Top 21 expert-rated hotels in Nice

High-rollers have been rolling into Nice for two centuries now, so you’d better believe the place knows how to look after them. In palace hotels on the Prom, you might run into Elton John, a Russian countess or, as I did recently, the wife of the Prime Minister of China. (She’s rather small; my own wife, who’s no giant, almost knocked her over.)

Then again, democracy has been a guest on the Côte-d’Azur for some time now. It’s been given a boost with all those low-cost flights winging in. So you can also find decent smaller hotels which don’t require a silk-lined purse. The best, mentioned below, have warmth, charm and perhaps a garden, instead of marble, gold-leaf, and deference.

And once you’re out of the hotel, the city, sea and glorious coast look pretty much the same for everyone.

Nice’s most celebrated luxury hotel, the Negresco is among my favourites in France. It is alive with real art and historical treasures, its doormen wear the daftest uniforms you ever saw and it is run not by an international corporation or unknown investors but by the wholly admirable Mme Jeanne Augier, now in her ninth decade.

It is not mentioned below simply because it is closed until July 1 this year, for the biggest refurbishment in its 100-year-old history. The same goes for the hotel’s outstanding Le Chantecler restaurant. We will return to it the moment we can.
 

The key element for me whan choosing a hotel isn't the quality of the bedding, the size of the bath or the view from the bar. These are all important, but not as important as the smile on the face of the receptionist. If the he or she is smiling then, as a rule of thumb, everyone else is, too. (And I don't mind much if it's a "corporate" smile, for that can easily lead to the real thing.) You are, in short, in a happy and helpful place. I'll forgive a lot for a friendly word, a rapidly rectified error or freely given good advice. With these chosen Nice hotels, however, you don't have to forgive anything for, as well as offering the requisite smiles, they're also the best I've found in their categories. If you have other ideas, it would be good to hear from you.

The key element for me whan choosing a hotel isn't the quality of the bedding, the size of the bath or the view from the bar. These are all important, but not as important as the smile on the face of the receptionist. If the he or she is smiling then, as a rule of thumb, everyone else is, too. (And I don't mind much if it's a "corporate" smile, for that can easily lead to the real thing.) You are, in short, in a happy and helpful place. I'll forgive a lot for a friendly word, a rapidly rectified error or freely given good advice. With these chosen Nice hotels, however, you don't have to forgive anything for, as well as offering the requisite smiles, they're also the best I've found in their categories. If you have other ideas, it would be good to hear from you.