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| teddy bear at the memorial (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved |
La bêtise humain vient de frapper nice... This text on a banner in a public park in Nice says it all — human stupidity just hit Nice. I visited Nice yesterday and walked along the Promenade des Anglais, the wide pedestrian walkway running along the beach. Informal memorials have been set up along the promenade, a touching tribute to the grief of a city that suffered so much because of the insane actions of a madman. My own heart was deeply saddened to gaze upon such sorrow, and yet I am impressed by the resilience and determination of the people of Nice — and all of France — in the face of terror.
Nice has an "old town" (la vieille ville) that Claire visited while I did site inspections. She found Nice to be a charming and quite worthwhile place to tour. While there are stores on its streets selling souvenirs to tourists, this is a real neighborhood where people live, work, and shop. Claire enjoyed the vegetable and flower markets which give a real sense of local flavor. She had lunch at a small café whose patrons were mostly French. Nice has much to offer visitors — its shoreline, museums, cathedral, and beautiful gardens.
I made two hotel site inspections during my day in Nice.
First stop, the Palais de la Méditerranée, now a Hyatt Regency. A contemporary hotel behind an old art deco façade preserved from years ago, rooms are generously proportioned (if you book a Deluxe or higher). I liked the magenta/red accent colors found in some of the rooms, and the Premium Suite shown to me had a bedroom, large living room, and terrace with a sea view.
Second stop, the Hotel Negresco. A privately owned and run hotel (the owner is 93 years old and resides on the top floor of the hotel), this is a much more traditional hotel, over 100 years old, with lots of Napoleonic red. Most of the rooms are traditional — there are some modern rooms as well — but I was impressed by the whimsical touches in its interior design.
Both hotels are members of Virtuoso, and you get value-added amenities (such as free daily breakfast) just by making your booking through your Virtuoso travel advisor.
copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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