This is a fairly marginal hotel, but has a few surprising and/or useful virtues. It is located directly across the street from the immense Acropolis exhibition center. This is about half-an-hour’s stroll inland from the beach, but is closer to other interesting parts of the city. It is only a couple of blocks to Garibaldi Square, and just a couple more to the northern parts of the old city, with all of its restaurants. The statues, fountains, parks, and arcaded stores around Massena Place are somewhat farther away, maybe a 15 or 20 minute walk. The harbor is a similar distance in a somewhat different direction. Quite close to the hotel is the Museum of Contemporary Art. A train station (to catch a train to Monaco, for instance), is about a 15-minute walk farther inland.
Our room was very small, with a tiny attached bathroom. And the breakfast, though served in a brightly decorated room, had a minimal selection, even for a French breakfast. The front desk clerks tried to be helpful, but one let us sit in the small lobby or stand on the street for half-an-hour after the person who was to pick us up telephoned to say he would be half-an-hour late…but she didn’t inform us, even though we checked with her just a minute or two before our friend phoned. On the positive side, our tiny room had an in-room safe, a surprisingly complete mini-kitchen, and an especially convenient and quiet air conditioning system.
The real surprise was the swimming pool on the roof. It afforded views of the observatory to the north, a castle to the east, and other views of the city. It is available only during warm months.
- Citea Hotel Nice
- Citea Nice Acropolis
