Hôtel Beau Rivage, between the Cours Saleya and the Sea

Where it is

On the rue Saint-François-de-Paule, the street that separates Vieux Nice from the Promenade des Anglais: on one side you have the Cours Saleya; on the other, across the promenade, the beach. For a first trip to Nice without a car it is hard to find a better-placed spot. The flower market is next door and tram 2 from the airport stops nearby. The hotel reckons 20 minutes by tram from the airport, or 15 by taxi.

It is one of the oldest hotels in the city. Henri Matisse stayed at the Beau Rivage when he arrived in Nice in December 1917, and the hotel recalls that Chekhov also passed through here. Behind the 19th-century façade, the interior is contemporary, with nods to Niçois tradition.

Rooms and apartments

There are many categories. The classic rooms, of 15 to 20 m², look onto the street or a quiet inner courtyard. The superior ones, of 22 m², are on the third floor. The Privilège and Premium rooms, of 24 to 33 m², are the most recent, with Mediterranean décor; some have a private terrace over the courtyard. The junior suite has 35 m² and a terrace with a little sea view. The hotel also rents apartments with kitchens: a studio for two, two 50 m² apartments for four and one 70 m² with two bedrooms and a sea view for six, useful if you travel as a family.

Breakfast, beach and services

Booking on their website or by phone, breakfast is included; through other platforms it costs €22 per person. It is served from 7:00 to 10:30. There is no restaurant in the hotel, but the bar is open from 11:00 to midnight with something to eat. Opposite, across the promenade, is the Plage Beau Rivage, from the same group, with loungers at €35 for hotel guests, payment in cash and booking a day ahead, and a beach restaurant open all year. Animals are accepted, with a supplement of €22 a night. It has no parking of its own: there is a public car park nearby at €22 a day that the hotel books for you if you ask.