Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo has completed the first phase of its grand renovation, unveiling newly designed rooms and suites that mark a fresh chapter for this Monaco landmark. Umesh Patel checks in to see how the new Riviera-inspired transformation feels from the inside…
I don’t know about you but the latest series of BBC’s The Traitors has been an absolute banger. So there I am, itching to catch up on the most recent episode, when I begin a frantic hunt for the television. I’m staying in one of the most elegant suites imaginable at the Hôtel Métropole in Monte-Carlo yet there isn’t a hint of a telly anywhere. Either it’s considered too gauche for such refined surroundings or I’m losing my mind entirely. Then I spot them – two remotes sitting neatly side by side on an elegant writing desk upholstered in laurier green Tassin leather and framed in pale ash wood.
I press a button and, with an almost theatrical flourish, a television rises from the desk like Aphrodite emerging from the sea. Another button rotates it a full 360 degrees so I can choose to watch Claudia Winkleman and her famous fringe from the sofa, the bed, even the bathtub. It’s one of the small, ingenious details woven into the hotel’s latest evolution, part of the first stage of an ambitious renovation that has unveiled 45 newly designed rooms and suites by French architect Jacques Garcia.
Garcia, who led the hotel’s redesign in 2004, draws on 18th and 19th century French design through to Art Deco. His other projects include L’oscar in London and NoMad in New York. For the Métropole’s latest transformation he has created suites inspired by the colours and textures of the Riviera while, as he puts it, “keeping its soul intact” – a sentiment that mirrors Monaco itself where glamour and refinement form the very fabric of the city.
The reception bursts with fresh floral displays. We’re guided through to the Lobby Bar where a large temporary autumnal art installation hangs overhead. A welcome cocktail appears as we settle into plush velvety armchairs while staff take care of our check-in. It’s the kind of welcome that tells me the stay ahead will be something rather special.
The doorbell rings. It’s the porter with my luggage, perfectly timed as I need to freshen up and get ready pronto for lunch at the prestigious Yacht Club de Monaco where the dress code is decidedly strict.
I’m staying in a newly renovated Deluxe Premium Junior Suite; it’s part of a much wider project that will transform the hotel floor by floor over the coming year. The decor is decadent with a baby blue and pale grey palette warmed by antique mirrors with gilded frame inserts. Behind the bed, a striking feature wall is dressed in embroidered Colefax & Fowler fabrics. The space feels generous too, with the desk creating a natural divide between bedroom and living area so it almost resembles a small apartment.
In the bathroom, a freestanding cast-iron chrome bathtub by Devon & Devon, an Italian brand with English-inspired style, brings a hint of retro glamour. Its polished surface picks up the reflections from the black and white marble tiles and beautifully contrasts the Parma yellow of the Acqua di Parma toiletries. They’re still one of my favourite perfumes. I can’t get enough of the citrus and woody notes in the Colonia range.
I had some time before the evening which felt like the perfect excuse to visit the new Spa Métropole by Guerlain. It opened earlier this summer and is the ideal place to unwind with ten treatment rooms offering the brand’s signature rituals including the exclusive Golden Sand, Monaco Glow and Puissance du Rocher.
On a heated massage bed under a warm towel, wearing nothing but my modesty and a silk eye mask, Julie, my therapist, spritzed vetiver then patchouli into the air and asked which I preferred. My choice would determine the scent of the oil for my deep muscular massage. In a world full of impossible decisions, how wonderful to be faced with one so delightfully fragrant.
Julie’s massage was one of the best I’ve ever had – I go as far as saying that it was almost transcendental. When I finally lifted my eye mask, I felt lighter and calmer with the faint scent of vetiver clinging to my skin like a constant reminder of that brief, blissful awakening.
Still floating after my massage, we headed to Les Ambassadeurs that evening, the hotel’s two-star Michelin restaurant, for dinner with the charming General Manager Serge Ethuin. First though, a glass of champagne in the bar surrounded by works by Picasso, Bacon and Warhol. Ethuin shared stories from the hotel’s long history before inviting us into the kitchen to meet Christophe Cussac, the legendary Executive Chef who helped secure the restaurant its second acclaimed star last year. He greeted us with the calm assurance of someone who knows exactly the culinary pleasures he is about to unveil.
Dinner opened with caviar-popping cannelloni filled with sea bream tartare. The starter deserved its own Turner Prize: red mullet with courgettes from Nice arranged so precisely that the strips of fish and vegetables looked like a miniature Bridget Riley painting on my plate. Then came the lobster lasagne, met with a quiet ripple of delight around the table. Layered with tarragon, spinach and spianata, it was the sort of dish you secretly want to lick the plate clean.
For the main, I went for deliciously moreish milk-fed lamb cutlets with thyme and tangy chickpeas, which I slowly savoured while wishing they came as part of an all you can eat buffet. The wines were 2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Franc de Pied Cabernet Franc and 2024 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc.
Later that night, back in my suite, I lay in my exceptionally comfortable bed and finally put on The Traitors. As Claudia’s fringe swept across the screen, it struck me that the Métropole is in the middle of its own reveal, unveiling each part of its transformation with the same level of confidence and touch of theatre. If this first phase is anything to go by, the next instalments will be well worth watching.
Umesh flew directly from London Gatwick to Nice, with Air France. For more details on flight schedules and prices, visit the Air France website.
Rates start from 530€ and include breakfast, early check-in and late check-out, a room upgrade, plus a bottle of champagne waiting in your room to enhance your stay. For more information on Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, please visit www.metropole.com.
