Hotel Review: Le Méridien Nice
I looked forward to staying at Le Méridien Nice months before my trip to Nice because I used my Suite Night Award to secure a suite. The suite would have a panoramic view of French Rivera and a balcony to soak up all the sun you need. Moreover, the location of Le Méridien Nice was perfect for us since the hotel was strategically located across from the beach and close to numerous cultural attractions and shopping destinations. Although my lodging experience turned out to be different from what I originally envisioned, I still enjoyed staying at Le Méridien Nice for many reasons. Here is my review of Le Méridien Nice:
Le Méridien Nice is located at 1 Prom. des Anglais, 06046 Nice, France.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card does come with a hefty $650 annual fee but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status
$25 monthly dining credit—$300 total in a year
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
An 85,000-point Free Night Award
Access to Priority Pass lounges
25 Elite Night Credits for chasing Marriott Bonvoy status
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have, in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
If you are looking for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card with a low annual fee, consider the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of three Free Night Awards after spending $1,000 in three months, each covering up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. I personally value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents each, making the 105,000 points offer worth $840. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card earns 6X points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases every year on dining, grocery stores, and gas stations, and 2X points on all other purchases.
Be aware that 15 elite night credits from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card can’t be combined with 15 elite night credits from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card’s annual fee is $95, and it offers useful perks to offset the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
A 35,000-point Free Night Award
15 Elite Night Credits that will help you achieve a higher Marriott Bonvoy status
Please note that you can’t combine Elite Night Credits from two Marriott Bonvoy personal credit cards, but you can stack Elite Night Credits from one personal and one Marriott Bonvoy business card. Thus, if you own both AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, you would only earn 25 elite night credits.
If you’d like to apply for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you!
The last Marriott Bonvoy credit card you could use would be the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. Considering that the annual membership costs $125, you get paid to have the card! The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points on dining, U.S. shipping purchases, U.S. wireless telephone services, and at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 2X points.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Card is the only Marriott business card on the market.
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card’s annual fee is $125, and it offers valuable benefits to justify the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
A 35,000-point Free Night Award
15 Elite Night Credits, which can be combined with 15 Elite Night Credits from other personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards
As you can see, the card’s benefits are less substantial than the ones from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, but it is a great long-term keeper card due to its annual Free Night Award perk. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary if you want to chase a higher Marriott Bonvoy status because it is the only Marriott business card that is on the market and will grant you an additional 15 Elite Night Credits. Lastly, even though it is a business credit card, it is very likely that you could get it approved. Check out my article on how to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
Location
Le Méridien Nice is nestled in the Le Carré d'Or neighborhood of Nice, which is known for being the most expensive real estate due to its easy access to beaches. Naturally, high-end boutiques, chic cafes, and luxury hotels are concentrated in this area. The location of Le Méridien Nice is perfect for everyone. You have the Old Town to the right; to the left, you have more beaches and local attractions like Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice and Villa Masséna Musée.
Lobby & Check-In Review
When we arrived at the hotel, a doorman promptly assisted us with our luggage. The entrance had an inviting greenery wall and a row of electric scooters that guests could borrow.
The electric scooters came with helmets—safety first!
We took the escalator from the entrance and arrived on the first floor, which housed the hotel’s bar, Latitude 43°4' Bar, and the breakfast bar—L'Espace Riviera. The bar used a lively greenery wall again that vitalized the lobby.
At night, the bar became a popular spot among guests.
If you don’t have time to order or feel lazy, the concession stand has prepackaged food and beverage for guests to enjoy.
If you are in a hurry, grab healthy lunch items as you check out.
One of my favorite design elements of the lobby was the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that allowed hotel guests to see the beautiful beach outside from the inside.
The lobby had two workstations with a printer, which came in handy for printing my COVID-19 test results.
The lobby was booming with foreign tourists and local business people, and I quickly learned that the hotel was hosting a conference.
It was disappointing to see how the front desk handled my Suite Night Award.
Because of the increased demand, the hotel rejected my Suite Night Award. However, I didn’t receive any notification from the hotel about whether it was approved or not. The front desk agent didn’t bring it up when she checked me in. When I inquired, she replied that the hotel couldn’t honor the request and would return my Award to me shortly. While I was glad that the hotel would return my Suite Night Award, I wish the front desk had proactively touched on the subject before I questioned it. Without any upgrade, we went up to the 7th floor, where our room was located.
I loved these Nice-themed artworks on the wall.
