With temperatures in Britain plunging, it didn’t take much encouragement for me to head off to Monaco for a couple of days in late November for (comparatively) balmy 18 degree heat and to soak up the luxurious glamour that the world’s smallest principality is famous for. Everyone confuses Monaco and Monte Carlo. Broadly speaking, the latter is a small part of the city, most famous for its luxurious five-star hotels, casino and lavish Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as being home to countless millionaires.
First among equals in the high-end hotel scene in Monte Carlo is the stunning Hotel Metropole, which was extensively renovated a few years ago and now has managed to pull off the rare combination of a grand and lavish luxury hotel with attentive and personal service. The rooms are all exquisitely decorated, with countless civilised touches, from the iPod docks by the beds that double as alarm clocks to the marble bathrooms. It makes for a wonderfully relaxing base to stay before heading out on a trip to the Casino (to which guests get free admission) or the city’s cultural highlights.
One of the keys to the hotel’s artistic success, and why no two visits are ever likely to be exactly the same, is the way in which it’s constantly reinventing itself according to season with new themes. The current one, masterminded by design supremo Maud Lesur, is ‘A Christmas Ballet’, which builds on the legendary work of the Ballets Russes and their creator Serge Diaghilev to give the hotel a gloriously warm feel of white and gold, allowing the public spaces to sparkle with pearls.
That said, there’s not much about the hotel that doesn’t sparkle anyway. The culinary highs include a 2 Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon restaurant, which is every bit as magnificent as you’d expect – the best view into the kitchen comes from the chef’s table, which allows you to see the artistry going into such dishes as milk-fed lamb stew and scallops cooked in seaweed butter, as well as Robuchon’s signature melt-in-mouth mashed potato. His other restaurant, which opened at the end of 2008, is Yoshi, where the food is overseen by ace Japanese chef Takeo Yamazaki. Highlights amongst the sumptuous sashimi and sushi include some of the best black cod you’re likely to have outside of Japan, as well as some sensational wagyu beef.
There’s plenty more at the Metropole to rave about, whether it’s the ESPA spa, the sumptuous afternoon teas, the amazing cocktails (the Royal Peach Mojito being first amongst equals) or the endlessly friendly staff, but, briefly, take our word for it and go. You won’t be disappointed.
4, avenue de la Madone, Monaco. www.metropole.com/en/
If you’re travelling to Monte Carlo, the easiest way is to fly with BA, who have six flights a day between London and Nice, five from Heathrow and one from London City. Fares start at £137.90, including all taxes and charges. If you’re travelling Club Europe, you can expect BA’s usual excellent service onboard, including a complimentary meal and champagne, as well as access to the Galleries Lounge in T5 beforehand.
