Where to stay
Monaco’s handful of five-star Belle Époque hotels are huddled around the Carré d’Or (Golden Square), crowned by the historic centerpiece Casino de Monte-Carlo. The independently owned, Jacques Garcia-designed Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo boasts designer names like the Spa Metropole by Givenchy—one of three in the world—and the Karl Lagerfeld-designed Odyssey, an urban rooftop oasis with a heated saltwater pool. In addition to YOSHI, the only Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant on the Riviera, Metropole debuted one of the most anticipated openings in the principality this summer: Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, a revival of the original restaurant from the 1920s, helmed by the late Joël Robuchon’s former right-hand chef. Jacques Garcia was brought back on board to spearhead the two-year renovation of the restaurant, which features an open-kitchen concept, chef’s table with 360-degree views of the team at work, and cigar lounge—the only in Monaco—in the newly extended lobby bar, where a Picasso purchased at auction anchors the space. One other aspect popular with fans of the former Robuchon eatery has also been brought back: the legendary bread and dessert trolleys.
Facing the casino, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is perhaps the most emblematic of Monaco, and after a multi-year, multimillion-dollar renovation, it’s among the most modern as well. You’ll still see timeless glamour in the gilded dining room of three-star Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, with its gold leaf-painted frescoes and columns (and Bordeaux-modeled wine cellar lined with more than 350,000 bottles). But with revamped Art Deco rotunda rooms overlooking the super yacht-filled harbor, and the expansive Prince Rainier III Suite, outfitted with a two-level outdoor lounge and infinity pool perched over the casino, rooms not only offer some of the best views, they’re some of the most luxurious in the South of France.
The family-friendly Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort feels like more of a Mediterranean island retreat, with seaside sun beds and beach fare from two Michelin-starred chef Marcel Ravin; Balinese-style beds by the sand-bottom lagoon; and water sports like parasailing and tubing available off the hotel’s pontoon. At the opposite end of the principality, in what’s technically considered France, the terra cotta-colored Monte-Carlo Beach exudes retro, 1930s charm with Art Deco, California villa-inspired rooms hugging the coastline, and an Olympic-sized saltwater pool that served as a backdrop for Helmut Newton’s Vogue and Vanity Fair shoots.
