Destination Guide
Monaco
Courtesy of Monaco Press Centre
Stay
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. With Indagare Plus,members receive special amenities.
Hôtel Métropole
This 126-room Italianate Belle Époque palace is one of the only luxury hotels in Monte-Carlo that is independent of the SBM. It has become a favorite of those seeking deep comfort whose tastes fall somewhere between ornate old-world and flashy high-tech. Celebrity decorator Jacques Garcia went for a Mediterranean palazzo effect, transforming the vast lobby into a cozy bar and lounge with his trademark jumble of opulent styles: Renaissance colors, a 15th-century Gobelins tapestry, armchairs upholstered in striped Pierre Frey fabrics.
The rooms are done in soft beiges, some with shiny orange taffeta curtains and a few decorative Corinthian columns thrown in, and boast chic, chocolate-brown bathrooms with floors patterned in checkerboards. The newly designed pool and lounge area designed by Karl Lagerfeld provides a serene lounging area steps from the Place du Casino. With not one but three Joël Robuchon restaurants (French, Mediterranean and Japanese) here—and supplying room service—you don’t have to leave the hotel, or even your room to have an exquisite meal. Romantic, elegant and impeccably run, the Métropole is a breath of fresh air.
Hôtel Hermitage
Owned by the SBM, this Belle Époque landmark is a quieter alternative to the Hôtel de Paris. The understated elegance is evident from the moment guests step into the sleek, white lobby. Most impressive is the Jardin d’Hiver, a greenhouse with a stained-glass dome that was designed by Gustave Eiffel.
More recently renovated than the Hôtel de Paris (in 2010), Hôtel Hermitage has elegant, classically decorated rooms (with modern amenities) and suites whose décor is more in tune with the old-world grandeur of the building. The 280 rooms and suites are spread throughout wings of the building, which also includes three bars and direct access to the Therme Marins Monte-Carlo, the massive SBM-owned spa. The hotel lacks the buzz associated with being on the Place du Casino (perhaps because it has nowhere quite as inviting to lounge), but the majestic hushed atmosphere is wonderfully exclusive.
