Radisson SAS Hotel, Nice

...France. We stayed in a Radisson SAS in Amsterdam several years ago but other than remembering that it was a positive experience I don't remember a lot about it so I can't really compare the two. I was looking forward to staying in the hotel and I was pleased it was only 10-15 minutes away from the airport by taxi. My dad booked the hotel (along with the flights) online and he also booked out taxi so it was there waiting to pick us up at the airport. ...
...bed lit up in the Radisson colours. This was quite nice but it wasn't light enough to make a difference through the day and it was too bright at night to sleep with it on. This was a shame as the room was pitch black at night (due to the thick curtains) and it was difficult to find the way to the bathroom. My bed was put next to the window and although it wasn't very wide it was fairly comfortable. The pillows were not very thick so we requested ... more

~ Introduction ~

I recently returned from a holiday with my parents. We stayed in this Hotel in Nice, France. We stayed in a Radisson SAS in Amsterdam several years ago but other than remembering that it was a positive experience I don't remember a lot about it so I can't really compare the two. I was looking forward to staying in the hotel and I was pleased it was only 10-15 minutes away from the airport by taxi. My dad booked the hotel (along with the flights) online and he also booked out taxi so it was there waiting to pick us up at the airport. The taxi fare was charged to our hotel bill.

After we landed and got our luggage we head out of the airport to meet the taxi driver. He was standing with a card which had our surname written on and he directed us outside where we had to stand 5-10 minutes before getting in the taxi. At first we thought we were sharing a taxi but no one else came so we don't know what the hold up was.

~ On Arrival ~

One of the members of staff opened the doors of the taxi ready for us to get out. He then took our cases and put them on a trolley and followed us inside. We had to wait about 10-15 in the queue as there was only a couple of reception staff working and the customers in front of us were taking a while. Check-in was smooth and as we arrived an hour earlier than check-in they offered to keep our luggage in a locked room until we returned. We went for a walk along the prom and returned to the hotel about an hour later when our room was ready. A member of staff brought our luggage up to the room about 5 minutes after we got there.

~ Reception Area ~

The reception area was nice and bright and, like the rest of the hotel, it was air-conditioned. There were about 4 reception desks but I only ever saw two people working at any one time - I assume they have more receptionists working when it is busier. There were sweets on the reception desks and I often had a couple of these on my way past. I think this was a nice touch to the reception area.

There was also a concierge desk and we spoke to the member of staff here on several occasions. I think we spoke to three different members of staff working at the concierge desk and they were all very helpful, friendly and spoke very good English. Maps of the area were available here and they had the hotel marked on which I thought was useful though the maps were not very detailed. One morning we were standing waiting at the concierge desk and another member of staff came over and asked if he could help us. I can't remember what we asked but I know he answered our question so we didn't actually have to see the concierge.

The lounge and bar were located right next to the reception. We sat in the lounge area but we didn't buy anything from the bar, as it was very expensive. (for example 12 Euro for an Irish coffee - about £8.40!)

There were two computers in the reception area, which had internet access. You could pay for this at the concierge desk. However, it was 20 Euro (about £14) per hour so we did not use this facility. (We went to the Internet café a couple of times, which was about 10 minutes away where it was only 3 Euros an hour! I didn't even use it for a whole hour so I think I only paid 35p per time!) There was free wireless Internet access throughout the hotel but you needed to have your own laptop to use this.

• Advantages *
• The staff were very friendly
• The staff spoke excellent English
• The area was well lit and spacious
• The area was air-conditioned

* Disadvantages *
* Internet access was very expensive~ The Room ~

Our room was located on the fourth floor, which we accessed by one of the three lifts. (They had stairs as well but these were not very well lit and were there as a fire escape. We only used these a couple of times going from the 4th floor to the 7th floor where the swimming pool was located to get a bit of exercise instead of using the lift.)

