Saga Monaco part 2: The Hôtel de Paris

Hôtel de Paris
Magnificent alchemy. More than a century old, a permanent symbol of prestige since its opening in 1864, of exquisite luxury and courtesy in Monte-Carlo, this sublime five-star hotel has never stood still in its legend, marble and gold. While its well-preserved Belle Epoque architecture is still admired by guests, it bears witness to a youthful spirit and a contemporary art of living, participating, if not writing, in the glittering life of the Principality. Distilling an enchanting art de vivre that takes into account the desires of every guest, from the most famous to the most anonymous, the Hôtel de Paris harmonizes the best of tradition with the most subtle modernity. Capable, if asked, of being an accomplice, with unprecedented taste, to impossible extravagances, of imagining within its walls and in a few hours the most enchanting of parties, of having a jazzy or techno soul one day and a sumptuously baroque one the next, knowing how to preserve the tranquillity of the world’s great and good who love it, the Hôtel de Paris is a palace where everything is possible. A magical
palace that makes dreams come true with a tailor-made stay, and offers gourmets “Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse”, one of the world’s most renowned restaurants. A palace in the heart of a European capital overlooking the Mediterranean, with Charles Garnier’s opera house and a legendary casino as immediate neighbors. A palace that grows its own vegetable garden, organizes grand dinners in its historic cellars, sees racing cars pass by its door during the Monte-Carlo F1 Grand Prix, and for one evening can be covered in roses, invent a New Year’s Eve party in its lobby, or enjoy an unpredictable and jubilant exchange of balls between tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The jewel in the crown of the Monte-Carlo SBM group, a permanent witness to its history and evolution, the Hôtel de Paris is unique. It breathes the air of a marvelously glamorous Principality, which associates it with all its festivities. Anchored in the very heart of Casino Square, it faces the Café de Paris and the legendary Belle Epoque Casino, world-famous for its magnificence and incredible range of games. Its soul, its style, its refined luxury, its privileged location between the Italian Riviera and the Côte d’Azur, its loyal staff
witness to its rich past, and its customers themselves, forge its singular and fascinating identity.

A TOUCH OF HISTORY
The Hôtel de Paris was built in 1864 on the arid Spélugues plateau, just as Monte-Carlo was taking shape. The splendid new Casino Belle Epoque opposite had just created a sensation. With the support of Prince Charles III, the Société des Bains de Mer and the Cercle des Etrangers, billionaire François Blanc set himself a crazy challenge: to transform a site where only olive and lemon trees grow into a sumptuous meeting place for gaming and luxury. The results are beyond expectations. For the players who flocked from all over Europe to discover the
new face of the Principality, he had a hotel built on the model of the Grand Hôtel du boulevard des Capucines in Paris, “a hotel that surpasses anything that has been created to date”. It’s an affluence. The international gotha rushes in: kings, princes, heads of state, ministers, the nec plus ultra of government, industry, science and the arts. This was the beginning of the great social epic of the Hôtel de Paris, which continues to this day, enriched by seven successive
extensions and a romantic destiny that has made the palace part of the Principality’s and the world’s history.

ITINERAIRE D’UN HOTEL SUBLIMÉ
In the Place du Casino, opposite the entrance to the Hôtel de Paris, the valets appear to be performing a ballet at the wheel of prestigious motorcars. The tone is set. Just a few steps down, and the first steps into the grand hall with its magisterial ceilings are filled with emotion. The equestrian statue of Louis XIV shows off his shiny knee, a sign of the enduring tradition of touching the paw for gambling luck. To the right, the entrance to the prestigious “Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse”, to the left the famous Bar Américain where all Monaco throngs, a little further on, access to the Salle Empire and
other lounges, at the back luxury boutiques, and opposite the reception and concierge. First contact, first smiles, immediate attention and efficiency, an extremely courteous welcome from the manager, who makes a point of greeting all his guests, especially those coming to the Hôtel de Paris for the first time. The Hôtel de Paris is like a great symphony orchestra playing just for you. A member of “Leading Hotels of the World” and winner of numerous awards for its services and prestige, this emblematic palace offers 182 rooms, including 81 suites
and junior-suites, and two “Monte-Carlo Diamond Suites”. Precious furnishings, designer fabrics, veritable bathing salons, state-of-the-art amenities… all blend into exquisite luxury. Room service, as exceptional as all the services, allows each guest to experience their stay at the palace as they wish.

