Fairmont Monte Carlo – Riviera Suite

Arrival at the hotel

The Fairmont Monte Carlo is located few steps away from the well known Place du Casino in Monaco and the Metropole mall. If you have ever watched the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, you surely have seen the Fairmont. It is located in the spectacular hairpin where guests can watch the race from their room terrace. It appears to be so famous that the hotel gave its name to the bend.

The property is also renowned to be one of the largest in the region with more than 600 guest rooms and suites. Its construction in the seventies was prowess of ingenuity. The sea part of the Fairmont Monaco Hotel stands 15 meters high stilts. Built in width, it offers an unobstructed view over the Mediterranean sea. All the common areas reflect this. I was pleasantly surprised with the space available in this hotel. It is quite uncommon in Monaco where every square meter has a huge value.

When you enter into the Fairmont, you will discover a large lobby made of clear tones with several luxury shops. On the right, you will find the concierge and the desk. Our check-in was pretty smooth.

Monaco sea view

The room

We stayed in a Riviera suite. It is 70 sqm (753 sqft) large. The suite includes two areas : one living room with a large sofa and then a bedroom with a very large bed and a desk area. Both rooms broad a large TV screen and their own private terrace arranged with a sun bed and a table.

Fairmont Monte Carlo Riviera Suite

Riviera Suite king bed

Fairmont Monte Carlo Riviera Suite living room

Taittinger Champagne and chocolates guest plate

Elegant desk area

The shock will come from the panorama. It is an endless view over the sea thus giving you the feeling that you stand on the deck of a boat. Every detail in the decoration of the suite echoes this idea with clear tones and elegant lacquered wood furniture. We really enjoyed spending some time on the terrace watching the sea and the yachts. So relaxing!

Horizon view from the Riviera Suite

One specific of this suite is the presence of 2 marble bathrooms. Each one provides a comfortable bathtub, a sink and a water closet. So if you don’t want to share your bathroom, you don’t have to here! The dream of my wife became true during our stay! Luxurious Fairmont and Rose 31 amenities are available such as shaving kit, teeth brush or loofah sponge.

Fairmont bathrobe

The air conditioning works well and can be fully stopped if required without spending 30 minutes to understand how it works.

Catering

We heard about Nobu during our stay in Las Vegas few months ago. Wasn’t sure what to really expect about it. So we decided to have a dinner at the Nobu restaurant located inside the Fairmont at the lobby level. It was opened few months ago and based on the number of guests on that night, it seems to be already quite successful.

Black cod yuzu miso by Nobu

If you don’t know Nobu, he is a Japanese chef, also known as Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. He has opened a lot of restaurants over the world in major cities. His cuisine is a mix of Japanese traditional cuisine melted with South American touches. The result is simply awesome. We never experienced a Japanese restaurant like this. Everything was more than perfect, just outstanding! The setting is zen, with quite some space between the tables and a large view over the sea. The service is really professional. The waiter gave us perfect recommendation on the menu. And the quality of the food, the taste of the meals is just amazing. We had some meat and some fish and both were excellent. Even if we ate a lot during this dinner, we didn’t feel bad after that, just light and cool. We highly recommend Nobu at the Fairmont.

Nobu restaurant at Fairmont Monte Carlo

Smart cruise-like dinner atmosphere

Pool bar details

After a quite restful night, we’ve enjoyed a perfect start of the day!

Fairmont spoon detail

Breakfast is set on the 7th floor. There is a large opened terrace with a lot of tables and a generous buffet set in triangle. Decorated in an exotic mood with wood floors and bamboos, the place enhances the change of scenery spirit. Each one may find there anything they could need for an international breakfast from fresh fruit juices to Viennese pastries. It is also possible to have eggs prepared on demand based on specific requirements. What a nice start in the day to have a breakfast with such a view over the Mediterranean sea. The breakfast is good both in quality and quantity.

Breakfast at the Fairmont Monte Carlo

Sunny start of the day above the sea

Activities

A lot of possibilities are available at the Fairmont. First, if you want to gamble, you have the Sun Casino located at the lobby level, next to the desk. It is managed by the Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco. It includes a good number of slot plays and table games. I liked the light in this casino. It isn’t a dark casino with a bad atmosphere, it is one with a nice decoration and enough light to enjoy it.

Beside the casino, there is a swimming pool on the roof (7th floor) all surrounded with a panoramic view over the sea and Monaco. It is heated round the year and I have to admit that I didn’t had any issue to enter it while I am usually a bit hesitant when I need to enter a pool in Europe. The temperature was perfect and we didn’t have any problem to find a sun bed to relax around the pool.

Fairmont Monte Carlo pool area

View from the Fairmont pool

There is also a fitness center and a nice spa at the same level. The spa is a large one with soft and clear decoration. I haven’t tried it but some of the cabins have their own private jacuzzi, perfect for couples!

If you want to get outside, there is a nice garden in front of the hotel. A very beautiful path leads guests through gardens and allows them to reach the Monte Carlo Casino Place in 3 minutes. Then for shopping, the Metropole mall is 2 minutes walking distance from the hotel. Perfect situation for those, like us, who enjoy staying close to the heart of the Principality of Monaco when admiring endless view over the Mediterranean sea.

Monaco casino and theater viewed from the Fairmont pool

Conclusion

In all the Fairmont Monte Carlo, the signature is really to make you feel as if you stayed in a luxurious cruise vessel. The decoration of the rooms and the corridors, the view, the pool area, the Nobu restaurant are all set to echo the theme of a trip over the sea. Unique!

Few things are making this hotel a really good place to stay in :

• the Nobu restaurant, best Japanese you’ll probably have in your life,
• the outstanding endless view over the Mediterranean sea horizon,
• the location, next to the Formula 1 Grand Prix hairpin (if you like this, you can’t miss it),
• the overall theme well implemented across the hotel…