Nice Day 3 - A bit of exploring
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Again David and I met for breakfast at 8:00 however this morning we had to back up our belongings as we had arranged other accommodation for the evening. After a lovely breakfast we made our way to Hostel Meyerbeer Beach.
We had arrived and had a look around the property. With its brilliant location it’s no wonder that this hostel is so popular. The rooms are basic and comfortable and all are clean and tidy. The reception and common area are a little cramped but it does mean that you will be socializing with fellow backpackers. The hostel does have a very homely feel to it and plenty of character. I would recommend this property for its stunning location and friendly atmosphere.
Following on from there just around the corner we visited Hostel Paradis. We were given a selection of keys to so we could go and see some of the rooms ourselves. Rooms were very clean, tidy and spacious. The location of this property is also great with a variety of shops, bars and restaurants to keep everyone entertained.
We had covered the first two appointments relatively quickly so we went to an internet café for an hour and caught up on our emails followed by lunch this time at Mac Donald’s.
Our next appointment was at Residence Hoteliere Ajoupa with Abel. This property gives a false impression from the outside. It’s almost hard to see from the street but once inside there are a variety of rooms available. Parts of this building and some specific rooms are undergoing renovations and some very stylish new mini apartments are being built.
These new apartments once complete will be ideal for couples travelling looking for relatively cheap accommodation. The location of this property is brilliant. It is surrounded by beautiful shops, bars and restaurants.
We went directly from that meeting to the next which was at Antares. This property is a great choice for any backpacker. There are a variety of communal areas to hang out and socialize with fellow travellers. The rooms are clean, tidy and very bright and there are a variety of rooms on offer form dorms to privates. The staff were incredibly friendly and eager to help and are passionate about their guests and showing them a good time while visiting Nice.
The following three properties we went to visit were all relatively similar in their set up and ratings. All within less than a minutes walk from each other and also located very centrally it’s another good choice of accommodation.
Hotel Azurea, Hotel du Midi and Hotel Bristol offer travellers an opportunity to stay in reasonably priced accommodation where many services are offered. Such as Wi-Fi, currency exchange, dry-cleaning and care rental. All rooms are tastefully decorated with en-suite facilities which may include a bath or a shower. These hotels have great communal areas where breakfast can be enjoyed as well where you can relax after a hard day sightseeing.
We had finished our appointments for the day so headed back to our hotel to collect our bags so we could make our way to Hostel Saint Exupery where we would be spending our last night in Nice. We were once again picked up by the lovely staff from the Hostel. This free service is offered to those who are carrying heavy backpacks etc since the property is at the top of steep hill it makes it a little easier to reach the hostel by car.
Arriving there at around six in the evening we sat in the old Chapel and had a few drinks with Arno. His brother and a few friends joined us later and we continued the drinking. After some dinner we ventured out in the car to do a bit of exploring. Arno and Albert took us to Monaco to see the Casino and some other sights.
I would love to return to visit Monaco during the day as even at night it was mesmerizing. The castle at top the hill and the incredible yachts parked in the bay. We managed to have a quick wonder around the casino as well where at the entrance there are a series of photographs which cover some history about the building and the royal family. It is a whole different life there all together, the cars you see parked outside the casino resemble the line up of cars available in Project Gotham Racing on the xbox 360. It was all totally surreal.
At around midnight we had to start making our way back to the hostel as Arno need to pick up some backpackers from the pick up point near the hostel. Feeling rather exhausted having drunk a little too much and having walked so much during the day I will more than ready for bed.
The guys stayed up chatting for a while longer and I went to bed, after a quick shower I climbed into bed with the intention of reading a bit, I don’t think I even made it to the end of the first page before I was asleep.
