With my wife and 4 friends I’ve just spent a long weekend at this hotel. On arrival at Nice Airport we took a bus from just outside the Arrivals terminal. The standard fare is 4 euros per person. You pay the driver as you board the bus. He issues the tickets and stamps them for you in the on board machine. The hotel is situated on Rue Messena. This is a traffic free street. As you travel along the sea front in Nice look out for the Casino on the left as the Rue Messena is quite close to it. It takes a few minutes to walk along Rue Messena to the hotel. Look out for a large vertical orange sign on the right hand side. The reception and public rooms were clean and tidy. The receptionist was very helpful and pleasant and we were quickly allocated our rooms. We found all the staff to be pleasant and helpful. The rooms are small and very basic. Furnishings were minimal the double bed and a small wardrobe occupying most of the space. Bed comfortable. Excellentand flexible lighting. A small flat screen TV is bolted to the wall but the only English channels are news related. The bathroom or rather the shower room was very clean and although basic had everything needed including soap dispensers by the sink and in the shower and a small hairdryer fixed to the wall. Plenty of hot water available and a good flush on the toilet. However, the towels were quite thin, not unusual in this class of hotel. Breakfast was very simple but adequate. Each diner was allocated a crusty bread roll, a small croissant and a Pan au Chocolate which were left in a basket on the table. Laughing Cow spread cheese portions, jam portions, honey portions and butter were available from the buffet along with tea, coffee and hot chocolate. All served from a push button machine. Orange and grapefruit juice were also dispensed from a machine but were of good quality. Extra bread etc. was available if you asked for it. The hotel’s location is ideal for walking to shops, the city squares and the sea front. It is a short walk to the clean and efficient tram service. The tram costs 1 euro per journey or you can buy one covering a number of days. Tickets are purchased from machines by the tram stops. Validate them on board by popping them into the yellow machines. The SNCF railway station is just a couple of stops from Rue Messena so it’s easy to get around. We visited Monaco, Cannes and Antibes by train with no difficulty whatsoever. All the train staff were very helpful. If you are not intending to go out in the evenings then this hotel is not for you. There is no bar nor are there any drinks available other than at breakfast. Eating out and drinking are very expensive at the nearby bars and restaurants and the food quality is indifferent to poor. However, I recommend walking to the old quarter where on the narrow streets small bistros provide adequate fare at a reasonable price. The Menu de Jour offers the best value. Alcoholic drinks are extremely expensive no matter where you go. This hotel provides a good base for exploring Nice and its surrounding area but it does have its limitations. I would use it again.
- Hotel Regence Nice
