Carré d Or, city centre

Hôtel Le Grimaldi

★★★★★

The Carré d'Or, the golden square of streets between the Promenade des Anglais and the rue de France, is the elegant heart of nineteenth-century Nice: Belle Époque apartment blocks, designer boutiques, galleries and good restaurants, all within a few minutes of the sea. Hôtel Le Grimaldi sits on the rue Grimaldi, one of its calmer streets, and is a fine example of the kind of hotel the neighbourhood does best: personal, stylish and reasonably priced for its location. The four-star hotel has forty-seven rooms in a range that suits most travellers: doubles and twins, single rooms, four family rooms, two suites and a room adapted for guests with reduced mobility. Decoration mixes vintage comfort with traditional Provençal touches, in warm colours and fabrics, and some rooms have views or private terraces. Rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed, with minibars and safes, and the hotel provides baby beds and equipment on request, which makes it one of the more family-friendly small hotels in central Nice. A buffet breakfast is served each morning, and there is a bar, room service, laundry and luggage storage, with staff available around the clock. Pets are welcome if mentioned at booking. There is no parking, but public car parks are close by and the tram line along avenue Jean Médecin is a short walk. On booking sites the hotel may appear as Le Grimaldi by Happyculture. The Promenade des Anglais and the beaches are about five minutes away, the Cours Saleya flower market and old town about fifteen minutes, and Nice-Ville station roughly fifteen minutes on foot.

Choosing a room: terrace rooms are the ones to request if you want outdoor space; in a city where hotel balconies are rare in this price range, a private terrace for morning coffee is a treat. Family rooms are well suited to parents with one or two children. Standard rooms are comfortable but not large, as is usual in Belle Époque buildings. Ask for a room on a higher floor for more light.

The neighbourhood: the streets around rue Grimaldi, rue de France, rue Alphonse Karr and the pedestrian zone offer bistros, wine bars, bakeries and some of Nice's best shopping, and they stay pleasantly lively in the evening without the crush of the old town. The Musée Masséna and the Hôtel Negresco are a short walk west along the seafront; the Russian Orthodox Cathedral is about fifteen minutes inland. In February, the Carnival parades around Place Masséna are within easy walking distance, which is a real advantage when the city is busy.

Who it suits: first-time visitors who want a central base without paying seafront prices, families who appreciate proper family rooms and baby equipment, and couples looking for character. It is open all year, and winter rates make it particularly good value.