I’d wanted to visit Monaco since I was a child, having first learned about the principality due to being a fan of old Hollywood films and finding out that Grace Kelly had become a real-life princess.
My desire to visit grew stronger when I found out last year that the current Prince of Monaco is a (very) distant cousin through shared paternal ancestors, so I’m sure that you can imagine my delight when the opportunity to join a weekend educational trip to Monte-Carlo arose, just prior to attending a luxury travel trade show in Cannes (coincidentally another place on my must-visit list and just a short distance from Monaco!)
Tourist guide to visiting Monaco
Travelling at the end of November into early December the weather was sunny, warm when not in the shade, with a crisp clean air and clear blue skies in both destinations. So refreshing, especially considering the heat and humidity of Queensland that I had left behind.
Helicopter transfer from Nice AirportHosted by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) and arranged by the Visit Monaco team, the educational experience was a whistle-stop tour of glamourous Monegasque highlights from start to finish. After landing at Nice Airport, I was whisked to Monaco by Blade Heli, a helicopter transfer company - a quick 7-minute flight and surely the most appropriate way to arrive at such a glamourous location!
The remainder of the journey to my hotel was by private transfer in a luxury minibus with blacked-out windows – I was already starting to feel very spoiled.
My home during the educational was the iconic ‘Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo’, which has been recently renovated, and is located right in the heart of the principality.
After checking in I was escorted to my room by one of the incredibly friendly concierge team, only to find that my 'room' was more of a stunning apartment! I had been allocated a junior suite on the 4th floor that came with 2 French balconies and a view of the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo! From my vantage point I had a birds-eye view of Casino Square and beyond, an ideal position to people watch, do a bit of luxury car spotting, see the fantastic Christmas decorations, and watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean.
My views of Casino de Monte-Carlo & Casino Square, from the Hotel de Paris
Massages at the Thermes Marins Spa
When the educational itinerary commenced it was a perfect blend of excitement, indulgence, and relaxation. Our group of Australian travel advisors first met for lunch at ‘Le Grill’, a Michelin-star restaurant perched high above Monte Carlo, offering panoramic views of the Riviera and Italy (we have Maria Callas to thank for the views apparently).
The day continued with each agent visiting ‘Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo’ for an amazing massage - the extensive spa connects ‘Hotel de Paris’ to ‘Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo’ (a sister property, itself about to undergo a huge renovation); after your massage, you can lie on a lounger looking out over the harbour towards the Princely Palace or take a dip in the enormous indoor pool. However, we needed to get ready for a unique Saturday night!
After a quick change we headed to ‘Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo’ for a Champagne and Sake event at ‘L’Abysse Monte Carlo’, with a sushi demonstration by Chef Yasunari Okazaki.
Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo
Princely familyAn hour later we were located front-row behind velvet ropes in Casino Square, to see the Princely Family turn on the Christmas decorations. If you squint whilst looking at any of the official photographs taken at the event that can be found on the internet, you can just about make out the blurry faces of a bunch of excited Australian travel advisors!
Once the Royals had moved on to their next engagement, we all strolled a few metres away from the square to the new hot spot ‘Amazonico’, where we were treated to the themed “A Night Like Nowhere Else” Gala, hosted by Visit Monaco. The venue was full of luxury travel advisors from all over the world, enjoying a cocktail party accompanied by a live band playing Salsa, then a DJ accompanied by a drummer. It seemed highly appropriate that I had my Brazilian colleague Val with me!
Amazonico's “A Night Like Nowhere Else” Gala
I’m waaaay past my party phase of life so an early night was on the cards, and it was just a 2-minute stroll back to ‘Hotel de Paris’ so I was tucked up in bed in no time at all and looking forward to day 2 of the educational itinerary.
A late start on the Sunday gave us time to have a lie-in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast before the group spent a couple of hours touring the two sister properties. The Princess Grace suite at Hotel de Paris is simply to die for!
Playing princess at the Princess Grace suite at the Hotel de Paris
We then headed to yet another Michelin-star restaurant ‘Pavyllon’ for their infamous Champagne brunch, where the excellent food just kept coming! Our hosts obviously knew we’d need a bit of a rest after so much food, so our next activity was a vintage car experience through Monaco’s famous streets and up into the Monaco hills.
Our vintage car experience into the Monaco hills.
We stopped and walked through the gorgeous medieval hillside village of Èze, before an interesting whirlwind tour of the Fragonard perfume factory.
We carried on up into the hills until we parked up at a lookout point, where a couple of bottles of Bollinger were enjoyed whilst watching the sunset over the Mediterranean.
Drinking Bollinger while watching the sunset over the Mediterranean.
Once the sun set a chill set in and it was time to head back to our hotels. Note to all: for future reference, even those who don’t feel the cold will get really cold speeding down a hill in a convertible with the top down!
We had arrived at our final evening of the trip and after a couple of hours of free time we met up to dine at the recently refurbished, and downright stunning, ‘Café de Paris’. The food was exceptional, a traditional French brasserie menu, which included Crêpes Suzette that were invented there, and are still flambéed at the table (so of course I felt the need to order them so that we could all experience the spectacle!) After our sumptuous dinner we walked across the square to the Casino de Monte-Carlo, each collected our 20Euro chip, and took in the architecture, and the sense of history, whilst quickly losing any gains made at the tables.
Views of the square and the Casino de Monte-Carlo
What struck me most was how seamlessly the Principality combines old-world charm with modern luxury – it almost felt like we were in a fairytale land, or on a surreal film set. The educational was superb and the hosts were able to treat us to so many unforgettable moments. I was sad to leave and can’t wait to go back because, despite the weekend being jam-packed, we only scratched the surface of what Monaco has to offer. Having completed the Monaco specialist training and learning all about this wonderful destination, I admit that there’s really no substitute for learning from experience and building contacts on the ground, and I can’t wait to learn more!