Bedroom Review
My room featured a king-sized bed with a faux leather headboard, and the wallpaper behind the bed immediately made the room feel cozy. The mattress was supportive, and I didn’t experience any trouble sleeping at night.
The bed was basic but comfortable, and the color scheme added warmth to the bedroom.
A wooden nightstand on each bedside resembled a log, and it came with modern mood lighting.
The log nightstand reminded me of a seaside log on a beach.
The room faced the courtyard, which was slightly depressing, as there were hardly any plants to make the area more lively.
I wish the hotel had either added more plants to the courtyard or removed them entirely.
Across from the bed, a standard TV was wall-mounted, and I liked that the TV was encased in a wooden frame, giving the room more texture.
The wooden ledge on the wall became a catch-all shelf during our stay.
At the corner of the room was a petite white marble top table, along with a pastel blue velvet stool. The stool color was energizing since the room was full of calming hues.
Instead of the brown leather chair, I wish the hotel provided another stool.
I found a welcome amenity from the general manager on the round table. The rosé was light-bodied and slightly fruity and surprisingly paired well with the cookies from the hotel.
I will never say no to a refreshing bottle of provençal rosé as a welcome amenity—thank you Le Méridien Nice!
The overall welcome amenity was an excellent mid-day refreshment, and I always appreciate hotels sincerely when they go out of their way to show gratitude to loyal customers. The closet had a mini-fridge as well as a Nespresso machine. The hotel won bonus points here for having disposable coffee cups so we could take coffee to go if needed.
The Nespresso machine came with plenty of pods, and they were promptly refilled every morning.
Initially, I wasn’t thrilled with the room, mainly because my Suite Night Award was rejected upon arrival. However, the hotel’s welcome amenity pleasantly surprised me, and the restful room made the lodging experience comfortable and at ease.
The stool’s color reminded me of the blue color of the Mediterranean Sea.
Bathroom Review
The bathroom featured stunning floor-to-wall white marble paneling. The single sink vanity was somewhat basic compared to the marble finish and lacked space to store personal toiletry items.
The bathroom was beautifully finished with white marble panels.
On the other hand, light bars beside the mirror added contemporary touches and retained the initial upscale atmosphere. The walk-in shower was spotless and had a rainfall-style showerhead with satisfying water pressure.
The warm wooden finish of the shower wall introduced a contrasting texture to the bathroom
Even though there was no physical door for the booth, because of the orientation and design of the showerhead, I didn’t experience water splashing onto the floor. The side paneling of the shower booth was made of wood, and I loved its contrasting natural look of it. The toiletries were from Malin+Goetz—one of my favorites. Their items have rejuvenating herbal notes, which are perfect in the morning or at night.
MALIN+GOETZ has an exclusive partnership with the Le Méridien brand.
Unlike other European hotels I’ve been to, the toilet didn't feature a bidet, and I was perfectly fine without it.
The bathroom had only one bathrobe, but it was soft and plush.
I wasn’t sure if the hotel had recently renovated the bathroom, but I really liked its aesthetics, especially the white marble finish on the walls.
Pool & Gym Review
Le Méridien Nice had a rooftop pool, and it faced the sea. While it wasn’t an infinity pool, the water was heated, and you could enjoy the rooftop pool even in early Spring and late Fall.
If the rooftop pool were an infinity pool, it would’ve made the amenity more unique.
Because the pool was adjacent to La Terrasse, you could grab a towel from the host desk before entering the pool.
The pool is closed after 5 PM, and you can expect to have a romantic dinner on the rooftop without people walking around in swimsuits.
On Tuesdays from 7 PM, the restaurant hosts live music, so if you have some time to spare, I suggest grabbing an espresso or a cocktail to take in the gorgeous views of Southern France. Speaking of cocktails, the restaurant doesn’t serve drinks with plastic straws to protect wildlife against plastic pollution. You could request one, but I suggest skipping the straw and sipping on cocktails while taking in spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea.
La Terrasse is one of the highest restaurants on La Promenade des Anglais.
The pool is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, so plan accordingly if you want to visit. If you desire a more natural experience, go outside and enjoy beautiful pebbled beaches in Nice. Even though the hotel is not directly on the beach, the hotel secured a partnership with Le Galet—a local beach across from the property.
Le Galet was right across from Le Méridien Nice.
If you were a guest of Le Méridien Nice, you could enter the beach for a discounted price of €21. Once you secure your sunbathing spot, you can order food from the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, La Terrasse, and have it delivered to your beach chair.
You can see Le Galet from the hotel rooftop.
