Splendid Hotel & Spa

While not overly luxurious, the Splendid conveys an upscale aesthetic, especially in its public spaces. Guests enter to a lobby with a pillar and semi-circle-shaped front desk with a stained-glass window behind it. Vintage Nice tourist posters adorn the walls of the public spaces. The feel overall is contemporary, and even avant garde in the all-white, circle-shaped meeting rooms. Service from the multilingual staff is warm and efficient. Guests gather around the seasonal rooftop pool and hot tub, featuring stellar city and hill views, and in the rooftop bar, which becomes a stylish lounge at night. Leisure travelers like the Splendid's location not far from the Promenade and beach, while business travelers appreciate the meeting rooms.

Splendid Hotel & Spa offers an excellent location on the Boulevard Victor Hugo in central Nice, a five-minute walk north of the Musee Massena museum, Promenade des Anglais, beach, and Bay of Angels part of the Mediterranean. Old Town Nice is located a 15-minute walk southeast of the hotel, featuring restaurants, shops, ice cream stands, bars, clubs, public squares, the Cours Saleya flower market, and Baroque churches like the Chapelle de la Miséricorde. The Massena tram station is a 10-minute walk east and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a 10-minute walk northwest. The Gare Nice Ville train station is an eight-minute walk or three-minute drive north of the hotel. Located an eight-minute drive east of the hotel, Le Chateau of Nice offers up a superb view of the city and sea. Nice Cote d'Azur Airport is a 10-minute drive southwest of the hotel. 

Situated on eight floors and starting at 215 square feet in size, the 128 rooms at the Splendid are quiet, clean, and pleasant. The decor doesn't reflect a lot of originality; the color palette is largely ochre, blue, white, and beige. Beds are fairly comfortable, with thick mattresses and cotton sheets. Some double beds are two single beds pushed together. Rooms come in four types: Harmonie, Deluxe, Family Rooms, and Suites. All rooms have air-conditioning, windows that open, minibars, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels (with very few English-speaking channels), and bathrooms with bathtubs, magnifying mirrors, and hairdryers. Deluxe rooms add a trouser press, iron and ironing board, in-room safe, coffee/tea maker, jetted tub, and balcony or terrace (some with sunbeds). Suites offer living rooms with sofa beds and a second flat-screen TV. Rooms are generally in good condition, although some could use a little freshening in their wallpaper, carpets, and bathroom tile. 

Unlike many of the more budget-oriented hotels in central Nice, the Splendid offers a wide array of property facilities. The highlight feature is the rooftop outdoor pool and hot tub, open seasonally from April to October. The wood deck features superb views of the Nice city skyline, hills, and Alps. Guests can sip a cocktail from the rooftop bar and sun themselves on the lounge chairs or engage in conversation on the soft sofas. The pool can be a little cold when the weather isn't sunny. The adjacent restaurant offers excellent views from its large bay windows, and serves good French and Mediterranean cuisine with organic, fresh and local seafood, meat, and produce. The breakfast buffet is ample and varied, with a wide range of hot and cold items, but it's a little expensive. Guests may want to get a less expensive breakfast at a nearby cafe. The full-service spa is affiliated with Decleor, one of the top beauty products brands in France. The spa has a hammam steam room, indoor hot tub, Pilates lessons, relaxation room, massages, and treatments, all for a fee. The hotel also offers a small and limited fitness center, business corner, bell service, concierge, multilingual staff, and underground parking (for a fee).