Neither rich nor famous, and with no access to a yacht even in my distant future, you might say that Monte Carlo was a peculiar place to find myself on a recent trip to the French Riviera. But the storied destination has a knack for drawing travelers to its studded stretch of the Mediterranean, and if it's good enough for Jacquemus (more on that later), who am I to argue with it?
Monaco, of course, is one of the destinations we look to when it comes to understanding Mediterranean interior design. But the hotels here, naturally, have their own take on the genre.
The refresh currently making waves in the principality is the ongoing renovation of Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, one of the destination's oldest hotels. The iconic property is nearing its centennial, and with its signature Belle Époque façade just a stone's throw from the ultimate icon, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the address that made this place what it is today, the updates make it an ever more attractive anchor for any trip here.
In the works is a renovation of the hotel's regal Diamond Suites, reimagined by Pierre-Yves Rochon and the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Design and Engineering Office, plus the addition of 40 new rooms and suites — with more on the horizon. Already home to a pair of Michelin-starred restaurants, the grande dame also unveiled a stylish new bar, Gustave, by interior architect Shirine Zirak, adding contemporary spirit and genuinely covetable interiors to the mix.
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