The room was a fair size and the main bed was actually two single beds pushed together (they each had separate bedding.) The headboard of my parents' bed lit up in the Radisson colours. This was quite nice but it wasn't light enough to make a difference through the day and it was too bright at night to sleep with it on. This was a shame as the room was pitch black at night (due to the thick curtains) and it was difficult to find the way to the bathroom. My bed was put next to the window and although it wasn't very wide it was fairly comfortable. The pillows were not very thick so we requested some more. This helped but they still were not very comfortable.

On our first night we received a complimentary litre bottle of water and some snacks. These were presented nicely in a bowl and consisted of pineapple chunks on a stick, chocolates, chocolate mousse and fruit mousse. Every night after this we each received a small bar of (delicious!) nougat, individually wrapped.

There was a desk in the room and there was a small table, which had been pushed underneath. I assume this was there as my bed was located where the table would normally be. There was also one chair, which was in between the desk and my bed. This chair was quite comfortable and I sat on it and read most nights.

The desk was a good size and there was a light and a telephone on the desk. I used the light whenever I sat there, whether I was writing, reading or drinking tea! It was quite bright and lit the desk up well, as there weren't any other lights directly above the desk. There was a chair, which accompanied the desk - this was comfortable but it was really squeaky! My parents thought I was making it squeak on purpose (but I wasn't!)

The room also had a mini bar but we didn't buy anything from here, as it was very expensive. (about £3.50 for a can of pop!) We did use the mini bar as a fridge though and no one seemed to mind. (The mini bar was checked every day so that the correct amount could be charged to your bill as necessary)

There wasn't much space to keep our clothes. The wardrobe was a decent size so we could hang everything up that needed to be but there was only one draw in the whole room (apart from the narrow draws in the desk) so I had to share this with my parents. At the beginning of the holiday it was difficult to find a bikini or a pair of socks belonging to me but as the holiday went on and the draw got emptier the hunt became easier! The wardrobe had a large safe and underneath this there were three sliding shelves, which we kept our shorts and t-shirts on.

As I said, the safe was quite large (I think it would easily fit a laptop in) and it was easy to use. My dad chose a 4-digit code for us to use when we were there and it was easy to open and close - it even played a little tune, which was different depending on if you were opening it, or locking it. The safe was free to use.

There was also a trouser press located in a cupboard next to the bathroom. We didn't use this but used the bottom of the cupboard to store a few of our things (due to the lack of storage space.)

There were reading lights next to my parents' bed, which they used frequently. There was also a full-length mirror in the room which had lights built into it.

The view out of the window was nothing special - just some buildings and a road. However, there are some rooms which have a sea view but these are much more expensive.Our room was cleaned every day and we didn't have any problems with this service. The beds were made, bins emptied and clean towels left. Someone came in late evening as well (to leave the nougat) and to see if we needed clean towels.

• Advantages *
• Good Lighting
• Nice size room
• Clean
• Good housekeeping service
• Complimentary nougat

* Disadvantages *

• Poor view
• Squeaky desk chair
• Lack of cupboard and draw space

~ The Bathroom ~The bathroom was quite small (though it was big enough) and there was a bath with a shower inside. There was one sink and a toilet and the room was clean. There was a full-length mirror, which due to the wall it was on, you could use in the bedroom when the bathroom door was open.

There was a selection of toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner and hand wash. There was also a shower cap and soap. These were replaced everyday as they were used :-)

I only had one bath while I was there but I had at least one shower per day. The bath was a bit too long and I wasn't very comfortable in it. However, my mam had a bath every day. I loved the shower; it was really powerful and refreshing :-) Unfortunately the lighting wasn't very good above the bath/shower.

• Advantages *
• Good toiletries
• Clean
• Great shower

* Disadvantages *

• Poor lighting above bath
• Bath too long (although tall people would probably disagree)

~ The Pool ~

The swimming pool was located on the roof and was accessed by lift to the 7th floor. There were then some stairs that you had to walk up to get the top. At first I thought this wasn't very good for people who are less able but there was a wheelchair user by the pool and I found out that there is a lift, which can be used if it is necessary.

