HI Sweetie,
Can't comment on your hotel as we stayed in an apartment( a very affordable option). I didn't fancy the look of most of the hotels on the internet.
Nice is a fabulous destination. Great shopping/choice of restaurants and a lovely setting.
You'll enjoy strolling & exploring, but if you've time you can grab a bus to Antibes/Mone Carlo, Menton, Cannes etc, etc, ....even Italy! One particularly lovely village is St. Paul de Vence about half an hour away. Just gorgeous.
Have a great time. I'm sure your hotel will be fine & you'll probably not be in it for long with so much to do!
Hope this helps.

Hello sweetiepie,

my wife and I are off to Nice in early May. Fly out with Easyjet on the 5th and back on the 9th - it's my 50th on the 9th.

We've been to Nice quite a few times. Don't know your hotel, could suggest some we've stayed at but pointless as you've booked already.

The airport is at the western end of a long promenade called the Promenade des Anglais. There's a regular bus service form the airport directly into Nice and it runs along the sea front for most of the 6-7 mile journey.

There's no sand on the beach at Nice, it's mainly pebbles but there are a number of places where you can rent a very comfortable, padded beach lounger, with umbrellas but prices are not cheap. About 12-16 euros per person per day. You can rent for a half-day at lower price. These prices do not include food and drink and you're not supposed to take your own drinks in, other than bottled water. Food is, in our experience, pretty good at these "beach" operations. I'd suggest the Opera Plage is the best for price - you'll find it towards the eastern end - opposite end of the promenade from the airport.

Just behind the coast road at this area (the Opera) you will find the "Cours Saleya" (or Saleya not certain on spelling) - during the day it's a fruit/veg market (some days), a Flower Market most days, a bric-a-brac market on others. There are perhaps 25-30 restaurants bordering this long, narrow market area and most are open during the day. At night however, after the council workmen have thoroughly cleaned the market, these restaurants expand into the central market area. As the light fades and the restaurants switch-on their own lights the place takes on a magical air. The competition is so fierce quality and prices are extremely good.

I can taste the Boulibaisse (spelling again might be wrong), a Provencal fish dish that is very popular in Nice but not sometimes a little expensive. Shop around and look at people eating the dish. You'll often see a large pot of soup, and always see a side plate of hard, dry circular shaped bread pieces upon which you spread a mustard type aoli and sprinkle some grated cheese before floating these in your bowl of fish soup. It's great.

Salade Nicoise is the local speciality and varies tremendously from one place to another. Alexander's, at the eastern end of the Cours Saleya, and with white/yellow striped awnings is one of the best for Salade Nicoise.

Wines are inexpensive - a pichet of house being perhaps the best value. Rose is particularly good. I prefer red but they have a tendancy to serve Provencal Red chilled. It's not my favourite but soon warms up and is more practical when the weather is so warm.

We've been in May and the weather is usually wonderful. I'd be suprised if you see rain - in the evenings it can be a little chilly especially if sitting outside. Many restaurants have heaters should it be unseasonably cool.

There is a large, old centre to Nice. You can gain access to it from the Cours Saleya - or towards the sea from the main bus station. You can easily get lost in the very narrow and complex thread of streets - but that's part of the fun. You're rarely far from a restaurant or bar and I've never felt unsafe in the area. Lunchtimes (12:00 - 4:00pm) will usually find the shops closing but many bars will then in turn open.

Away from the coast road, but only 400-600 yards inland, there's a large pedestrianised area and again many bars restaurants especially at night. If you select one with many diners you generally will not be disappointed. Most display a menu outside, many with a fixed price menu - some with several fixed price options. ALL include service - so, unless you are particularly impressed don't feel the need to leave a further tip. Tax is also included in the price.

I've got to admit to liking a beer before dinner - but geer is generally more expensive than wine especially if you elect to go with the house wine. However, a pression (draft) beer is usually reasonable value. You always pay more for drinks when sat as compared to stood at a bar - and you pay more for sitting outside on the terrace compared to inside the premises.

Shopping is good in Nice (Viv tells me ). There's a Galleries Lafayette - not as big as the Paris version but still quite large. There are the usual small Spar and Huit-a-Huit shops, always appearing to be open, selling the essentials such as milk, water, fruit drinks, and beers and wines, plus food. A picknick is great fun especially as the deli shops sell wonderfully fresh foods - my mouth is watering at the thought.

Look atthe port area of Nice - it's tucked away behind a high promontory that juts out at the east end of the coast strip. You can walk to the top of that point (or ride the elevator). Access is found nearby to the Hotel Suisse which is built almost into the cliff at the very eastern end of the "beach". Around the headland is the port, and beyond the next headland (Mount Boron), the popular harbour of Villefranche.

I can highly recommend Villefranche. If your energetic and don't mind a 4 mile walk you CAN walk - via Mount Boron - following the main road. Cruise ships harbour in the bay at Villefranche and tender their passengers into the small harbour. Great fish restaurants here - we've stayed at hotels in this place a few times.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (the film with Michael Caine and Steve Martin) featured the dock where the cruise tenders pull in. History oozes from the buildings in the harbourfront area. Lunchtime is good - avoid Monday's though as some restaurants close. You can get a bus to/from Villefranche at the Main Nice bus station and it's the first main stop en-route to Menton.

I think Friday is Menton's market day - busses and trains are busy as a result on that day. We caught the bus to Menton once, then train back. The train is faster but you don't see as much.

Monte Carlo and Monaco are not to be missed. They are very close to each other so check where to get off for the best chance of seeing both places.

Cap Ferrat is close enough to Nice (just beyond Villefranche if memory serves and not as far as Monaco/Monte Carlo. We found it a little quiet though.

Heading the other direction (west), again on the train or by bus, check out St Tropez and Cannes.

Heading inland, look at Vence, St Paul de Vence and Eze. These hilltop villages give a true feeling for the Provence area and often have some quaint shops and restaurants hidden away in small streets. You'll often find street markets and I love buying fresh fruit that's ready for eating immediately - a problem in England as nothing's ripe.

I've waffled-on quite a bit - but hopefully you'll be able to pluck some use out of the above. Feel free to PM or ask more questions on the open forum. My wife and I love Nice and can recommend it to anybody who likes good food, decent wine at reasonable prices, attractive architecture, friendly people (not sour like some Parisiennes), a great climate and a good transport infrastructure.

Hi there thankyou for taking your time to reply to my message,sorry i haven't replyed sooner haven't bein on here. Do you have any idea what weather is like out there at the begining of May as not sure what sort of clothing to take.Also spending Money we are going out there for 2 nights Arriving Sunday and leaving tuesday.
Thanks x