Food & Wine Lifestyle Luxury Hotels Travel

Back to Nice’s premier luxury hotel

Pierre Bord and Negresco doorman Jerôme

Pierre Bord and Negresco doorman Jerôme

Luxury hotels that are unique can make a statement – immediately. Take the Negresco, in Nice. Where else, asks the gal, are you greeted by doormen and bellmen dressed in elaborate historical dress? There are, of course, other one-off fashion statements on arrival (think of the Downton Abbey-type plus-fours and tweeds at Rosewood London and the glorious moustachioed turban wearers at many of Taj’s top-tier palaces in India). But here in Nice to be greeted by such an imposing figure – sorry, make that plural as the GM, Pierre Bord, is invariably around too – is really special.

The Negresco, at night

The Negresco, at night

Ah, the Negresco, named for Romanian Henri Negresco, 1868-1920, who asked architect Edouard Niermans to build him a little something in pride of place on Nice’s famous Promenade des Anglais. In World War I it was a hospital. In 1957 it was purchased by the Mesnages family, whose daughter, Mme Jeanne Augier, still lives in the top, sixth, floor – the building is actually owned by Fondation Jeanne Augier. The 120-room hotel is renowned for its Michelin-starred Chantecler cuisine, thanks to chef Jean-Denis Rieubland MOF, who uses masses of fresh produce from his father’s farm.

Rooms are marvellously decorated, by the hotel

Rooms are marvellously decorated, by the hotel

A minimum crew of 165, added to in summer’s high season, look after this living museum of a hotel. The team includes designers and handymen par excellence. On my visit last week I saw them actually making the elaborate fabric-covered testers and half-testers for signature beds – they include fibre optic reading lights, and now, by the way, WiFi seems to be faultless throughout. This is a hotel that somehow manages to combine ancient and modern. Sit in the glorious two-floor-high bar on a Thursday night where a live DJ plays vinyls (bring yours along) and you can try Jean-Denis Rieubland’s bar snacks, which include incredible caviar-filled mini-macaroons.

The main staircase has sculptures, paintings and more

The main staircase has sculptures, paintings and more

But use the main staircase of this luxury hotel and you are in history, straightaway. You pass a wall plaque to Mme Augier’s late husband, Paul Augier, 1912-1995, and labelled portraits of kings and important figures of past days. There is a real, once used, copper hip bath, now filled with flowers, and a wooden rocking cradle. A bust of some African potentate’s other, and possibly better, half watches proceedings.