The gym was located on a different floor, and as with most European gyms, it was pretty compact. Against a mirrored wall, a selection of TechnoGym cardio machines was positioned. Some machines were too close to each other, in my opinion, and I wasn’t sure if I could comfortably work out when I was only a few inches away from another guest.
The fitness center felt pretty compact even with mirrored walls.
A standard set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench were available in a padded area on the other side of the room. The bench was also from TechnoGym, and the headrest was contoured, making the lifting experience more enjoyable.
The lifting area could only accommodate one person at a time.
The fitness center also had a shelf full of medicine balls, gym balls, and a yoga mat for those interested in full-body workouts.
Be creative with medicine balls and gym balls to explore new exercise routines.
Though there was a dedicated space for bodyweight exercises, the occupancy rate would be very limited to two people at the most. Moreover, the gym didn’t have a window, making the inside feel a bit suffocating. Having the option of being able to exercise indoors was nice, but I recommend going outside and walking along Promenade des Anglais.
Take advantage of the hotel’s strategic location and explore Nice.
Breakfast Review—L'Espace Riviera
The hotel served breakfast on the 1st floor at L'Espace Riviera, and it was complimentary for my fiancé and me because of my Titanium Elite status.
The restaurant was L-shaped, and tables facing the sea were quickly taken by early risers.
When we arrived at the host stand, we were welcomed with a selection of healthy juice shots.
I also tried the milk-based shot which had a pleasant lavender scent.
I chose the green one made with fennel, green apple, and lemon. Even though the juice shot was sweeter than expected, it was an inviting and refreshing way to start breakfast. The breakfast was a buffet-style fare, and I indulged in flakey croissants and baguettes with rich French butter.
Unfortunately, the croissants along with many other dishes at the buffet didn’t taste artisanal.
The standard scrambled eggs, potato, and sausage options were all decent. However, some of the breakfast potatoes were hard and stale.
Clearly there was no shortage of French baguette at the buffet.
Cold cuts of meat and cheese were popular among guests, and I made a small plate of smoked salmon salad, which was delicious.
These cold cuts of meat and cheese were kept at room-temperature.
The breakfast bar featured a unique condiment dispenser system for jams and spreads; the sauce cup was little sugar cones, and you can eat them at the end of a meal to reduce plastic waste. I thought it was a brilliant way to lower the carbon footprint from recycling.
What a great idea to reduce waste! More hotels should follow suit.
Overall, I enjoyed the breakfast buffet, but some items on the menu didn’t taste artisanal, and I hope the hotel can fine-tune the quality of the food to further enhance the dining experience.
Believe it or not, the scrambled egg was the best item on the menu as it wasn’t overcooked and superbly creamy.
Positives & Negatives
Positives
The location of the hotel is unbeatable. If you are visiting Nice for the first time, I am sure you will spend some time strolling through the Old Town, and you can easily walk over from the hotel. Moreover, popular shopping destinations and cultural attractions are nearby.
Le Méridien Nice is an excellent beach hotel. The hotel’s partnership with Le Galet creates a unique opportunity to deliver your food and beverages from the hotel restaurant to your beach chair. The view from the rooftop restaurant is spectacular, and since the rooftop pool is heated, you can enjoy being in the water on cool days.
Negatives
While I didn’t experience functional problems with the bedroom, the hotel could’ve ameliorated communication issues regarding my Suite Night Award utilization. All it needed was a short email or note explaining that the hotel had denied my Suite Night Award due to being at full capacity.
The hotel offered a breakfast buffet, and I was happy that my Titanium Elite status covered the cost for my fiancé and me. However, when compared to the breakfasts I’ve had at other French boutique hotels, the breakfast at Le Méridien Nice wasn’t as impressive.
I could see the Old Town from the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. What a view!
Summary
Le Méridien Nice was one of the most anticipated properties on my itinerary because its suites have breathtaking views of Côte d'Azur. However, I was disappointed when I discovered that the hotel rejected my Suite Night Award during check-in. The view from my standard room was disappointing compared to the open views of French Rivera, but the room was solid. It had a Nespresso machine, and the bathroom was functional and gorgeous. Moreover, the hotel manager sent me a refreshing bottle of Rosé as a welcome amenity, which made my afternoon in Nice much more enjoyable. The heated rooftop pool could also be a sought-after amenity for most people. While Le Méridien Nice may not have all the luxury you associate with French Rivera, its location is perfect for tourists, especially beach lovers. I recommend Le Méridien Nice to anyone looking to experience Southern France in the heart of Côte d'Azur.
