jahason

Be very careful when driving in Monaco. There are traffic police posted everywhere. On the French side yuo can get away with anything.

travelexpert

One of the most disappointing Marriotts for me. TINY room. Located quite away from the action--but there are complimentary suttle rides available into Monaco. But the price was fabulous--free in peak summer season. We then moved over to the Noga Hilton in Cannes--loved the property. Great position with spectacular views from the restaurant where breakfast was served. And we got an upgarded suite--using HHONORS points.

dreamytraveller

We regularly stay in this hotel, the bad points are the size of the rooms (small) the 80's decor (blue carpet etc) the basic bathrooms. I would say the hotel is 3-4* not 4*

The brakfast is fab, the views from the rooms over the marina are top (not all are seaview so make sure you book a lux room) and the price is unbeatable for monaco/rivierra. I would reccomend the hotel unless you want a resort with a large pool (the pool is tiny) as it is great value and just round the corner from the columbus which is far more pricy. Definitely go to the columbus bar though and cafe de paris. Of note, right now the Monte Carlo Bay resort has great offers so you may want to check this one out too, this looks to be 4-5* and pretty amazing.. out of the marriotts league.

BigLar

I've got a 7-night cert that I'm going to have to use within the next year. I was thinking of spending a week at the Marriott Cap d'Ail around my birthday, which is at the end of February.

I would think we would spend some time hanging around the area and also making day trips to some of the interesting spots in the region. How's the weather that time of year? Is it worth it? Enough to do for 7 days?

ohmark

If you consider your "daytripping" area from Nice to the Italian border, then I would say there's lots of interesting things to see, do, and experience. The Monte Carlo/Monaco area is good for at least a couple of days. Nice a full day-trip. VilleFranche sur Mer a day-trip (it's about 20 minutes before you get to Nice). There's also Vence, St. Paul de Vence, Menton, Eze, Beaulieu sur mer, Tourette-sur-Loup, and others. Some basic info here:
http://wikitravel.org/en/French_Riviera#Destinations

Another good resource: http://www.provencebeyond.com/villages/index.html#t

Last year we used the Marriott as hq for a few days, and then the Hotel Welcome in Villefranche for three days. The old fishing village of VilleFranche is our favorite in the area; from its spectacular views, to the ancient village, to the Citadel, to the parks, to the waterfront restaurants and others scattered through the village.

The weather in October was wonderful. Never been there in February.

FormerLurker

Am looking at this hotel for a 5-day stay in late June, early July. According to the hotel web site there is extensive renovation going on that should be completed in April. Anyone been lately with an update?

On a related note, looking for advice. Am debating whether to stay here (with a 160 Euro/night rate) or stay at either the Le Meridien Nice or Le Meridien Beach Plaza.

The goal would be to spend a couple of days in the immediate area and then possibly take a couple of day trips to nearby towns to indulge my wife's photography hobby. From reading FT posts it seems the best way to do this would be to get a car for a portion of the stay. Does the hotel have a car rental desk in or nearby? Or am I better off getting a car at NCE when we arrive and keeping it for the stay (and paying the hotel's parking rates)?

Suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

envgeo

The wife and I are headed to the area in August. We are using points to stay at the hilton Noga in Cannes for 4 nights and then two nights at the marriott which according to the website "The hotel will undergo an extensive renovation from Dec 6 until Apr 18, 2007, including all guest rooms, lobby, and ballroom. " http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcmcd. I am hoping that addresses some of the previous posters' concerns. We also looked at Le Meridien Beach which looks like a great location within 5 minutes walk of the train station. We ultimately decided on the marriott to spread out our locations.

NJUPINTHEAIR

I look forward to your reviews of both places as I am thinking about doing something similar in the Fall. However, I have been hesitant as both places are often noted as dumps by many here and on Tripadvisor...............

