Hotel recommendations for Nice, please.
 

I am planning to visit Nice in January/February next year and am looking for hotel recommendations.

We are taking my parents and it is possible it will be my Mother's last trip away, so I want to find a decent hotel, good location, etc.

Whilst it is not quite a "price is no option" request, it is not necessarily the main consideration.

I usually try to stay in ICs, but the nearest one is in Cannes.

Any recommendations for a restaurant for a special meal would also be received gratefully.

Thank you.

i would recommend hotel martinez in cannes(yes, i read your post). La Palme d'Or is a great restaurant. they had a chef's table in the lower level, in the kitchen. if it is still there, that would be my first choice.

i have never stayed at the Negresco Hotel which is supposed to be the best in town. i stayed at the Hôtel Beau Rivage, which was a most decent place. book early, as most places are booked, for some reason or another.

had one meal in Restaurant Le Chantecler, which is in the negresco. it was most impressive, as was the clientele. the main table for 8 or so was roped off. the diners were a grand dame, and her two toy poodles. we were there for about two weeks, and ate a dozen lunches and dinners. all the food was outstanding, and having just come from paris and florence, seemed very reasonable. the cooking style has a lot of italian mixed in the french.

we were there during carnavale. the weather was plesant, and the festival was wonderful. i greatly prefer it to venice.

Thanks slawecki.

I appreciate your comments.

Any other suggestions?

I was thinking about the Le Meridien. Has anyone stayed there?

My stay was a dozen years ago, so I don't know the hotel's current status - my stay back then was quite good. Here is a link to the property-specific master thread in the Sheraton forum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...er-thread.html

As pointed out by several people in that thread, the location is excellent (especially for access to the Old Town).

The choices with the best locations and general situation are

Negresco- which slawecki mentioned. It is a short walk from the zone piettone with lots of nice restaurants and shops, and also close to the old city. It is the historical class act and is very atmospheric inside and out.

Le Meridien- best location a block from the zone piettone, with a casino in the building (they share underground parking) and a very pleasing hotel by most reports.

Raddison Blu gets good reports but is more than a km further away from the heart of Nice activity. It is said to be very nice, but I have never been in the hotel.

There are a number of very nice boutique hotels, but almost all of them are closed in January. Remember than January is the offest of off seasons so you'll have plenty of space and lower prices, but some things will be closed. All the major tourist attractions in the surrounding area are open, but have winter hours.

Make certain to check the weather before you go. It can get fairly cold and windy at that time of the year. If you're to be there in early-mid January send me a PM. I'll be happy to buy you a drink or give local advice. January is my favorite month to be there, mostly because all the tourists are gone.

Le Meridien is very nice; superb location and close to everything you need; parking is great;

Plaza Boscolo Nice is very close to Le Meridien; 4 stars and nice rooms; stayed there 6-7 years ago and rooms a little dated but classy. Close to parking if you rent a car and taxi station close by.
Both the Meridien and Boscolo are very close to the bus that comes from the airport (depends on your parents age)

Best Western West End is a nice property; my brother stayed there with a room facing the ocean and his family really liked it; a fairly good property in the Best Western family; During the winter it tends to be inexpensive; it is a few blocks from the pedestrian zone.

In the winter it gets dark early and the city is not nearly as alive as it is in the summer time; you will find that even though restaurants are open, Nice has a feeling of emptiness after dark.

Le Meridien
 

Le Meridien, yes. We stayed there in September. Excellent location. Excellent view.

hotel in Nice
 

Personally, I always go for a vacation rental whenever I can, but if what you want is a really nice hotel in Nice, then go for Palais de la Méditerranée http://palais.concorde-hotels.com/en/, it's probably one of the best luxurious hotels in Nice

Hotel La Suisse!
 

My favorite hotel in Nice by far is the Hotel La Suisse. Relatively reasonable prices and unquestionably the best view of the city you can get. Make sure to specify you want a room with a view (the rate will vary)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Provence.html

Strong points are the view, the service (smaller hotel so more personable staff), and the location. It is one of the closest hotels to the "vieux nice" which is where you find the flower market, many great traditional nicois restaurants, touristic shopping. I believe they also have an accord with the Castel Plage in front, though that's probably not a selling point for a jan/feb stay.

Since the Palais Maeterlinck has closed, the Nice hotel scene is pretty limited. The most luxurious option with a location right on the Promenade is the clever Palais de la Mediterranee, with the historic facade kept from the old building fronting an all-new hotel.

As far as restaurants, stay away from the tourist lists! The restaurants are overhyped and quite underwhelming! For a most memorable meal, head to Millesime 82, Luc Salsedo, or Flaveur.

Thank you all for your suggestions and feedback. It is appreciated.

The hotel Lausanne http://hotel-lausanne-nice.com/ is near the train station in Nice, it's a cosy 3 star in the center of the sites. It's 10-15 minutes from the Promenade & the Castle, and there's a very good bakery on your way there, which I can't recall the name.
Restaurants are very good in Nice, especially close to the castle, so take a look at the menus!