Thought I would write a recent review for thse people who may be travelling to the area in 2006. We stayed at The Royal Riviera for 4 nights July 1-5 2006. It was quite a change for us as we came from Le Mas De Pierre in St Paul (which we loved). However, we were ready for a bit of glamour so...... had we come to the right place? Probably not.

The hotel was fabulous, the pool very relaxing the room and staff absolutely fantastic however the area was not quite what we expected. It seemed more like a retirement community than an upscale resort. We ate at both Beaulieu and St Jean and were very surprised that both towns were very subdued (even during The World Cup). We retired back to the hotel for a nightcap only to find at 11pm it was empty! Not one person.
So, if you are looking for some action probably St Tropez or Cannes may be the spot for you.
Even Monte Carlo was not quite what I expected, my mother and were dressed quite casual and people were staring, it wasn't glamorous at all.

Back to the hotel, when you order breakfast do a la carte it's so much cheaper and you get pretty big servings. But beware we ordered 2 bowls of muesli and they included like 12 croissants and charged us for a continent breakfast which was much more expensive.

A fantastic hotel and a great base to explore the area.

We (two couples) stayed here for 4 days and enjoyed every minute. The pool was a delight, the romms comfortable and the service not to be believed. The Royal Riviera was a fitting backdrop to a wonderful few days.

The location is perfect. We spent our nights wining and dining, mostly at restaurants we could reach by foot. The fish in restaurants in nearby Beaulieu were superb. Days we spent walking the peninsula (which affords hours of spectacular footpaths with breathtaking views out to the sea), swimming, a bit of museum visiting (including the fabulous Rothschild Villa in Cap ferrat) or just enjoying the hotels infrastucture.

The last night was a special birthday and we dined at the Royal Riviera and ejoyed excellent cuisine - complete with birthday cake.

We will go again.

Other reviewers have noted extras being sneaked onto the bill by this hotel. I had a similar experience. Tips being added to the lunch bill even though I had scored through the tips line on the docket, and then the hotel claiming by letter after I had checked out that I had removed a camera from the minibar and debiting my credit card extra 25 euros. With the hotel charging so much, they do not need to resort to petty thieving to make up their profit.

This practice left a sour taste, because the hotel is good, the views from the main room superb (as long as, as other reviewers have pointed out you don't go for a mountain view room overlooking the railway). Not sure about the orange and purple modern decor in the refurbished rooms in the main building - the lighter provencal rooms in the orangerie look better, but they have no view of the sea and surrounding coast and are very noisy next to the swimming pool.

Unlike others, I thought the food was excellent, although the breakfast buffet was a small choice for a hotel of such standing, the lunchtime sandwiches and salads, although 25 euros are huge for their size are actually as big as a main meal, and with the poolside restaurant being open until 5pm, this is great for families with kids. The pool itself is great and refreshing and not one of those pools that reeks with clorine. The downside is that if you go when it is busy, there are not enough loungers for the whole hotel (ditto the beach) and many that appear to be free are block booked by people who have booked them for the whole week with the concierge).

Do though have dinner in the hotel and do not go outside. What is very little advertised (including in the hotel itself) is the table de hote menu for 49 Euros each, with a choice of one of two offerings for each of the three courses. The quality of the food and the situation of eating on the hotel terrace actually makes this extremely good value - you do not need to venture into the a la carte menu at all. Half bottles of wine for people who want to drink in moderation are in abundance in the wine menu and at unoutrageous prices.

The real downside, apart from the sneaking of extra charges, is the beach. Yes the hotel have put some fine white sand where they rent their spot (and praise where praise is due, unlike other hotels on the riviera, there is no charge for sitting on a sun lounger or under a parasol), but underneath it, on the public part of the beach next to it, and underwater where you swim, the surface is like builders grit - very hard on your feet, to the point that we thought about buying plastic shoes to swim in. In addition, just in front of where the hotel rents is a Parachute - Jet - Ski water sports outlet which cooperates with thoe hotel. This outfit operates some fairly hefty and old boats, meaning that when you sit on the beach, the smell of exhaust fumes from the speedboat engines comes wafting over you for 30 minutes at a time whenever they start and end a session and you also get the noise. The worst part is that the sea itself is so polluted with engine oil floating on the surface that many people decided that it was too dirty to swim in. This is very disappointing when the hotel pushes its beach so hard in its advertising.

In addition the hotel has only one lift (which twice needed maintenance in our stay and was out of order). Climbing up to the fourth floor for some old people was not what they expected from a leading hotel of the world

Generally a first class hotel and the few niggles did not detract from a superb short stay.

The Royal Riviera is extremely well positioned midway between Bealieau and Cap Ferrat villages. Tastefully refurbished throughout although the bathroom was a bit small and shabby and beware the "mountain view" rooms which actually overlook the main road and railway tracks, only 25 meters away. Fortunately the trains don't run at night but late evening and early morning the noise is intrusive.

The staff are unfailingly polite and helpful, service generally is of a very high standard and the food is excellent both poolside and in the "gastronomique" restaurant (if a little pricey even by Cote d'Azur standards).

As with another reviewer, we were also charged for breakfast we didn't have and whilst the reception manager was most apologetic, there really is no excuse for this kind of sneaky practice which could easily be construed as dishonest.

All in all, a superior experience to the "Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat" in terms of location, service, standard of accommodation and value for money. We will probably try "La Reserve" Hotel in Bealieau next time where we had one of the best fine dining experiences of our lives but would not hesitate to return to the Royal Riviera. Another highly recommended informal restaurant is "Les Agaves" in Bealieau, only a 10 minute walk away.