We have been in dozens of hotels We have stayed at the top and at the bottom. Modest? Luxurious? we've had it all . Reason why it is no longer easy for a hotel to fascinate us. It doesn't matter if it's the coolest place at the moment, the most recent opening, the trend , the place to see and be seen or a timeless classic. Fell in love more than one person has her job (or not) and fall for a hotel, too.
The Hôtel Amour in SoPi (like its brother, the Grand Hotel Amour -in the 10th arrondissement of Paris-) is one of those in which we manage to feel absolutely happy, able to feel the personality of its owners – André Saraiva, Emmanuel Delavenne and Thierry Costes –, in each room. Them we worship and we fall at his feet at every visit. It will be that his ode to love goes deep. It will be that, simply, they know how to do it very well.
But love ends every June because Paris is not an (idyllic) destination to be visited with its high temperatures and the scarcity of dips in the sea. Summer Love? Paris through clearly not.
"Our hotels are not concept hotels, nor are they boutique hotels or hotels created by great designers. Ours are hotels for artists , to be the meeting point of a creative community . I want people to feel at home", explains André Saraiva of the accommodations that have laid the foundations for a new adventure: his beach version on the French Riviera.
Location: In Nice and a stone's throw from Promenade des Anglais , in the Fleurs district, a quiet and residential neighborhood that is just five minutes from the ocean and close to the pop sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle.
Bedrooms : Small and intimate, with 38 rooms that have views of the street, the surrounding mountains.
"The Beds they are of Brand Simmons , of the Imperial Palace Premium model, while the sheets are 100% cotton. Made with a special fabric that does not wrinkle and our pillows and duvets are from an Australian brand called Kaufmann ", explains Emmanuel Delavenne. "They are stuffed with goose feathers, so they are totally hypoallergenic, as well as light in the summer and warm in the winter." marble bathrooms pink (with Italian showers) are wonderful, even more so if they are in the suites – with views over the city's rooftops. –, which open directly onto the adjacent courtyard of the hotel.
Ambient: romantic and prone to passion , so they are vetoed telephones and televisions in the rooms so that the flame of love is not interrupted. What there is (and many) are books . ""All were bought in second-hand stores and most are by great authors of the 20th century. They are in the rooms to be read, but if you want, you can take them home," Delavene says.
On the walls hangs an eclectic selection of paintings and photographs that follow the line of the whole love chain , donated by artist friends of the owners, bought at auction houses or flea markets. The same with the interior design, awarded to the good gesture of Emmanuel Delavene , with colors like pink stick staining the walls from head to toe; colored rooms blue duck –and sinks next to the bed–; enhancing the mix of navy blue and yellow for rooms with simple and curious beds Vallauris ceramics from the 50s and 60s.
Amenities: of Byredo. They have chosen the Gypsy Water fragrance for their gel soap, shampoo, body cream and soap. .
Gastronomy: If in Paris it is a perfect bistro and café that receives tourists and locals alike, here the dynamic is the same. The welcome is given by bar , which functions as a lobby and which in turn gives way to a restaurant that becomes lounge . Here you do what you want and in the order you want. To eat, the menu has panisses –fried chickpea sticks, a typical recipe from Provence–, pissaladière –the pizza from the south of France–, soup with lemons from Menton, fish of the day with Swiss chard... all brought directly from the market daily and with local produce. And for drink, natural wines.
Services: There is free Wi-Fi, food service in the rooms –how can you enhance the romance if not–, a private beach and swimming pool . The latter is on the hotel terrace. Small yes, but with illustrations by Mr A , the iconic character created by Saraiva, available only to hotel guests and with panoramic views of Nice. Right there you will find a bar and a restaurant that specializes in cooking everything on the grill.
To do: of everything. you can walk around it Flea Market in Cours Saleya or explore the architecture of the city: a mixture of French and Italian, neoclassical, baroque and art deco styles. It is essential to take a look at the school and art center Villa Arson , the flagship of the new brutalism, as well as the Matisse Museum , Chagall or the Fine Arts. If you have a car, you can take a route through the villages in the hills, behind the coast.
To eat, you have the snack , Emmanuel's favourite; Babel-Babel, in the recently renovated district of les Ponchettes and with views of the sea or Davia , a restaurant run by the third generation of the family that founded it. Homemade and nothing impersonal. In the Liberation Market you will find organic fruits and vegetables, while in the du Cours Saleya there are the famous Louis Berton nougats.
The beach: the main attraction of the hotel is L'Amour a la plage , the private beach that you reach after admiring the already characteristic neon of the Amour hotels. There, umbrellas and loungers follow the aesthetic line of the hotel, irresistible before the canons of Instagram. Shaded by bougainvillea, its open-air restaurant stays true to the south with salad niçoise, marinated peppers, or grilled sardines.
As the song that honors says, L'Amour à la plage, C'est l'amour à la plage (ah-ouh, cha cha cha) / Et mes yeux dans tes yeux (ah-ouh, ah-ouh) / Baisers et coquillages (ah-ouh, cha cha cha) / Entre toi et l'eau bleue (ah-ouh, ah-ouh).
