Recommendations in Nice, France

We loved our stay at Villa Léonie, but it might not be close enough to a beach for you. https://en.villa-leonie.fr

As for a day trip to a beach town, I hands down recommend Villefranche-sur-Mer. Beautiful place.

I really enjoyed staying at the Hotel Splendid in Nice. It’s just a couple blocks from the beach .Some rooms have a glimpse of the ocean from the balconies.

La Perouse is a lovely boutique hotel at the edge of old town. Less expensive and a bit funkier is the Hotel Windsor. The upgraded sea/hill view rooms at the Le Meridien are the better rooms (they are a bit tight, but the balcony is large and the view is great, and they face over the garden, not the busy Promenade).

The beach clubs do vary in vibe, price, setup and food quality. I like the food at Le Galet, but others like the pathways available at some. Note that certain beach clubs, like the one at Villefranche-sur-Mer, tend to shut down in late september (like the last weekend). The beaches at Juan-les-Pins are easily accessible from the train station, as well as Cannes (in particular the not-as-famous beach there). A remote option would be Mala Beach in Cap d'Ail. You have to walk down a big set of stairs to reach the little cove, but it is more secluded and the surrounding cliffs are quite beautiful (But it is expensive and not super sandy).

Splurge restaurants in Nice might include Jan, Pure et V and Flaveur. You could also go further out of town, to La Chevre d'Or in Eze (very expensive, but as with view) or Mirazur (top of the line, but further away).

In March 2022, on our much anticipated first trip back to France since 2019, we stayed at Le Meridien for 4 nights in a “city view” room. I must admit, although we had a pleasant experience, I have mixed feelings about recommending the hotel. The hotel may tick your amenities boxes - across the street from the beach and close to old town, very modern and very clean. The staff was friendly enough, responsive and the front desk staff all spoke flawless English. The room was generously-sized by European standards with sleek furniture, hard surface flooring throughout and an updated bathroom. However, looking at the current rates, I’m not sure of the value.

We booked our “city view” room last winter, at the height of the travel lull, at a super-discounted-please-stay-here, Bonvoy member rate. Translated, “city view” room means you look at the office building across the street. Our little balcony was narrow, dark and kind of useless. Although I would have preferred a room with an actual view of something, at the very low rate we paid, we were fine with a nice room, in a familiar “product” during an uncertain time. Would I stay there again at current rates? Probably not.

We stayed at Hotel Suisse in Nice and had a room with a balcony and a good breakfast. The rooms are small and the elevator is small, but it was on a quiet part of the Promenade des Anglais and is near the Old Town.. The beaches in Nice are rocky. We enjoyed staying in Villefranche sur Mer at Hotel Welcome with a balcony and gorgeous sea view and a lovely shale beach nearby. Villefranche sur Mer is charming. Another place we would recommend is Hotel Royal Riviera in Beaulieu sur Mer near St. Jean Cap Ferrat. It is right on a sandy beach and also has a pool. From Hotel Royal Riviera there is a beautiful walk on Maurice Rouvier that you can take to St. Jean Cap Ferrat.

The newly updated Hotel Roosevelt (under the Best Western umbrella) is lovely.

I also recommend Hotel La Perouse. Excellent location with great views if you spring for a balcony. Nice property with a pool and hot tub. Visit the Villa Rothschold and Gardens in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat - located between Nice and Monaco - a wonderful place!

Thank you all for the recommendations! We’ve considered staying outside of Nice and like the idea of a smaller town, but since this is our first visit to the French Riviera, we decided to stay in Nice and do day trips. After looking at availability and prices, I have narrowed it down to these, listed most expensive to least expensive. The only rooms available to La Perouse were way outside my budget.

Le Meridien

Le Negresco

The Jay

Hyatt Regency

Still interested if anyone has suggestions for very special dinner locations/restaurants to celebrate a 25th anniversary. Doesn’t have to be in Nice, as long as it’s reasonable to get there for dinner.

And boat rides along the coast, I’m thinking it’s prolly most scenic from Nice eastward.

Thanks again!