The swimming pool is free to use but the bed hire costs 17 Euro per day or 12 Euro per half day. This gets you a sundeck, a towel and a parasol. We didn't pay on a daily basis because we got three tickets per day (one each) included in the price of our room.The view from the roof was amazing. You could see the whole bay as well as the private beach across from the hotel. It is also near the airport so it was nice to watch the aeroplanes take off and land. It was not noisy being near the airport (which we were pleased about!)

• Advantages *
• Nice pool
• Lovely view
• Comfortable sun decks

* Disadvantages *
*Expensive sun deck hire~ The Private Beach ~There is an area of beach opposite the Radisson, which belongs to the hotel. We only went to the beach once because it was made of pebbles, which were not very nice to walk on. It was nice and relaxing lying by the sea. There was a bar there as well so you could go down to the beach without needing to hire a sundeck (the same price as by the pool) We could use our tickets for the beach (but couldn't go to the pool the same day unless we paid)

• Advantages *
• Relaxing
• Lovely Blue Sky and Sea

* Disadvantages *

• Pebble beach
• Sun decks not very comfortable

~ Other facilities ~There was a children's club located on the 7th floor but I don't know if you had to pay for this. We seen the man who runs this club come into the breakfast room, dressed as a wizard, a couple of times.

There was also a Fitness Room on this floor. We didn't use this facility during our stay, but on our last day we wanted somewhere to get changed (after we had checked out as we weren't flying until 9pm) so the receptionist gave us a pass to get into the fitness room area. We got changed in the toilets. These toilets were bigger than the ones in reception and they were very clean and nicely decorated. However, the doors didn't lock properly. This didn't matter much as there was no one else there when we were.

~ Food ~

The Breakfast - we ate breakfast here everyday (it was included in the price of our room). The breakfast was a buffet and there was a huge selection. There was fruit, cereal, hot food, salad, bread, croissants, yoghurt etc.

The restaurant was located on the 7th floor but we didn't eat here, as we wanted to explore the area. It was also very expensive (the bank holiday special was 60 Euro for two courses)

The Pool Bar - we didn't eat here as the prices were extortionate (19 Euro for hamburger and chips!) we did have drinks here but only once as this was really expensive too. It cost 19 Euro in total for a pint of beer and two cans of pop!

~ The Area ~

The hotel is located on La Promenade des Anglais and is about 15 minutes away from the main centre of Nice by bus. The hotel provided a courtesy mini bus, which went into the centre every hour on the hour from 11am-5pm (apart from 1pm) and returned on the half-hour (apart from 1.30pm).

We used the courtesy bus as much as possible but we had just missed it one day so we got a taxi back - this cost us15 Euro so we didn't do it again! My mam and I went into Nice one day and we were not long but we had missed the bus back so it would be nearly an hour to wait for the next one. We decided to walk and as we were on the promenade this was very enjoyable. It took us an hour to walk back! (we stopped a couple of times to take photos)

~ Check out ~

Checkout was easy and we were charged the correct amount on our bill. As we checked out at 12 noon and weren't leaving the hotel until 5.30pm the hotel stored our luggage for us. We got it back hassle free when our taxi came.

~ Cost ~

The room rates vary a lot depending on the time of year and whether or not you have a sea view or balcony. They start from around 135 Euro per night depending on when you stay. The exchange rate when we went was 1.445 Euro to the £.

~ Overall ~

I really enjoyed staying in this hotel although everything within it was very overpriced. Despite it being a very pleasant stay I wouldn't stay here again unless it was just for a couple of nights.

• Advantages *
• Nice Room
• Friendly Staff
• Courtesy Bus into Nice
• Large Safe in room
• Complimentary nougat each day

* Disadvantages *

• Food and drink expensive
• Lack of storage space in room
• Cost of sundeck hire

Thanks for reading! xx 

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