Would be nice to know what a FT thinks of the latest renovations!

ohmark

I don't think of either as dumps. Although it's been a few years since we've been at the Noga, it was certainly a first class, close to luxury property (although not the super-expensive place that Madonna, et. al. would stay at with the other chi chi choices in Cannes.) We stayed at the Marriott year before last and, while I thought the rooms needed some freshening, it was not a dump. Viewed from the boardwalk, the Marriott looks smashing with the mountain backdrop and the yachts in view. Some relatively minor freshening such as renovating the bathrooms, replacing the furniture and carpeting in the rooms, and adding a modern flat-panel television with access to a decent amount of program choices would do wonders for this otherwise fine property. Hopefully they have accomplished this.

As far as the Cannes/Monaco choice for location, I would probably choose Nice and Monaco, as Nice has much more to experience than Cannes and is located closer to most attractions. Cannes would be better if one places priority on beach time or is attending the film festival.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Thanks for the comments on this hotel.

I have booked a sea view room from the 13th to 15th June ( €239) after staying for two nights at the Concorde hotel on the Promenade d' Anglais in Nice
As a HH Diamond member I would have stayed at the Hilton Noga Cannes but cannot find it listed anymore ( has it been sold).

This will be my first time in Monte Carlo/Monaco and am looking forward to it.

I will post my comments on my return.

Regards

PS UPDATE- Sorry but I did not get a chance to stay here as the trip was cancelled due to the credit crunch.



TBS

SanDiego1K

It is no longer managed by Hilton as of Nov 1 2007.

Starbucks

I have been to the Marriott Cap d`Ail in December 2007 and found my harbour view room quite nice and modern. However if i remember correctly the bathroom was nothing special. While they seem to have renovated the rooms, they also left the elevators and hallways untouched. Therefore one might be a little bit concerned about the state of the room while walking up from the front desk.

As the hotel is just around the corner from the Monaco Heliport i paid 99,-- € and used Heli Air Monaco to get back to NCE in style. Flight Duration is only 6-7 minutes but the views are great.

The airport bus station is also next to the hotel, so getting NCE <> hotel by public transportation is easy. If one is thinking about using the local train Nice <> Monaco (nice route also) be aware that you need 15 minutes from the train station in Monaco to the hotel or have to take a cab. If one is going by car follow the signs to Stade Louis II first and watch out for the Marriott sign once you reach the stadium.

pwrshift

Just curious ... if money (and points) was no object, where would you spend 3 nights in Monaco for a 2nd honeymoon?

DYKWIA

I stayed at this hotel a couple of weeks ago. I got a great rate of €149.

As a Platinum, I was upgraded to a suite overlooking the harbour. Note that the harbour is not the main harbour, but a smaller harbour.

As an added bonus, Platinums also get a free breakfast and a complementary mini-bar However, the mini-bar was only beer/soft drinks and snacks, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The breakfast itself was OK, but the restaurant was packed on the Saturday and Sunday mornings. Once things had gone, they weren't replaced. So, I wasn't able to get a croissant in France!!! On the Monday, it was a lot quieter, and a lot more civilised.

The suite itself was very nice. A living area with a balcony, a bedroom and separate bathroom/toilet. The bathroom and toilet were old and tired compared to the rest of the suite.

There is a very nice area about 5 minutes walk away, with restaurants that overlook yet another small harbour. We went to a place called the Beef Bar (I think), that surprisingly enough did a fantastic steak. There are also a couple of Italian restaurants in this area, as well as a seafood restaurant.

Note that smoking is still allowed in restaurants, and there does not seem to be a separate smoking section. I noticed a couple of magazine headlines that seemed to say that smoking was banned from 1st January. Not sure if this was only mainland France rather than Monoco though. Anyway, if smoking is banned, then the ban is being ignored.

The shuttle bus was useful to get you to the station or the Casino. The Casino was not what I'd expected (very quiet and civilised). I'm not much of a gambler, so we spent a bit of time drinking cocktails in the bar area There didn't seem to be a dress code - I was in jeans and a polo shirt.

If you're thinking of getting the bus from the airport, the number 110 stops right outside the hotel.

Just a final point. In an act of gross stupidity, I managed to leave my iPod, headphones and about £150 in cash in the room safe. I phoned the hotel, and they arranged a taxi to deliver everything to the airport for me It cost me €85, but it was well worth it. Great service!

Cheers,
Rick

laptop9999

Hotel de Paris.