MONTE-CARLO DIAMOND SUITES
A 90m² terrace for the “Charles Garnier” apartment.
An expression of classic luxury, this luminous apartment can be transformed into a presidential double suite of over 120m². With its delicate blue tones, refined woodwork, subtle harmonies and skilful distribution of spaces, the atmosphere is that of a cosy apartment that you’d imagine had been designed just for you. The view from its immense terrace is unique in the world. It overlooks the legendary Place du Casino, and when night falls, the setting takes on the allure of a fairytale. The icing on the cake is the fact that the Charles Garnier apartment offers a front-row seat to Formula 1 enthusiasts, who can follow the world’s most spectacular race in unprecedented conditions.
Winston Churchill A regular guest at the palace, the British Prime Minister brought along some rare furniture and cherished objects.

These have been preserved and adorn the 210m² apartment that bears his name. Its architecture, however, is resolutely contemporary, which sets it apart from the Charles Garnier apartment. One look at the bathroom is all it takes to understand that at the Hôtel de Paris, exception is truly a culture. Located on the top floor of the Hôtel de Paris, it has its own private access.

A venue for chic balls and gala dinners, always in demand for the Principality’s most glamorous events, the listed Salle Empire underwent a skilful restoration in 2004. Eight hundred thousand sheets of gold (the equivalent of an ingot) for its ceiling, five bay windows opening onto its terrace and Casino Square (a feature that leaves you speechless), cascades of precious silks and trimmings,… nothing has been overlooked
to magnify its style and beauty.
The Salle Empire is where haute cuisine is served for private dinners of up to 350 guests, and where concerts and shows are organized for a select audience. This unique European setting is also the setting for the most spectacular celebrations. A prestigious event, an anniversary, a grand wedding, a glamorous ball? The Hôtel de Paris takes up its magic wand, and the prodigious metamorphosis takes place in no time. With pomp, creativity and that homemade elegance that makes everything the palace does unforgettable. Thousands of red roses, for example, adorned the Salle Empire for the enthronement festivities of H.S.H. Prince Albert II in 2005.
This historic venue is also the setting for international meetings, numerous charity galas and memorable celebrations. In February 2007, it was the setting for the prestigious dinner organized by Alain Ducasse and the Hôtel de Paris team in tribute to Paul Bocuse, which brought together all the world’s greatest chefs.
With its precious woodwork and patinated leather, it seems to have stepped straight out of an American novel from the 1950s. Its intimate atmosphere and jazzy soul make it one of the most sought-after addresses on the Côte d’Azur.
At tea time, you can’t resist the gourmet cart. In the evening, champagne sparkles in the glasses, accompanied by toasted almonds, homemade chips and barbagiuans, typically Monegasque fried ravioli.
From midday to 6.30pm, the Table du Bar offers “light and tasty”, “must” or “classic” snacks, as well as a dish of the day served until 3pm.
On opera evenings, live cooking is organized around a noble product: foie gras, smoked salmon or scallops. A fine selection of signature cocktails (such as the “Cocktail Monte-Carlo” with vodka, vanilla liqueur, coconut sorbet and limoncello), exclusive eaux de vie and champagne by the glass. The American Bar is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Live jazz music, Tuesday to Sunday, from 7 p.m.

LES CAVES DE L’HOTEL DE PARIS
A worldwide exception
Excellence lies in attention to the smallest detail, in what you can see and what you can’t see. Hidden from view, between the Hôtel de Paris and the Hermitage, in the hushed world of the cellars, lies a priceless treasure trove: some 350,000 bottles, 5,700 items of wine and spirits, rare vintages and mythical elixirs no longer found anywhere else. SBM’s Cave Centrale, commonly known as the Cave de l’Hôtel de Paris, is unique in
its history, its wealth and the rarity of its collections.

