinque Terre but the reason I've always wanted to stay in Menton is everything I've read about the lemon trees, the flowers AND the warm weather! Mary

It's a lovely town, with (unusual for the Cote d'Azur) a bona fide old town. Lemon and orange trees, yeah, but in May you might be surprised by the temperature. Splendid in March/April, though.

The Cocteau Museum right on the sea has a marvelous collection if you have an interest in French art and literature. It is definitely worth a visit. Have been there twice in May and found it warm and lovely.

I would stop in Menton as well. We stayed - although this is some time ago - at hotel L'Aiglon, in 2nd line from the beach. A beautiful small hotel in a very convenient but quiet location.
Website: www.hotelaiglon.net

If you are traveling in the area around the Monaco Grand Prix (20-23 May), make sure you book well in advance! Any hotel.