HISTORY, ART AND LUXURY
Located in one of the most fascinating locations in Nice – Promenade des Anglais -, Le Palais de la Mediterranee is today one of the locations on highest demand in the area.
Initially built to be just a casino, Palais de la Mediterranee opened its doors in 1929 thanks to the businessman Frank Jay Gould, to hotel owner Joseph Aletti and to casino owner Edouard Baudoin, who wanted to build the most beautiful place of the sort in the world. For many years, Palais de la Mediterranee was the casino where celebrities and billionaires of the world, politicians, artists, and exclusive couples would return year by year.
However, the glamour and grandeur of the 1930s would slowly fade away and in April 1978 Palais de la Mediterranee closed its doors due to financial problems, lingering in this situation for 26 more years. In 1990 the old casino was demolished, the Art Deco facade remaining the only tell-tale testimony of its history, a facade which had been proclaimed a historic monument in 1989.
COMING BACK TO LIFE
The casino reopened in 2004 after an ambitious restoration project which cost 120 million Euros. A nine-floor hotel with 188 rooms, under the patronage of Concorde Hotels & Resorts, stands high today on the place of the old casino, over Baie des Anges, embracing in a panorama the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, like a fascinating stone colossus, bas-reliefs, an imagi- native combination of architectural styles, innovative contemporary ideas, opulence. The highlight of the architectural design is the Art Deco facade, complemented as you advance inwards by the immense forged iron door, by the white marble lobby, the massive staircase with a width of 20 meters, by the huge glass windows, by the monumental crystal chandeliers, by the stained-glass windows and the precious wood used for decorations. The third floor contains the heart of the hotel, with an open-air swimming pool bordering into a superb terrace with a view to the Mediterranean and with lounge chairs ideal for one to relax and allow his eyes to roam far away through the stone columns of the facade.
GAZING OVER THE WATERS
The gaming area, the casino Palais de la Mediterranee, is located on the ground floor, offering also a superb perspective on the Mediterranean, through its enormous windows. Just as 80 years ago, the casino represents a central point of interest in Palais de la Mediterranee, thanks to its design, as well as to its multifunctional character. The current time casino includes a concert hall also available for private use. The gala evenings with classic games are a constant at Palais de la Mediterranee and offer its guests the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the hotel as it was in the Art Deco period of the 1930s. Covering a surface of 850 sqm, the casino includes more than 200 slot-machines, with stakes from 0.02 to 10 Euros. The slot-machines room is opened each day between 10.00 and 03.00 or 04.00 during weekends or on holidays. At the playing tables one can choose between English and French roulette, Blackjack, Punto Banco and Poker. The poke room opens each night at 20.00 and closes at 02.30 during weekdays and at 03.30 on Friday, Saturday and on holidays. Moreover, the casino offers its gambling guests two restaurants located on the inside – Restaurant des Jeux (a beerhouse situated in the casino room) and Restaurant de la Fregate (a restaurant and terrace located upon the entrance in the casino). The casino also hosts weekly concerts, shows and special events, performed by celebrities around the world.
ARTE VIZUALE/MEDIA
