Hotel Negresco****, Nice, Cote d'Azur, France.

A "one of a kind" grand luxury hotel in the old style
right on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice with views out
over the Mediterranean and a short walk to the middle of town
yet near the Nice Airport. Superb cuisine.

Hotel Negresco is unique. One of the last of the owner operated grand hotels in France, it provides a rich and amusing experience that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. Its entire ambience, look and feel, is entwined with the personality of owner and resident Madame Augier reflecting her style, sense of humor and quirky personal touch.

Located just steps from the center of town and the beach in Nice right on the Promenade des Anglais, the second you arrive you are steeped in a glorious stew of living French tradition and global ultramodern, but you will never forget you are in France. When you pull up in your car, you are greeted by doormen in red and blue livery and shown into the opulent marble reception where you find yourself with one foot in the past and the other in the future.

Click photos where your mouse turns to a hand to see larger version.
Fine cuisine at Michelin starred Restaurant Le Chantecler. The marvelously spacious and skylight lit Salon Royal where modern art and sculpture sits shoulder to shoulder with traditional works.		Night photo of the Negresco. The two story English style bar with dance floor. Footmen in traditional dress ready to take your bags or handle your car.
The main lounge - Salon Versailles
Click photos where the mouse turns to a hand to see larger version. Peter D'Aprix © 2008

This eclectic mixture of modern and traditional art, statues in every shape, form and substance, paintings of pastoral scenes, naked men and women (from erotic to tortured), or images indefinable along with antique furniture and furnishing, come together to create an absorbing and amusing environment - as much entertainment as design. Our room for example, was a muted and understated traditional French bedroom with a corner view out over the sea towards Monte Carlo. The bathroom, however, was a tan marble construction with gold-flecked basins, bathtub, and the bidet in kitsch reminiscent of a fiberglass racing boat on an American lake - all gold, glitter and sparkle.

If you have the time, rather than taking the elevator, take the stairs. If possible make the trip all the way up or down and enjoy the gallery of paintings and sculptures you will find on the way. Each landing has a chair or couch or loveseat for those whose legs might become fatigued.

The hotel has two restaurants. One a pleasant "comfort food" bistro “La Rotonde” with its pompadour "merry-go-round" decor complete with painted carousel horses; the other a serious Michelin starred deluxe restaurant of note. “Le Chantecler” serves the very fine, ultramodern cuisine of chef Jean-Denis Rieubland to be consumed in a marvelously refined Régence style dining room with exquisite 18th-century signed carved wood panels. It is a perfect setting to enjoy this fine contemporary cuisine.

The grand salon, Salon Versailles, is two stories high with a 17th century fireplace to match. Spacious, and almost awe-inspiring, the carved wooden ceiling is beautiful to behold. But perhaps most impressive, is the giant painting of Louis XIV, the Sun King, painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud, the court’s official portrait painter of the time. The same can be said of the bar on the opposite side of the reception hall, with its hand carved wood paneling and it's balustraded mezzanine. This English style bar is a favorite meeting place for the known and unknown. Every evening, there is dancing on the postage stamp dance floor.

Doggie Friendly!
Traditional floor The Picasso Floor	View from our room over the beach. Reception
Peter D'Aprix © 2008

But the room that really catches attention is the Salon Royal, which is illuminated by a ton of shimmering baccarat crystal and a giant surrounding doughnut of skylights. Shaped as a large oval and sat in the center of the hotel, it is almost the size of a basketball court and filled around its perimeter with each nation between its many columns playing host to an array of paintings and sculptures of every conceivable style and approach.

To find such luxury and Quincy in a glorious world-class hotel is rare indeed and to find it virtually on the beach in the south of France in the center of Nice within walking distance of the old town, of the shopping district, a stone’s throw from the airport, with even a gloriously planted and verdant median strip running the length of the Boulevard des Anglaise that runs from the airport to the center of town paralleling the beach.

If the hotel Negresco feels like someone’s personal home, a deluxe well serviced personal home, that’s because it is one. Owner Augier lives here herself and puts her personal stamp on every aspect. Part of the allure is her love of animals that extends to the pets of her guests. The glorious house tabby grudgingly admits guests into the bar after a cursory inspection. Dogs are welcome, but must be on their best behavior.

The staff is professional, correct, yet friendly and charming and will always help you out, whether it is to park your car, help you with luggage, or even, in a pinch, walk your dog. On the subject of “park your car”, that is a bit of a sore point. The hotel has been around since the horse and carriage, and was never built with a parking structure. So valet parking is a must not a luxury. But even that is difficult since you are not allowed to stop let alone park in front of the hotel. Rather, it is necessary to circle the block and come to the front corner entrance from the back. They are well used to this, will whisk your bags and yourselves into reception and take care of your car for you without a second thought.

Rooms and Suites
Standard Bedroom Nuptiale Room	Our Gold rimmed Bathroom Another room

Map of Nice