Monaco Weekend Break

Can you fly from London to Monaco for a weekend without taking any time off work?  Yes you can!

I spent a fun weekend in Monaco staying at the fabulous Hotel Metropole and I was back at my desk at work in London for Monday morning. Albeit feeling very depressed to be home and wishing I could have stayed for longer.

I hopped on the gatwick express at 5pm on the Friday for an evening flight out to Nice airport. The helicopter transfers into Monaco don’t operate in the hours of darkness, so on arrival you will need to get a Taxi if you plan to arrive late. I was meeting some friends there so they had already checked into the room earlier in the day so all I had to do on arrival was show my passport at reception to confirm that I was staying there. So I can’t comment on the check in process.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I was ready for a night out. We headed straight to Jimmy’s the night club. Our hotel had put us on the guestlist and we had no problems with entry.  It was a good club with some very cool outside tables and we danced all night but be prepared for very expensive drinks.

Saturday morning we had breakfast on the Terrace. There was a good buffet selection along with a selection of made to order dishes. The room for breakfast was decorated to the same high standard as the rest of the hotel. It wasn’t a casual breakfast area, it had more of a formal vibe and everyone was properly dressed. I loved the atmosphere and it made a simple breakfast feel like a special occasion. Later we spent exploring Monaco on foot, visiting the Japanese gardens and then we wandered down to the Port and found a lovely little restaurant for a light lunch. In the evening we had reservations at Buddha Bar and headed to the Casino for an evening of gambling and people watching. No trip to Monaco can be complete without visiting the Casino. Unfortunately I didn’t win millions, so I could stay in Monaco forever!

On the Sunday, we woke up and ordered breakfast from the room service menu but then called back and asked if they would deliver it to our sunbed around the pool in 20 minutes time instead. The hotel staff were extremely accommodating and arranged this for us without any issue. The pool at the Hotel Metropole is one of the chicest I have ever seen, but the area isn’t very big so I would advise getting your bed early if you plan to sunbathe.

In the afternoon, we took a walk around the shopping centre which is right next door and when we returned our transfer was waiting to take us to the helipad to catch our helicopter back to Nice Airport for the journey home. The hotel bellman had already organised our luggage to be loaded into the car for a seamless transfer. One of my measures of a very good quality hotel is when they think of what you will be needing and organise it for you without you having to ask and in my opinion, The Hotel Metropole ticked this box.