Ok all you potential sales trip qualifiers, when you hear “Monte Carlo” one of the first things to pop to mind is James Bond rolling up to the front door of the Casino de Monte-Carlo in his military arsenal disguised as an Aston-Martin. Three Bond films (Never Say Never Again, GoldenEye and Casino Royale) used the casino right in the heart of Monaco as location. Founded by the royal family in 1857 as a way to generate revenue and avoid impending bankruptcy the casino has become a must see location for visitors to Monaco. The interior is more like the elegant settings in the bond films, so if your idea of gambling is endless banks of slot machines manned by cigarette smoking senior citizens in wheel chairs rigged with oxygen tanks, you’ll be disappointed. (Sorry, couldn’t resist). Nevertheless, there are plenty of ways to lose your money; roulette, poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat. The less hedonistic side of the same building is the Opera de Monte Carlo. It’s a bit too early for the 2019 schedule to be posted but for our highbrow crowd there may be an opportunity to see European classical culture at its finest.
Sharing the square with the casino is Hotel de Paris, a beautiful old grand hotel that was halfway through renovation when we were there in October. A visit to through the lobby and an peek into the elegant Empire Ballroom is worth the effort. One trivia fact, the first women’s Olympiad in 1921 was hosted right here. Across the square is the Café de Paris. In true Mediterranean fashion, there is both indoor and outdoor dinning. Why you would ever opt for indoors is beyond me. Excellent food in a delightful atmosphere. The picture below is my beautiful bride of 40 years getting ready to enjoy a crème brulee served the way it’s meant to be…flaming. I’m not going to mention the high end shopping just a few hundred yards away from the square but if you need a warm up to what will be a special evening, it’s all there. Booked as we are at the Monte Carlo Bay resort we have priority access to the casino as well as other sights around town. Are you ready to go?
Steve Johnson
President, SNMC
