Monte Carlo welcomes the glitterati from across Europe.
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The facade of the imperial Monte Carlo casino is crowned by a large clock flanked by torch-bearing statues. It doesn’t seem shrewd to remind gamblers how their time – and money – is slipping away. But the clocks are a significant original feature of the 1850s design.
At the time, the Prince of Monaco was having a royal nightmare. Presiding over his bankrupt microstate on the French Riviera, he needed a way to generate some income. His business-minded spouse Princess Caroline hit on the idea of opening a gambling casino.
In the beginning, there was just a spectacular casino surrounded by a provincial town. There were no hotels, so the casino guests would catch trains back into nearby French towns and cities, hence the facade clock to ensure last services were not missed.
The enterprising princess quickly saw this as an opportunity for a similarly opulent structure to allow gamblers to extend their time betting and sleep in the principality. In 1862, construction began on the Hotel de Paris, just next door to the casino.
Fast forward 160 years, and Monte Carlo is a mass of five-star hotels, gourmet restaurants, sports cars and fashion houses. The Casino and Hotel de Paris, in its prime location on Place du Casino, are still welcoming the glitterati from across Europe and sealing Monte Carlo’s reputation as the most luxurious destination on the continent.
Where to stay in Monte Carlo: Hotel de Paris
To arrive in style at Hotel de Paris, guests frequently hop on a Blade helicopter at Nice Airport and are transferred to Monte Carlo’s helipad. Blade marketing manager Edouard Gomes says this is a popular way to “skip the airport queues,” especially when traveling with children, and presumably start a trip with dreamy bird’s eye views of the coastline (for the seven minutes the journey takes).
The hotel’s facade is an architectural extravaganza of garlands, rams’ heads, cherubs and nymphs. Though the interior seamlessly continues the building style, it was torn down and completely reconstructed in 2019.
The hotel’s facade is an architectural extravaganza of garlands, rams’ heads, cherubs and nymphs.
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In the vast, gilded entrance hall, guests in long silk gowns and black tie mill before heading to the casino. Just before the revolving door is a bronze statue of a Louis XIV on a horse whose knee has been rubbed gold by gamblers seeking good luck.
The rooms are awash with cream and beige silk and balconies with summery striped awnings overlook the Mediterranean sea, yacht-filled harbor and rocky outcrop around the bay on which is built the old town and the Royal Palace.
A long, marble-paneled corridor leads to the Thermes Marins spa spread across five floors. Beyond a large pool is a terrace where guests can catch some sun while they watch the super yachts in the harbor coming and going.
Where to eat in Monte Carlo: Female chefs making waves
Down the coastline, nearly at the border with France, the Monte Carlo Beach Club is another historic establishment that opened in the 20s. Elsa restaurant has a fresh pale blue and grey color scheme and historic photos of bathers on the walls, while on the terrace outside diners sit in white wooden deck chairs overlooking the sea.
Chef Mélanie Serre serves up exquisitely presented plates like leek maki with nori leaf, smoked eel and candied ginger or fresh langoustine with creamy burrata and a spicy ginger broth.
Inside the Hotel de Paris, one of the most recent dining openings gives guests an alternative to French fare. Em Sherif is a Lebanese restaurant headed by Yasmina Hayek and serving colorful dishes like muhammara (a red pepper and walnut dip) or sauteed prawns with cumin yogurt.
Em Sherif serves colorful Lebanese dishes like muhammara.
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Two new food offerings are set to open at the hotel for the summer season. Maona restaurant and bar revives a mythical place-to-be of the Riviera in the swinging sixties. The high-spirited cabaret bar has a jazzy interior of fringed lamps and tangy colors.
It will serve up family recipes typical of Monaco and its neighbors Portofino and Nice, with focaccia, lasagne and pissaladiere. You can also try a version of the peach melba invented by illustrious chef Auguste Escoffier in the 1890s.
Club La Vigie Monte-Carlo, located on a rocky spur at the end of the Monte-Carlo Beach peninsula, lies in the shade of a pine forest. It will be a place to spend the day in the sunshine, with the feel of an exclusive club.
As you look out over the shimmering Mediterranean, you can try chef Marcel Ravin’s fresh dishes like tuna tartare with passionfruit mayonnaise or citrus and quinoa salad.
What to do in Monte Carlo: The world’s most famous casino
A trip to Monte Carlo is not complete without a visit to the enterprise that saved the micronation from bankruptcy. The architecture of the Belle-Epoque casino takes inspiration from classic temples and Renaissance palaces with a marble-columned, mosaiced entrance hall.
A trip to Monte Carlo is not complete without a visit to the enterprise that saved the micronation … [+] from bankruptcy.
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You have to pay to enter the gambling rooms (guests of some hotels like Hotel de Paris have free entry), where guests sit around green felt tables beneath allegorical frescoes and paintings featuring an abundance of nude women.
The high rollers have their own private rooms, so the blackjack and roulette tables in the main area are easy enough to get a seat at or a spot to observe from the sidelines. And then, as they say, “les jeux sont faits.”
Source link : https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2023/06/13/from-bankruptcy-to-blackjack-how-monte-carlo-became-europes-glitziest-destination/
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Publish date : 2023-06-13 07:00:00
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