Hotel Radisson SAS Nice

The hotel stands on the promenade des Anglais, near Cannes. Expect around 20 minutes to get to the central station and a little over half an hour to get to the airport. The hotel is surrounded by bus and tram stops, and there is a regular flow of cabs to take you anywhere you like.

Bicycles can be hired in the entrance hall, just ask at the concierge service.

Built in the 70's, this structure is little more than a dull concrete block reflective of the architecture from that era. However, once inside, the Radisson group has managed to achieve a touch of modernity combined with an attentive service.
The hotel had to close down completely some 4 years ago to undergo complete renovations. A fitness and a well-being centre are also part of the establishment. Both are rather small but luminous and friendly. Guests can choose between a session in the Turkish baths and a sauna.

We particularly appreciated the fitness centre fitted with real windows: for once, you don't get the feeling that the apparatus has been placed in the only vacant space available just so the hotel can boast a "fitness centre" in its brochure.

A total of 388 guest rooms are available, 118 of which have a sea view. The hotel has 13 suites, including 1 presidential suite. The business rooms are as big as the standard ones but offer more in the way of amenities, such as a coffee machine.
One of the advantages of the building resides in the fact that all the rooms include a balcony (described as 'luxury terraces' in the brochure) and some white plastic furniture, which unfortunately lowers the general standard.
Each category of room is decorated differently: a 'Chilean' atmosphere, an 'ocean' style, and an 'urban' look. The first is decorated in green and red tones, with huge chili peppers hanging from the walls and furniture specially designed for the Chilean version of the Radisson. The red sofa is quite a sight!
The colour tones used for the 'ocean' rooms are obviously green and blue, with either a thick or soft carpet (depending on your carpeting preferences), decorated with wave-like patterns. In addition to the blue tones and motifs on the carpet, the rest of the room boasts wave-shaped furniture.
The 2 main colours of the 'urban'-type rooms are burgundy red and beige. They include a large bed and the furniture boasts straight lines. Each room is approximately 30m².

Our own tip: choose the rooms that afford a view of the sea and the promenade des Anglais, as the 'city' view is quite ugly. Forget the red rooftops and the spectacular view of Nice, these city-facing rooms offer guests a view of the 70's-style building just opposite.

There is a choice of various restaurants: the main one, the "Blue citron" has large bay windows that open onto the sea and the Promenade des Anglais. This is where you will find the meals included in the half-board and full-board options: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu boasts French specialties with a couple of internationally-inspired dishes. The setting is particularly enjoyable and the room lets in floods of natural light. Unfortunately, the Promenande des Anglais in Nice is marked by an unending flow of traffic and is a bit too noisy in our opinion.
A second restaurant, La Promenade, offers a selection of snacks for lunch. It has a veranda that opens onto the Promenade des Anglais and the coastline. In the evening, La Promenade boasts amber tones and dimmed lighting.
Finally, there is also the 'pool bar' and a restaurant specialised in Mediterranean cuisine. All of these restaurants are managed by the same chef.
The main bar is just in front of the restaurant and boasts leather armchairs and an interior modelled on the inside of a boat (not very original). The advantage here though is that it offers a selection of snacks (such as salads and club sandwiches) for famished guests at any time of the day!

The new feature in 2009 was its beach. Its April 2009 inauguration was to place the hotel among the very select establishments of the coast to boast its own private beach. A restaurant was also to be included in the project and was to be run by the hotel's resident chef. During our stay, however, the beach hadn't opened yet.