Columbus Hotel Monte-Carlo

Most people who visit Monaco do not need a grand hotel. They need a good one at a price that does not spoil the trip, and the Columbus is that hotel. It sits at 23 Avenue des Papalins in Fontvieille, the quieter, newer district on the far side of the Rock, overlooking the Princess Grace rose garden and the heliport, with the harbour and the Stade Louis II a short walk away. It opened in April 2001, when Ken McCulloch and the Formula One driver David Coulthard turned an older three-star into something with a boutique, almost Scandinavian sensibility, which was unusual for Monaco then and still is. London & Regional bought it in 2010, the French family firm Groupe Bertout has owned it since December 2022, and it joined Curio Collection by Hilton in December 2023 as the first Hilton-branded hotel in the principality.

There are 181 rooms including 29 suites, entirely renovated in 2018 in blue and ochre, most of them with a terrace. They are pleasant rather than special, and what you look at varies a good deal, from the rose garden and the sea in the better ones to the port or the car park in others, so ask when you book. The ground floor is low-key in a principality that rarely is, with Tavolo and its terrace on one side and The Bar on the other.

Tavolo is Mediterranean, leaning on France and Italy, and its terrace looks over the rose garden. Breakfast runs 6.30am to 10.30am; for lunch and dinner the hotel's pages disagree, so check Tavolo's hours before you plan around it. The Bar opens at 4pm and moves outside in summer. The heated outdoor pool has a sea view and runs mid-April to early November, closed Thursday mornings for maintenance. There is a Technogym fitness room but no spa. Feedback on the restaurant and breakfast is mixed, with slow service at busy times, so do not plan every evening around it.

The recurring praise is for calm, clean rooms, a proper bar and restaurant downstairs and staff who are relaxed rather than formal. The recurring complaint is location. Monte-Carlo and the casino square are a bus ride or a 30-minute walk with a climb, so plan for that, and note that Grand Prix week costs several times the normal rate and usually carries a minimum stay. It suits weekenders, Grand Prix fans on a budget, business travellers and anyone using Monaco as a base for Nice, Menton and the corniches. If you want to stroll out of the lobby into the Monte-Carlo of postcards, you will be disappointed. If you want Monaco without the eye-watering bill, this is the one.