John Hawkins

Review of Le Meridien Beach Plaza

The combination of the swimming pool and the priva...

The combination of the swimming pool and the private beach here made for a delightful stay for me, my wife, and our 4 year old daughter. The start of September is a perfect time to visit Monaco, the beach and the pool here were fairly quiet after all the August holiday crowds have departed but the weather was still lovely (especially compared to London!) and the prices are quite reasonable.

The beach is composed of very small pebbles, which are actually quite comfortable to walk on bare foot, and the sea is crystal clear. There is a net to prevent jellyfish etc getting into the swimming area, but some small fish are still able to get through, and it was really magical to have them swimming around our ankles as we stood in the sea.

Our room was clean, comfortable, and perfectly pleasant enough. It was lovely to have the balcony and the sea view, and in the evening we enjoyed watching the moonlight over the water, and the yachts moored off in the distance. If I had one minor nit it would be that the pillows were too soft.

Breakfast was good, and very nice to sit out on the terrace. Other than that though we didn't really partake of the hotel's food or drink much, as it was the usual comically overpriced Monaco hotel fare. I assume this actually works for them as a business model or they wouldn't keep doing it. Despite being out on a limb at the Eastern extreme of Monaco there are still good (and more reasonably priced) places to eat within walking distance, as well as a good wine shop on Boulevard des Moulins where you can buy chilled Champagne at a quarter of the price of what the hotel would charge for exactly the same product (it's not just Le Meridien, they all do this!).