We booked a standard room at Le Meridien, but were lucky to get upgraded to superior room, as it was a larger corner room and had large balcony. Unfortunately, we did not have time to sit there. The windows and balcony faced the backyard of hotels, but the views were lovely. The room also had separate WC from the bath, so that was convenient. Toiletries included only one bar of soap – usually there are two for bath and sink. The room also had robes and slippers. We both have conflicted experiences with the bed. George liked the pillows, but I thought they were a little hard. The bed was a queen, not king, but headboard was a king, hence the night table was at distance from hand’s reach, so you need to get up from the bed to reach the night table. The room had a separate living room and bedroom area. For couch potatoes who want to watch TV from the bed, you cannot do it, which is okay for me. On arrival, we had a welcome message from manager and a tray of strawberries. Nice. They were very tasty, fresh, seasonal berries.
The next morning, we went to the beach the before breakfast. The beach charge for chairs is 15€ per chair, which also includes a parasol and lounge. Towels were available at the hotel. We crossed the beach. Yes, they charge a lot on Riviera beaches, but in Nice, the beach is gravel, and you cannot really sit on the beach unless you can bring special thick spread. You do not have a choice. Plus, the beach attendants also rollout the runners, which helps you walk. We did not go to the water because we did not bring water shoes, as I had forgotten. We sat a little bit on the beach, walked in flip-flops in the water, and then went back to hotel to have breakfast. The breakfast was a buffet: good pastries, fruit, some eggs, cold cuts, salmon, and the usual staff. It was not an elaborate selection, but of good quality. After breakfast, we went to use the pool. One of the reasons we chose Le Meridien over Westminster was because it had pool on the rooftop. They charge 15€ per person per day. We reserved for half a day for 16€. For these money, the pool attendant helps you to choose the place – in the shade or in the sun, gets an umbrella and towels, and generally lets you sunbathe very comfortable. I am a picky customer, since I always alternate between sun and shade, and we got our money’s worth for the pool attendant replacing umbrellas to follow our movements.
The views are terrific from rooftop – all 360 degrees. We stayed there until noon and went back to hotel to pack and check out. We thought to use Internet, but it cost 20€ per hour, so we passed on this.