On our recent visit to the the French Riviera, we visited the town of Menton and stayed at Hotel Prince De Galles much to the thanks of the reviews on TripAdvisor and ratings on American Express Travel – two of my go-to resources when booking hotels. There were a few things the reviews didn’t share though, so if you’re heading to Menton, make sure to take a look at my full review of Hotel Prince De Galles. Au revoir!
Check-in: Hotel Prince De Galles in Menton, France
About the Hotel: Hotel Prince De Galles is the first hotel in Menton immediately outside Monaco. Before it welcomed guests who came to visit the Rivera, it was the former barracks for the carabiniere – household guards – of the princes of Monaco. In other words Hotel Prince De Galles has a rich history in the area.
Rooms: There are 64 rooms at Hotel Prince De Galles, many of which offer a balcony opening to views of the Mediterranean Sea. While we didn’t have a balcony we did have a nice window that opened allowing us to bring in the day with the scents of fresh sea air.
The room itself was clean, comfortable and well decorated. The bathroom was on the small side, but it too was extremely clean and complete with plush, white linens.
Location: In Menton the beachfront hotels are separated by a road and boardwalk with Hotel Prince De Galles being one of these. Located 7 kilometres from Monaco, Hotel Prince De Galles is the closest Menton hotel. Given it’s on the opposite end of town from Old Town Menton and the city center it is in a quieter area of town; a little over a mile into the city center. This can make walking to/from the city center a lot of work if you don’t plan ahead. There is a bus stop not far from the hotel that can get you into Menton and up to Monaco or Nice BUT it only runs on the hour and the last stop is at 8pm. Additionally, the nearest train station to Hotel Prince De Galles is not the Menton station but rather Carnoles, which took us about 20 minutes to walk to from the hotel.
I do want to point out that Hotel Prince De Galles is located on a rocky entry point to the beach. However, the hotel does have an arrangement with a private beach across the street so its guest have have access to lounge chairs and umbrellas, for a small fee.
Dining: There is a hotel bar located in the lobby, which makes for a great stop to enjoy a glass of wine. I did enjoy the outside terrace seating available where you can watch the ocean or just sit back and catch up. In the evenings the outside terrace and patio can be a bit noisier as the restaurant –Le Petit Prince – is attached to the hotel and guests overflow into this area. In other words, you may have some kids running around as their parents finish their meal. (This was our case and moved us inside to the second floor patio.)
Breakfast is offered at the hotel but it is not complementary.
Amenities:
- Free Wifi (it was difficult to access though)
- Dining
- Air conditioning
- Bar
- Motorcycle parking
- Sun terrace, landscaped garden and patio on the second and third floors
- Multilingual staff
Rates: If you use an American Express card check with the online AMEX travel hotels resources. At the time of this posting Hotel Prince De Galles was one of the hotels AMEX works with so you can use points for your stay. Rates at the hotel are seasonal, during the low season you can expect to pay €75 – €161 depending on the room selection while during high season rates are €103-€209.
Bottom Line: The service at Hotel Prince De Galles is excellent, from the people working the front desk to the bartender in the lobby. They all answered our questions and were able to provide local recommendations and directions (the front desk employees speak French, English, Italian). While the service was excellent, the rooms were just as nice. However, I think the views of the Med might top them both. The one problem with Hotel Prince De Galles is the location. While it is beachfront (you must cross the street to the beach as with most hotels in Menton) it’s a little over a mile into the city center. This can make walking to/from the the city center a lot of work if you don’t plan ahead. However, if you’re planning to spend more time in Monaco and Nice, this hotel might be the perfect, affordable location for you.
Hotel Prince De Galles
4 Avenue General De Gaulle
Menton ?06500, France
Phone: +33 4 93282121
Have you visited Menton before? Where did you stay? Make sure to check out my guide to Menton.
Elaine Schoch is an award-winning travel writer, wine judge, American Wine Specialist and certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET II). At Carpe Travel she shares wine travel destination guides for ALL WINE LOVERS – from novices to experienced pros – to help them plan their wine adventures, arming them with insider tips, must-visit spots, and things to see and do beyond the vines.
Oh my my. I’d love to go there one of these days.
The hotel is gorgeous, but that view completely sold me!!
I know! I wish we’d had a balcony to REALLY soak it in.