The French Riviera's Best New Hotel Is in Nice (Seriously)
“I think Nice is a much better city than Monaco—it’s a million times more interesting,” says hotelier Valéry Grégo. “But for too long it was overlooked, a bit like one of those cities for retirees. And now people are realizing that Nice has a food and music scene, it’s actually great for swimming, and this and that, but it’s not new. The food scene was always great, and the water was always here, and the light was always beautiful. It’s funny that we’re kind of rediscovering it.”
Grégo deserves at least part of the credit for that. Ten years ago he came upon a former 17th-century convent in the center of Old Town, and while surveying the crumbling mess—left completely abandoned ever since the nuns moved out in 1987—a lightbulb went off. “Nothing was there,” he says, “but everything was there.”
And so began a decade of meticulous restoration work to create Hôtel du Couvent, which opened earlier this summer and almost immediately garnered every design-loving, Riviera jetsetter’s Instagram stamp of approval. Grégo’s primary objective here was to do as little as possible, incorporating the subtlest of details in a way that would respect the beauty, and the bones, and the 400-year-old history of what was there before. It was about applying the lightest touch. So light, in fact, that he didn’t even build wall partitions (instead, curtains are cleverly placed throughout each suite to create a sense of flow). There are no TVs either, lest a jangle of cables mar the serene vibes. All niches and fireplaces remain untouched, too, and if you find yourself wondering if the religious intaglio hanging above your bed or the clergy chair in the corner of your bathroom were originally part of the convent, that’s the point. (They weren’t: Grégo personally sourced every single piece of decor in the hotel.)
Even the food, in its exquisite simplicity, pays homage to the space’s former tenants. Whatever’s in season—and harvested at the hotel’s nearby partner farm—is what you’ll find on your plate. The nuns had an on-site boulangerie (this is France, after all) and that tradition continues. As does the one where madeleines are baked fresh daily in a small kitchen near the entrance, so anyone walking through those doors are greeted with their sublime aromas (and offered a welcome snack, of course).
“For some people who renovate, they want to show that they redid the place. For me, I wanted to not show,” Grégo says. “I want people to come and say, ‘What have you been doing for 10 years?’ That, to me, is the best compliment.”
Below, we asked him to pick his favorite room.
Describe the vibe of Hôtel du Couvent.
We are in a convent that has become a hotel, so you are always in between those things, in the middle of the triangle. Clearly it was a convent. Clearly it’s not anymore. But sometimes you’re not so sure. Like, ‘Oh, is that a cross?’ No, but it has the shape. ‘Is this Italy or France?’ It’s a little bit of both. To me, that’s the vibe: something that has a sense of place.
I’m not making something I like, I’m making something that I think makes sense. The colors are what they are because they were the colors of the convent. The floors are what they are because they were the floors of the convent. So I hope the vibe gives a sense of, ‘I don't know what I was expecting but that’s what it should be.’
What do you consider the best room, and why?
I don’t really have one. It’s like kids, you like them the same. But if I had to choose, the Chapter Suite, #208, because it’s the first room that was completely finished. I had images in my mind of how I wanted everything and then, one day, boom. It was there. So I love this room because of that. It’s the first I saw becoming what I thought it would become.
How much does it cost per night?
From $3,200.
What do guests find most surprising about the property?
The calmness. You come from the city, the access [via Rue Rossetti] can be complicated, you’re in the middle of Old Town, the street is busy, and you’re like, ‘What am I doing here?’ And then you open the door and it’s, ‘Ohh.’ I think it’s striking, the difference between just before the door opens and after, the sounds, the light, the smell. The whole experience changes vastly.
Favorite hidden gems in and around Nice?
The best restaurant in Nice—and far beyond—is Davia. It’s amazing. The chef [Pierre Altobelli] is a third-generation guy from Nice who went to Japan when he was young, got a Michelin star there, then came back to take over his grandmother's restaurant. It’s French cuisine with a Japanese kitchen.
Then I would say the Monastère de Saorge, a monastery an hour and 45 minutes from here. The paintings, the colors, the gardens—a lot of what we did here was inspired by it. I even took their gardener to do ours.
Best time of year to visit the city?
End of the year, like November to January, is incredible. It’s very similar to L.A. The Mediterranean climate, crisp, blue sky, you have all the oranges and citrus, and less people. The best.
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