Monte-Carlo Beach
When we think of a destination that allows us to forget everything for a while playing the quarters in a casino, the hard drive that we installed The American entertainment industry immediately takes us to Las Vegas , the Texan hats, the cowboy boots, the weddings of Marilynes and Elvises, the hotels imitating Egyptian pyramids or medieval castles.
Yes, it's tacky, but so is Disneyland and the kids have a good time there. What little judgment what little imagination ! We prefer to torture ourselves with a fifteen-hour plane ride to end up in a gangster den in the middle of the desert when just around the corner we have the cradle of the green rug, one of the most fascinating and glamorous places in the world , where we can still believe that James Bond is about to walk through the door dressed in an impeccable tuxedo and order a “shaken, not stirred” Martini.
I'm referring, in case you haven't already guessed, to the pearl of the Côte d'Azur, Monte Carlo. Let's clarify concepts: Is Monte Carlo the same as Monaco? Nope exactly.
Carry Grant on the terrace of the Hôtel de Paris
Monaco is the name of a principality whose area occupies less than half of the Salamanca district of Madrid or a third of Barcelona's Eixample. Y Montecarlo is the Monaco neighborhood created in the mid-19th century to house the casino that has made this tiny corner of the Mediterranean famous.
To the reigning prince of that time, Carlos III, it occurred to him to legalize gambling, banned in France, and he granted the license to a character with a shady background but with a clear vision of the business: Francois Blanc. He **created the Société des Bains de Mer,** a name chosen because at that time it was finer to say that he was going to take the waters than to melt the family heritage at roulette.
Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera, built the casino and the following year the mythical Hôtel de Paris was inaugurated, the first in the world that had bathrooms in each room.
The Hotel de Paris in 1910
Nowadays, the SBM It is almost a state within the state itself, with four casinos, dozens of restaurants and four hotels.
The idea is to offer the visitor a concept of super luxury resort where you can enjoy the range of possibilities offered by each establishment : the Monte-Carlo Bay and its large pools are perfect for families; the ** Beach Hotel, ** with only forty-eight rooms, is exclusivity by the sea; the Hermitage , in addition to housing the secrets of the romance of Onassis and María Callas, has one of the best equipped spas in Europe, almost 7,000 square meters of pools, jets, massages and treatments with views of the port of Monaco as a setting.
For lifelong foodies there is the hotel de paris , currently under renovation, but which promises a sensational rental.
Monte-Carlo Beach
They have already inaugurated the emblem of this new stage: the Princesse Grace suite , a tribute of 900 square meters with huge terraces that dominate the entire bay.
Distributed on two floors, everything in it evokes Hitchcock's famous muse reconverted into a serene highness: her favorite books on the shelves, paintings painted by her, the roses that grow in the flower boxes and bear her name, without forgetting a video with unpublished images of the life of the myth that can be seen on all the screens in the apartment.
The set is completed with all kinds of details that one can imagine, like a wardrobe-sized safe with a rotating compartment so that luxury watches don't get damaged or a colossal shower that turns into a hammam. Exclusivity raised to the nth degree for 'only' 48,000 euros per day.
So that we do not need to leave your facilities , the Société des Bains de Mer offers a gastronomic tour at the height of the most pedantic of foodies, an authentic walk through the Michelin stars.
At the Hôtel de Paris, Alain Ducasse directs the Louis XV, the most classic and consolidated; in the Hermitage we find the Vistamar and its wonderful terrace ; for the most beachy, ** Elsa, at the Beach Club **.
However, after a detailed visit we conclude that the most attractive by far is the Blue Bay, where the unorthodox West Indian chef Marcel Ravin fuses Mediterranean cuisine with that of his native Martinique.
He asks for the table that he gives to the kitchen, served by Marcel himself, to enjoy the experience even more.
And the feast does not end here: to supply its 32 restaurants, the Société relies on hundreds of thousands of bottles of the best wines from the Hotel de Paris cellar, excavated taking advantage of the natural caves of the Principality and one of the largest in the world.
One of the dishes overlooking the sea at Monte-Carlo Beach
But let's not forget the casino, the first excuse for our visit, a spectacular building that seduces with its art nouveau elegance Seen in so many movies.
And an important detail: it is not necessary to mix with other mortals, since the key to each room –and appropriate clothing– It allows us to access the private rooms and even play in the summer on the terrace that overlooks the sea.
Hermitage Monte-Carlo, whose winter garden was designed by Gustave Eiffel
Let's be honest: the only cheap thing about this plan is the flight to Nice. Throwing the house out the window then follows the helicopter transfer to Monaco, the generous bills and the inevitable temptations in big name stores.
But In few places in the world can you breathe such a sparkling and intoxicating atmosphere of luxury, like good champagne. Also, There is always the possibility that everything will be free. All that is needed is for fortune to blow the number where the capricious roulette ball will stop. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Montecarlo is well worth it.
***** _This report was published in **number 119 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (July-August)**. Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The July-August issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device. _
Pool of the Princesse Grace suite, one of the most exclusive (and expensive) in the world