Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo.
THE PLACE
Frankly,if you're going to visit sun-drenched,spotless,extravagant,high-stakes,high-life Monaco then you might as well go all out – even if just for a fanciful day or two – and lodge at Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo. A century ago it was the ultimate in Belle Epoque glamour,and this Leading Hotel of the World and historic monument remains utterly gorgeous,from its creamy exterior and the Gustave Eiffel-designed glass dome of its Winter Garden to its pink-and-gold ballroom. For a top-end hotel,it also gets unexpected marks for being family friendly,with a lively kids'club and special programs and treats for children.
THE LOCATION
The hotel lobby.
The hotel is right inside the"golden square"of Monte Carlo's chicest shops,cafes and opera house,and Monte Carlo is where you want to be in Monaco. Place du Casino,the ne plus ultra of the French Riviera,is so close you could teeter there in two minutes,even in your Manolo Blahniks. Just beneath the windows is main,yacht-jammed Port Hercule harbour.
THE SPACE
The Hotel Hermitage has all the assets you'd expect of a top hotel and one thumping,drop-dead glamorous extra,reached along an underground passageway:a four-storey wellness area straight from a James Bond movie. The Thermes Marins,all in white marble and glass,explode with light and have bewitching views over Monaco and the Mediterranean.
The Thermes Marins spa retreat adjacent to the hotel.Credit:Perreard Michel
The saltwater swimming pool has a glorious shell-like roof;the terrace hot tub flaunts outlooks to gratify a billionaire. You could wallow here all day,fortified by a healthy (but tasty) lunch at L'Hirondelle restaurant. Some of the treatments – electrolifts or cryotherapy at minus 110 degrees – seem inspired by Frankenstein,but if you're timid you can flop from caviar scrub to deep-tissue massage to seaweed wrap. Or just get your hair cut.