THE ESSENTIAL CUISINE
One hundred and fifty years of history have shaped the soul of this legendary palace, which retains intact the magic of its beginnings. In this exceptional setting, where modernity meets tradition, gastronomy is akin to haute couture. Three restaurants, including the prestigious Louis XV, Alain Ducasse’s Mediterranean stronghold with 3 Michelin stars. Here, excellence is elevated to the level of a philosophy, down to the smallest detail. Everything tasted at the Hôtel de Paris is created on the spot and in the moment by craftsmen such as the master chocolatier and the baker, whose skills
cannot be found anywhere else. Franck Cerutti, Executive Chef of the Hôtel de Paris and Louis XV kitchens, masterfully orchestrates all the brigades that share the hotel’s four kitchens. From the three-starred Louis XV to the Grill, the rotisserie perched under the rooftops, from the Côté Jardin, the simple breakfast table, to the Salle Empire, the gala dining room, he honors products in their purest expression, without cheating, to offer
Mediterranean cuisine that goes straight to the heart of the matter. Franck Cerutti, ambassador of Mediterranean cuisine
A child of the Nice hinterland, Franck Cerutti dreamed of being a farmer. His vocation was thwarted, but he transposed his love of the land and those who cultivate it into his cooking. Continuing the work of the artisan, he strives to safeguard the flavors that are lost in the globalization system, the true taste of sun-drenched fruit and vegetables that grow in the earth, of capons, pagres and rock octopus generous in iodine, caught in the nets of Gérard Rinaldi, one of Monaco’s last two fishermen. Every weekend, he scours the markets of Nice and neighboring Italy in search of the finest produce from the Alpes Maritimes and Piedmont. From the Cours Saleya, he brings back sheep’s curds and small goat’s cheeses to be presented at the Louis XV, celeriac and white coconuts that had disappeared from the shelves and whose cultivation he has revived on the hills of Lantosque. In Ventimiglia and San Remo, he finds small wild lettuce plants, fresh herbs, gamberoni from the Gulf of
Genoa, prickly artichokes and chestnut flour to complete his palette of flavors, a perfect synthesis of the two French and Italian Rivieras. “I love nothing more than the change of seasons and the anticipation of the products to come, the fevettes and peas of February, the game and mushrooms of autumn, the citrus fruits of winter…” enthuses the chef.
His cuisine follows on from the above: clear, Mediterranean and country-style, it is characterized by an extreme demand for simplicity in order to offer the most beautiful palette of products. In every plate,” Franck Cerutti sums up, “the products have the authentic taste of what they are. This deceptive simplicity conceals the utmost complexity in its realization, and behind the ambassador of terroir lies an outstanding technician. A graduate of the Lycée Hôtelier in Nice, he began his career, without any real passion, in the kitchens of various palaces, until he met Jacques Maximin, then head chef of the Chanteclerc at the Négresco.
In 1980, he joined the Juana brigade in Juan-Les-Pins to work with Alain Ducasse, a young chef from the Landes region whose Mediterranean cuisine was already generating unprecedented enthusiasm. Their understanding is mutual and speaks for itself.
“Alain Ducasse’s cuisine perfectly matched my imagination, the dream world of my childhood countryside,” explains Franck Cerutti, who has since taken part in all the chef’s Mediterranean adventures, from the opening of Louis XV in 1987 to the present day. In the thirty years they have worked together, their paths have diverged twice. First, when Franck decided to perfect his southern culinary culture as second-in-command at Enoteca Pinchiorri, a famous three-star restaurant in Florence, then, a few years later, when he set up his own business, Don Camillo, at
Nice. In 1996, he took charge of the brigade at the Louis XV, until 2007, when his responsibilities were extended to the entire catering operation at the Hôtel de Paris.
As Executive Chef of the hotel’s kitchens, he applies the same philosophy, from the Louis XV to room service, favoring local and seasonal purchases. To ensure quality and taste, he buys only raw produce, which is then processed on site. The hotel has its own bakery, viennoiserie and patisserie. Hundreds of rolls are baked every night by the 18-strong team led by
chef Olivier Berger. Each restaurant has its own specialities: boule de campagne, parmesan bread, tabatière, fougasse with bacon, michette niçoise with olive oil and other seasonal breads with pumpkin, borage or tomato… Chocolates and pastries are also homemade. Over the course of a year, some four and a half tons of raw chocolate are processed by the master chocolatier.
Franck Cerutti’s cuisine is a reflection of Jean Giono’s Provence, a cuisine of the earth, olive oil and produce, maternal and true…. Quite the opposite of fashionable cuisine.

LE LOUIS XV- ALAIN DUCASSE
(3 Michelin stars)
Alain Ducasse, the multi-starred chef with tables on every continent, delivers a repertoire of haute cuisine in Monte-Carlo that is as close to the truth of the product as possible, placing Le Louis XV, which has had three stars since 1990, in the firmament of world gastronomy.
Dominique Lory, who has worked with Alain Ducasse since 1994, took over from Franck Cerutti. He displays the same taste for authenticity and perpetuates the master’s ambition to offer a Mediterranean cuisine that is above all a sovereignly simple treatment of wonderful products.

