Hi! Am I the only one confused by travelers' comments regarding hotels in Nice? Obviously, some comments can be disregarded as frivolous. However, cleanliness is a biggie - what to do when you like a hotel, and it gets rave reviews for cleanliness from some, and poor ones from others? Go elsewhere? Perhaps, but then the same situation arises with another important issue, let's say... service! All this to say, I don't really trust TA, and would like feedback from savvy travelers who have stayed at HOTEL LE MASSENA and HOTEL WESTMINSTER, and LE GRIMALDI. Thanks all in advance, I can't seem to make a decision!!! LouAnne

If a hotel has widely varying comments on TA don't book. It means that the management are all over the place.

If you see one or two crazy reports about a hotel then look at the writers more deeply. There are crazy fools everywhere even in TA. If they are crazy then discount their views.

Asking here, ok but remember some of us are crazy too.

I just wrote a post for someone else who asked about The Westminster. Anyway... we used to stay there quite frequently, often upgrading to a jr. sea view suite on the 5th floor. My comments on the other post were that the hotel has got an unbeatable location for exploring Nice, and is nicely situated across from a beach club on the Med. But, some of the rooms in the lower priced categories can be a bit small and dark.

The hotel itself was renovated a few years ago. When we last visited, they offered a very good breakfast buffet and service overall was excellent. We've also stayed at Le Palais Mediterranee, but I actually prefer The Westminster. Less pretentious and cheaper rooms even in the high end category with straight on views of the Med.

I stayed at the Massena with my wife and daughter in August 2008. The hotel was fine and we enjoyed our stay. My wife would have noticed any cleanliness issues. I'm not usually one to care one way or the other about the friendliness of the staff but the front desk really stood out in this area.

Soon after we checked in on a hot day we felt the AC in our room on the first floor was not working properly. I went down to the front desk who said they'd send someone right away. By the time I returned to the room up one flight the repairman was already knocking on the door. He had the AC restored in a couple of minutes.

Would I stay again? Yes.

As to widely divergent TA opinions... don't forget there are people who have axes to grind and many who are, frankly, weird. Case in point... we stayed at a hotel in Paris that was within walking distance of probably 100 cafes and restaurants within a 5 minute walk... yet a reviewer whined about the fact that there were "no restaurants" in the area. Go figure.

I would not discount a hotel just because there are divergent opinions... I look at the numbers of opinions... in this case
94 and 148 found the hotel excellent and very good... the poor and terrible numbers were 38 and 18. So the vast majority liked their stay.

Thanks for this... ParisAmsterdam, do you mean the Massena or your hotel in Paris in your last comment about numbers?

OK, you got Westminster, Massena, and now you'll get my take on the Grimaldi. Loved it. Stayed there in September, 2009 and just booked two rooms for July 2012.

In 2009 we booked a room for 3 people, and it was quite large, but the bathroom (beautifully tiled) was bigger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in! There was a separate bathtub (and a giant tub it was!) and shower, two sinks -- I'm telling you, I would have loved to have that bathroom in my own house! Our room was decorated in provencal colors of yellow and blue, flat screen tv, desk, internet, and a lovely view of the church across the street with an orange tiled roof and dormer windows. I think we were on the 6th floor.

Breakfast was extra, and I didn't partake in it other than have coffee, which I recall was very good. It was easier (and cheaper) for me to go down to the market place and pick up a melon and have that for breakfast in my room, than spend money on mostly breads and coffee.

The extras -- like I said, breakfast. Parking is down the street and goes for some egrigious nightly rate of about $25. Wifi was free.

The quirky -- the hotel has 2 sides and 2 breakfast rooms.

The location: perfect! A couple blocks from the pedestrian street that gets so lively at night; a few more blocks to the Promenade, the outdoor market, and the sea. All easily walkable.

The common rooms: Charming, as is the elevator (one of those tiny beginning of the century affairs that just screams classic French design. I spent a lot of time playing on my lap top during down time in the lobby sitting in a comfy chair and sipping coffee or a nice drink.

Sorry about the spelling errors above. And here's a link to the rooms at the Grimaldi -- in the top photo that changes, showing different rooms, you can see the room we had (by the color described above) as well as our bathroom.

http://www.le-grimaldi.com/index.php...nd-suites.html

I would check on www.venere.com

It has more indepth reviews and a better handle on Europe than TripAdvisor does.

Thanks this is all great advice. I'd love to hear more on the Massena though.

Nice is a large city. You might want something a bit quieter. I've stayed in Juan-Les-Pins, which is about a 15 minute train ride to Nice.

