A week after Liverpool lost its world heritage status “due to the irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property,” UNESCO has announced it has added the southern city of Nice in France to the list.
Already a favourite among tourists, Nice is the second-biggest city on the French Mediterranean coast after Marseille and the fifth-biggest in France. It was added under the label of the “Winter Resort Town of the Rivieria” and is regarded as a cultural site, making it the 42nd cultural heritage site in France, out of the 49 that are on the list.
If you love visiting UNESCO Heritage Sites, then the city of Nice should definitely be on your radar. Below, we have put together a list of some of its top luxury hotels you can check in to while you tour the city.
Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée
One of the best luxury hotels in Nice, the Palais de la Méditerranée occupies a prominent spot on the Promenade des Anglais with direct access to the beach. It also enjoys a rich history, that, if you were interested in learning about it, would captivate your attention as much as the neoclassical and art-deco aesthetic influences that dominate it, and the modern facilities that make it a very warm and welcoming place to be at.
The hotel boasts 188 rooms with the smallest being the Queen rooms overlooking the courtyard, followed by the larger King rooms that come with private terraces. The Deluxe categories are next and come with Nespresso machines and glimpses of the sea. If you are ready to splurge, then you should check in to the Penthouse Suite – a fully-furnished apartment with the finest private terrace in Nice.
Boscolo Exedra, A Marriott Luxury and Lifestyle Hotel
If you are looking for a hotel that is bright and airy while being somewhat quiet, the chic Boscolo Exedra is the place for you. Harnessing the beautiful natural light found in Nice and the French Riviera, the hotel uses the colour white everywhere – from its pristine white lobby with a white chaise-longue and a vast high glass dome ceiling through which the sun can pour through, to dazzling white rooms with doorknobs shaped and designed like white roses.
Historic belle époque architecture blends seamlessly with dazzling contemporary design to create an aesthetic that is at once traditional and modern. Notable facilities include the basement spa which has been designed in a moody style and offers a wide range of treatments from body wraps to facials using the sought-after Biologique Recherche beauty products. It also has other amenities like a gym, steam room, essential oil showers and a Zen swimming pool that is so dimly lit you would feel like you were swimming in the dark.
Boscolo Exedra has 112 rooms that are divided into the Classic Rooms fitted with showers only; the Deluxe Rooms with views of the Boulevard of Nice; Exclusive rooms fitted with bathtubs, Apple docking stations, Nespresso machines and in some cases even a balcony; the Junior suites with separate seating areas; the Executive Suite that is divided into day and night zones; the Grand Suite Duplex, an exclusive space on two floors, and, the Presidential Suite, the largest of them all.
Hotel Negresco
There are many reasons why the Hotel Negresco is one of the revered luxury hotels in Nice, and in France as a whole. First, its location is close to the Place Masséna (often referred to as the jewel of Nice) and the beach. Next, it is a repository of thousands of contemporary artworks and antiques, and when you add this to its antique furniture, colourful history and historical touches, you can almost feel like you have travelled back in time without losing the modern comforts you are used to.
Lastly, its Michelin-starred dining, gorgeous sea views and the sheer character of its structure and staff make it one of the best hotels to be at if you’re visiting Nice. There are over 100 rooms in the hotel, with 31 suites, and, if you’re lucky enough to snag the Royal Salon during your stay, you’ll be spending your days with a large portrait of Louis XIV.
Hotel La Perouse
Another seafront hotel boasting magnificent views and located around Promenade-des-Anglais, Hotel La Perouse is also close to the Place Masséna. Its top feature just may be its terrace, outfitted with its own pool, a poolside bar, and a fine dining restaurant, all under the open sun.
The entire hotel has a very friendly and breezy vibe about it. It and has 60 rooms, all of which have been worked on by different designers in a Mediterranean style, with plenty of light flooding in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and an interesting intersection of vibrant and mellow tones. What this means is that no two rooms are the same.
If you really want to enjoy the view, go for the Superior and Deluxe rooms that have their own balconies or terraces, and make sure that you take the ones that are higher up.
Hotel Beau Rivage Nice
Established in 1860, the same year Nice became part of France, the luxury Hotel Beau Rivage is a contemporary structure bedecked with wide spaces and clean lines.
The hotel has many endearing qualities that give it an advantage over other luxury hotels: it is close to the beach, the Saleya Market and Nice’s opera house. But its most charming feature is the Beau Rivage Plage beach club, which offers paying guests free access to their private three-mile-long beach.
Its 114 rooms are rather large, even the standard ones. But if you’re looking for something grander, you can check into its Terrace Rooms which overlook the hotel’s leafy interior patio below or its apartments that come with a view of the sea.