Monaco, MC

destination

Monaco

The Principality of Monaco is a city state, meaning it's actually its own country. It's the second smallest country in the world, and the most densely populated in the world. It's also one of the richest. In 2014, it was noted that 30% of the population is made up of millionaires. Soooo yeah. Get ready for some insane people watching and be prepared to drop some cash. However, we felt like it was on par with New York City in terms of prices for things.

Monaco, Monaco

bar • lodging • restaurants

Fairmont Monte Carlo

I'm always on the lookout for a good deal, and snagged an awesome flash sale at the Fairmont Monte Carlo for several hundreds of dollars less than the other luxury hotels in the area. For 350€ per night, our package included a welcome glass of champagne upon arrival, continental breakfast served poolside each morning and a large room overlooking a courtyard (ocean views would've been more.) Breakfast alone would've been around 50€ per day for two people, not to mention the champagne, so I felt like this was a great deal! The hotel is also conveniently located just a short walk from the Monte Carlo Casino and Square, as well as several clubs and restaurants. It's also situated on the famous hairpin turn during the Monte Carlo Grand Prix.

Miami Beach, FL

bar • experience • restaurants

Nikki Beach Miami

(Within the Fairmont Monte Carlo)- the gorgeous pool perched atop the hotel, looking out over the Mediterranean. It was also the perfect way to spend our first day in Monaco after our red eye flight. They offer bottle service and cabanas poolside, but we opted to "slum" it over in the normal sun beds for free, which were perfectly fine! (They can fill up quickly though, so don't wait too long to grab chairs). They offer food and drink service all day and night, but as you can imagine, the prices reflect your surroundings. That said, the "frites" that came with our 28€ club sandwich might be the best fries of my life. (I was also starving, so take that for what it's worth).

Monaco, Monaco

destination • experience

Casino Monte-Carlo

you should at the very least walk by, snap some photos, check out the fancy cars parked out front and do some people watching. After our pool day, we walked around Casino Square, and stopped off at Cafe de Paris for a glass of rosè to take everything in and enjoy the scene and the sunshine.

Monaco, Monaco

bar • experience • restaurants

Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo

As for clubs and bars, definitely check out Buddha Bar for drinks (they have food as well), especially if you are staying at the Fairmont, as it's basically next door.

Monaco, Monaco

bar • restaurants

Twiga

Also very close to the Fairmont on the water open until 2am!

Mukwonago, WI

restaurants

Blue Bay Restaurant

Their 5-course tasting menu is more like 8 or 9 courses once you factor in amuse bouche, bread, desserts, etc and it will only run you 88€. Blue Bay boasts modern French/Mediterranean cuisine with a heavy focus on seafood. We were served things like fish gelee soup with a potato coriander emulsion (top, second from the left) or chicken smoked with sugar cane and fresh coconut (top right). It's about a mile down the road from the Fairmont... you can walk if you aren't wearing heels, but we opted for a local bus that only cost us 2 euro each way. (Just don't try to take a cab at dinnertime... the valet people will laugh at you. Apparently taxi's are not super plentiful in Monte Carlo.)

Monaco, Monaco

restaurants

Il Terrazzino

It's only 45€ and you will get endless (or so it seemed) antipasti. Bruschetta, octopus, ricotta, burrata, salami, cheese, carpaccio, vegetables... just to name a few. Once you've basically tapped out on antipasti, they will then bring you three family-style plates of pasta, all house made. The raviolis stuffed with ricotta and served with a simple marinara sauce sound so basic, but they might be our favorite raviolis of our life.

Èze, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

destination

Èze

It's a magical little medieval village perched high atop a hill. We LOVED it. Èze was, without question, one of the highlights of our trip and was a nice change of pace from Monaco. Once you reach the base of the village by bus, you will be walking the rest of the way, winding your way through the medieval castles and getting lost in the cobblestone streets. (The top of the cliff is 1400 feet above sea level, and our iPhones tracked something like the equivalent of 63 flights of stairs that day.) There you will find adorable shops, galleries, restaurants, and a few hotels. At the very top is a botanical garden with a large collection of cacti and succulents and panoramic views of the Mediterranean. There is a small fee for the garden (7 euro I believe), but it's worth it just for the views. We also enjoyed probably our favorite meal of the trip in Èze. (More on that next.)

Cannes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

destination • experience

Marché Forville

Cannes- If you are in need of some picnic fare... Forville Market is a great spot to do that. It's open every day from 7am-1pm. It's basically a giant farmer's market. We simply walked through on our last day there as we killed time before our flight, but it would absolutely make a great stop to grab meats, cheeses and veggies for a day at the beach.