Hôtel Napoléon ★★★★

Spring is the perfect time of year for a relaxing retreat to Menton, nestled in the easternmost corner of the French Riviera beside the Italian border. The summer crowds are yet to pack out the narrow lanes of the old town, the air has a delightful crispness to it, but the sun still beams down as it does all year round in this remarkably mild microclimate. The beaches have not yet become a crowded sprawl of bronzed jetsetters and burned Brits, yet it is perfectly pleasant for a stroll across the sand, and you could even dip your feet into the shallows of the Mediterranean if you are feeling particularly intrepid. So then, no time like the present to check into the Hotel Napoleon, one of the finest hotels around and fully renovated at the start of 2015!

The Napoleon enjoys pride of place along Menton’s seafront, just along from the elegant yachts bobbing gently up and down in the pretty harbour and not far from the historic centre in the other direction. The beautiful Bay of Garavan could hardly be closer to the hotel’s front door, with the soft sandy beaches and the twinkling, turquoise waters of the Mediterranean just over the road. This location makes for some breathtaking views from the sea-facing bedrooms, so once we pick up our key from the friendly and welcoming receptionist we head straight up to our room, impatient to head out onto our private balcony. You could stand out here for hours, gazing down in awe at the scene below. The sunlight radiates down from above, glinting off the gently rolling waves and the masts of the yachts in the harbour. To our right, the higgledy-piggledy old town seems to spill down the hill on which it is perched towards the water’s edge, while the Italian coastline extends out to our left.

The setting and the panoramic views are pretty special, but the Hotel Napoleon is no less brilliant on the inside. The bedrooms are bright and beautifully designed, decked out in a simple colour scheme of blue and white with some Jean Cocteau-inspired decorative features. Meanwhile, they also provide all the amenities and luxuries you would expect from a prestigious four-star establishment. Eager to try out some of the Napoleon’s other facilities, we head down for a gentle workout at the poolside gym, after which we have just about worked up enough of a sweat to be tempted into a cooling and refreshing dip in the outdoor pool.

There may not be a restaurant at the hotel, but the breakfast served up every morning is a generous feast, as we discover following our first blissful night’s sleep. Though the morning air is quite crisp, it is still warm enough for an al fresco breakfast, and so we take our seat in the hotel’s garden surrounded by banana plants, exotic flowers and greenery, all bathed in a tranquil atmosphere. The breakfast spread itself is extremely moreish, a copious array of pastries baked freshly at the hotel, homemade jams, fresh fruits, cheese, charcuterie and more.

After all this we are feeling extremely full, but it’s nothing that a slow meander along the quiet beach can’t resolve! By the time we reach the foot of the historic quarter of town we are feeling back to our best, and we throw ourselves into its ancient maze of winding lanes and warren-like alleys. One version of the town’s history claims that it was designed to be as baffling as possible as a defence mechanism by the pirates who built it. Regardless of how true this is, the layout makes for plenty of characterful squares and hidden quirks in the pedestrian zone surrounding the Saint Michel Basilica. Our exploration also reveals countless tropical gardens dotted around the town, full of olive, lemon and orange trees. Many of these were designed by Britons, and some were built around the villas belonging to British aristocrats who moved out here permanently. As we stroll through the sun drenched streets, soaking in the softly citrus-scented air, it doesn’t take us long before we are tempted to join them…