Much nicer beach than the rocks in Nice, smaller town atmosphere, and, if you so desire, a casino.

Not speicific for NIce, but In general,i have MORE trust for reviews when they are mixed. If it's ALL "great" or all"terrible" i am suspicious. Also, check the number of posts by each writer. Some are one-time only, which may mean the owner of the establishment buttered them up to write a glowing review...or the writer IS the owner or one of his friends, maquerading as a hotel client.

louanne,

The idiotic review re restaurants in the area was the Paris hotel. There are also easily 100 within a short stroll of the Massena.

I looked at some of the 'terrible' reviews of the Massena. One women was outraged at the high cost of having the hotel do her laundry. Have you ever stayed in a hotel where laundry charges were NOT high? There is usually a price list. Or you ask first.
Playing the ripped off guest after the fact only shows how naive the poster is.

What else would you like to know about the hotel? We found the location suited us perfectly... close to the old town, 5 minutes to the beach, right beside Place Massena and just across the sqaure was the start of the pedestrianized Rue Massena. Rue Jean Medecin is just around the corner with all it's shops and stores and Galeries Lafayette almost next door.
The restaurant/brasserie Le Lafayette was also almost next door
for breakfast (I avoid French hotel breakfasts like the plague!)
and supper when we were too tired to venture further afield after a busy day. The train station is about a 10 minute walk in one direction and the bus from the airport is 5 minutes the
other way.

Rob

My daughter just reminded me of one other thing... she brought along the little stuffed Siamese cat who has been her faithful bedtime companion since she was a toddler. When we returned to the room each day the cat had always been placed by the maid sitting waiting for her on her pillow. A big deal? No. But it made a 15 year old very happy.

We stayed at Le Grimaldi a few years ago, and liked it a lot. Great location, though no views of the water. Very charming hotel, well-managed, stylish, and classy. We bought the breakfast plan, as it was a nice one in a beautiful breakfast room. They have a business room available with a computer or two, and a printer.

Hi Rob,
I called the hotel Massena yesterday and was impressed with the friendly reception I received. We will most probably reserve there, thanks mainly to your very helpful post. May I ask if you found your room noisy, being near Place Massena? Are certain rooms better than others, do you know? Can you recommend cafés, restaurants, brasseries nearby? Thanks a million, you are a godsend.

Glad to have helped. No, didn't find it noisy at all as the hotel is not right on the square. Our room was one flight up from the lobby and on the side street Rue Chauvain. We have lived in the country for over 30 years so are no longer used to bug city noise... we had no problem.

I suspect, as with many hotels, rooms can vary. Our was not the most modern but was comfortable and clean. The bathroom was large and marble. There was a separate WC.

The Brasserie le Lafayette was right next door. We had breakfast there each day and supper once during our 3 day stay.
Plus innumerable cold drinks. We ate another night on the Cours Saleya and another on Rue Massena in the pedestrian area just west of the hotel.

Hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did.

Rob

Here are some restaurants we liked:

"For our first dinner, I had brought the name of a restaurant I’d found on Travel Talk, and the front desk agreed it was a good one, a local favorite in old Nice. It’s called Acchiardo, at 38 rue Droite in Vieux Nice.
We headed over for their opening at 7p.m., and were very happy with it. Really friendly and attentive service, very quaint and casual atmosphere, with a good menu.
I had a steak dinner, which actually included vegetables on the side. My daughter had two different salads. We had bottled water and a half-liter of house red wine.
When the bill arrived for 28.50EUR, I thought they’d made a mistake because it was so much less than I’d been accustomed to paying in Venice, Florence and Rome.
But, no, it was correct. (We would have maybe eaten there another night, but found out it closes on weekend nights, believe it or not.)

. . .

"We found the Restaurant la Tapenada, 6 rue St. Reparate and had a very nice dinner. It was probably about 60EUR for the two of us, on their fixed price menu, with a bottle of house wine.
Very nice little place, with friendly and attentive service. They even let my daughter trade her dessert for a salad. So she had two salads to start, one after the other, and they timed the arrival of our main courses perfectly.
We were perfectly happy with our meal there.

. . .

"That evening we weren’t very hungry, so opted for the simple Pasta Basta, once again in old Nice. It was a nice meal, although not extraordinary. Good prices and decent service.

"

This is precious information. I just love this forum. (I'm furiously taking notes!)

PeaceOut, a few years ago, you say.... meaning 2-3? or more? Of course, there is not much turn-around in the resto scene in Europe, compared to America.

We were there in May 2006, louanne.

Thanks PeaceOut