The Versailles-style dining room and its sumptuous ornamentation transport you into a world of extreme refinement, where everything is orchestrated to perfection, right down to the tableware, which evolves as the meal progresses. Each guest alone mobilizes some fifty serving pieces! A thousand and one delicate attentions lavished by the waitstaff complete this moment of grace.
The primeurs and vegetables of the Riviera that have made the Louis XV such a success open the festivities in the form of a verrine of crudité presented as an amuse-bouche and topped with a Nice olive sauce.
The menu evolves with the seasons and is divided between the kitchen garden – where vegetable starters, veloutés and pastas are hidden – the sea, the farm and the pastures, with a selection of cheeses matured especially for this table. The choice between coastal turbot, pigeon breast from Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or yellow chickens from the Landes region is a deliciously difficult one, given the refinement of the preparations and the excellence of the products. Those who are undecided can be guided by the “Déjeuner de saison”, “Jardins de Provence” and “Pour les gourmets” menus.
For dessert, “Le Louis XV au croustillant de pralin” and “Les Fraises des bois de l’arrière-pays dans leur jus teiède, sorbet au mascarpone” are unanimously appreciated, not forgetting the chariot de mignardises and its tender nougats, caramels, marshmallows and madeleines from our childhood.
To enhance the flavors of this journey to the Mediterranean, the Hôtel de Paris cellar and its anthology of wines are presented by Noël Bajor, the Head Sommelier.
The Louis XV is open from Thursday to Monday, closed in December.
Capacity: 50 covers in the dining room or on the terrace in fine weather
Lunch: seasonal menu at €140
Lunch and dinner menus at €210 and €280 excluding drinks
Menu: €210 excluding drinks

The Grill, which celebrated its jubilee in 2009, has lost none of its seductive power. The breathtaking panorama over the rooftops of the Casino and Opéra Garnier, the Rock and the port of Monaco is no doubt no stranger to success. The azure blue of the sea stretches as far as the eye can see. The delights of its open-air rotisserie do the rest. The sunroof, which disappears in fine weather to offer diners the pleasure of dining under the stars, adds a touch of glamour
to the magic of the place.
On the à la carte menu, starters feature the finest produce and vegetables without artifice: “Roasted langoustines, just-seared early vegetables, winter salad”; “Large ravioli, all chanterelles, others seared in olive oil, baby spinach”; or “Scallops and radicchio à la cheminée, endive leaves, Tartufi di Alba”. Then
meat, poultry and fish from local fisheries prepared on the spit, grill or piano. Rack of Sisteron lamb in a herb crust and Mediterranean sea bass take center stage, not forgetting the legendary spit-roasted poussin, another Grill hallmark. A window reserved for the region’s flagship products evolves with the seasons: trumpet zucchini from the Niçois region, girolles from June, Alba truffles and violet artichokes take their turn
on the plates. On the sweet side, the soufflé is a big hit. Served at the hotel since 1898, it comes in eight flavors.

For lunch, “Les rendez-vous du Grill”, an all-inclusive menu, attracts a chic business clientele in an elegant and lively atmosphere.
La Grill is open for lunch and dinner
Capacity: 80 covers
Lunch menu: €75
A la carte menu: €120

LE COTE JARDIN ET SA TERRASSE,
a classic score that seduces with its freshness “Simple, healthy and fresh, in a spirit of home cooking” is the credo of chef Franck Cerutti at
Côté Jardin. The original formula – buffet appetizer, à la carte main course, dessert buffet – appeals to everyone, from lovers of fine produce looking for a relaxed lunch break to businessmen in a hurry for their business meetings.
The variety of dishes on offer at the buffet is mouth-watering, and the composition is renewed daily. Market vegetables can be enjoyed grilled, marinated, stuffed or in salads. Traditional Italian pasta, risotto and carpaccio rub shoulders with specialties from Nice. The great classics – seafood, shellfish, charcuterie and terrines – are not to be outdone.
As for the cellar, the casting is skilfully linked to seasonality through a monthly selection of wines by the glass.

Efficient service and a palm-fringed terrace, a haven of peace just a stone’s throw from the bustling Place du Casino, are the other assets of this restaurant.
Le Côté Jardin is open every day for breakfast and lunch until 3pm
Capacity: up to 90 covers indoors and outdoors
Garden menu: €55 excluding drinks

Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo:
Excellence in well-being combined with excellence in hospitality
Directly connected to the Hôtel de Paris by a private corridor, the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo is a flagship of the Monte-Carlo SBM Group. Ranked among the top 10 in the world for excellence, the Thermes offer a philosophy entirely focused on well-being and preventive health.