Comfortable, if not awe-inspiring
Just returned from a fantastic holiday in the lovely city of Nice. The Splendid was far from perfect but, obviously, I liked it enough to give it a creditable 4-stars overall.
As other reviewers have already noted, the rooms are a tad past their sell-by date. That's not to say that they are decrepit or dirty or horrifying. Simply that they are not exactly pristine or particularly swanky or particularly luxurious. And the soundproofing wasn’t amazing, but we weren’t able to hear our neighbours’ conversations without the aid of a good quality stethoscope. (Joking.)
However, our room - 321 - actually consisted of a large bedroom, a large sitting room/second bedroom and a two-sink, spacious bathroom. That’s more than enough room to swing several cats in and plenty to be comfortable. The twin beds in the bedroom were quite firm and, therefore, comfortable for us. The sofa-bed in the sitting room was large, but might have been worrisome for someone with back problems. The bath was big enough and the Jacuzzi was a welcome addition. Personally, I liked the lack of a shower curtain… it felt rather liberating to me! Oh, and as for the Einstein who was complaining that the toilet flush required more than 40 flushes to get rid of their, ahem, deposits… press and hold, my friend, press and hold!!
The safe, tea and coffee-making facilities and the minibar, the ample closet space and the overall cleanliness of the room and hotel in general all made for a more than comfortable stay. Yes, the TV looked a bit elderly (it wasn’t a swish, new plasma or LCD) but it worked and, anyway, you really don’t go to Nice for the world-class TV-watching!
And, sure, there were problems with the A/C throughout much of our week there. And Nice was baking at around the 40 degree mark practically every day. But opening the windows helped a lot and the heat never really interfered with our enjoyment.
Neither, as it happened, did the nightly presence on the street corner directly opposite our room of a prostitute or two. Bld Victor Hugo is far too swanky and safe and quiet to qualify as a red light area, but the girls (and occasional pimp-like figure) have definitely set up shop there in front of the pharmacy. During our stay there was absolutely no trouble associated with them and we also had no cause for concern when returning quite late at night to the hotel, so unless things change dramatically, I wouldn’t consider them to be a problem for guests.
As others have mentioned, the breakfast at the Splendid was less than inspirational, but it was certainly serviceable. The daily ration of scrambled eggs, what tasted like tinned mushrooms, croissants/toast/pains aux chocolat, juices, yoghurts and cheeses was plentiful and satisfying enough for us while meat-eaters were also provided with a small selection of cold cuts and mini-sausages. And we enjoyed the daily ritual of breakfast in the terrace restaurant. The waiters and waitresses were generally attentive, helpful and efficient and spoke excellent English, which seemed to be the case with many vendors and restaurant staff in most of Nice’s touristy areas. The young blonde-haired waitress was a particularly bright, friendly and breezy character in the midst of all the grumpy Brits at breakfast!
The rooftop pool was also a favourite destination of ours after dark. Perfect for a relaxing swim after a hard day’s sightseeing/faffing on the beach/eating too much at the many good restaurants and cafes that Nice has to offer etc. The pool is a bit too deep for those lacking confidence with their swimming, but otherwise it was lovely and warm and the music from the adjacent rooftop bar (which was only ever sparsely populated at night) was unobtrusive.
The staff throughout the hotel from the cleaners and pool maintenance guys to the concierge and the people on the front-desk were all perfectly friendly and polite and welcoming. We never had cause to use their help with reservations or directions or anything of that sort, so we don’t really know how wonderful they may have been if we had been demanding in that way. And they didn’t particularly seem the type who had a burning desire to get to know you personally (they almost always looked too preoccupied and snowed-under for idle chit-chat). But they were definitely a cut above your stereotypical moody French service industry staff. (This was our first experience of the French Riviera and compared to most staff we have encountered in other parts of France, the Splendid’s staff were nowhere near as intimidating or disapproving or downright rude.)
Oh, and it looked like we’d actually got an upgrade to a deluxe room from the standard double we had paid for through easyjet, so that may have had a great influence on our loving and forgiving feelings towards the hotel in general!
Unique Quality: Terrace facilities incl pool/bar/restaurant.
Spa (we never used it, though)
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