Palais Saleya Hotel, Nice, France

Nice is well known as being one of the prettiest and most atmospheric cities on the south coast of France. What’s best is that the city is also home to plenty of lovely boutique hotels to help you make the most of this stunning part of the world. We decided to take a short break to Nice and went to Booking.com to book a stay at the very promising Palais Saleya Hotel.

This looked to be a good option as it was located very close to the entrance to the famous Old Town part of the city. Plus it looked like it was nearby the famous Promenade des Anglais and one of the lovely beaches that surround the city. But did the Palais Saleya live up to the hype? Here are our thoughts from our stay at this boutique hotel.

Rooms:

As Nice is such a busy and fun-loving city, we were very hopeful that our hotel rooms would be up to scratch. Thankfully the Palais Saleya Hotel didn’t let us down. This is because our suite was fully air-conditioned so that we could get some respite from the heat, and the large double bed was perfect for getting some sleep after a long day exploring the delights of Nice.

We were also pleased to find that our suite had a fully equipped kitchen. Obviously we didn’t bother cooking any full meals, but it was great for stocking up with goodies from the local market just 100 metres away or the next-door boulangerie and then rustle up a quick picnic for the beach.

There were also handy features like a washing machine that was good for making sure that you look suitably swish for walking amidst the beautiful people of the Nice marina. In addition to this, we were glad to find that there was a massive flatscreen television with international TV channels. But to be honest, we were too busy being out and about to waste time watching television shows that reminded us of home.

Many hotels in Nice like to boast about their in-house restaurants but the Palais Saleya Hotel doesn’t have any such amenities. Not that this was too much of a problem as there were many lovely restaurants like the Restaurant Le Panier located very close by, and as you are just minutes away from being in the heart of the Old Town, you won’t go hungry during your time here.

The fact that you get a kitchenette means that you’ll have a great time visiting the local bakers and cheese shops to stock up on some typically French goodies. This is a cost effective way of doing things, but we liked to push the boat out once in a while and visit one of the many chic little restaurants that are located close by.

However, we were very pleased to find that the Palais Saleya Hotel does put on a fresh breakfast that you can have in your room each morning. All of which means that you should have plenty of fuel for making the most of this fun-loving city.

Staff:

As soon as we walked though the doors of the Palais Saleya Hotel we were greeted by the beaming smiles of the reception staff. It’s welcomes like this that make holidays so much more enjoyable, and it certainly didn’t feel like the often faceless hotels that we had previously stayed at.

The staff helped us make sure that we could get to grips with all of the parts of our room and kitchen, and they also proved to be endlessly helpful in making sure that we didn’t miss out on any of the best attractions in Nice.

Special mention must be also made of the excellent cleaning staff at the Palais Saleya Hotel. Our room was cleaned daily and everything was completely spotless.

Entertainment:

If you are looking for a hotel that puts on plenty of entertainments like live music and dancing and so on, then the Palais Saleya Hotel probably isn’t for you. This is because the Palais Saleya is all about giving you a comfortable and charming base to explore the best of Nice from.

We have previously stayed in large resort hotels that put on plenty of entertainments which were often fun, but we did tend to feel cut off from really getting to experience our holiday destination. But the Palais Saleya gives you a comfortable bed, a stylish room and a very handy kitchen area so that you can eat and sleep and then head out into Nice to get your entertainment fix.

So if you are looking for a holiday where you stay inside the hotel the entire time, then the Palais Saleya might not be the best option. But if you want a suitably chic boutique hotel to use as a base for your adventures in Nice, then the Palais Saleya is just about perfect.

There’s good reason as to why so many British tourists visit Nice. This is because the city is well-known for its endless sunshine, and there’s so much to enjoy here. We loved taking a long walk alongside the palm trees and glittering Mediterranean Sea down the Promenade des Anglais, and there was plenty of fun to be had in looking at the ridiculously over-the-top yachts in the Marina.

But the Palais Saleya hotel was perfectly situated to explore the Old Town of Nice. This is a lovely and atmospheric place to pass an afternoon in. Just bear in mind that Nice can get very hot, so be sure to take plenty of breaks in any one of the many beautiful cafes that line the city streets.

Don’t forget that you are also less than half a mile away from the nearest beach. However, we should mention that some of the beaches in Nice make you pay money to use their facilities, so make sure you check this first. But on the whole, we had a great time in Nice and can’t wait to go back.