3 Jan 2014 ... Monaco is a magnet for the rich and famous, a dazzling collage of yachts and
cruisers in Port Hercules, fast cars, and hotel porters weighed ...
One perfect Day
Monaco is a magnet for the rich and famous, a dazzling collage of yachts and cruisers in Port Hercules, fast cars, and hotel porters weighed down by designer shopping bags. Words susan skelly
photography: getty images
Monaco Monaco
Once labelled “less a real country than a glorified safe deposit box”, the tax haven of Monaco stands tall in glitz, glam and high-density living. Drop in via cruise ship, helicopter (seven minutes from Nice), or via curvaceous mountain roads. Monaco is tiny, about 2sq km, although desperately trying to grow. A 6ha waterfront commercial/residential reclamation development at Larvotto is in the pipeline. Each May, the throaty grunt of F1 engines is background music to both day and nightlife as the principality becomes a Grand Prix racetrack. Summer has a full program of festivals, alfresco dining and open-air cinema. However, the glue that holds the place together is the Grimaldi legend. Princess Grace, the Hollywood star who married Prince Rainier III in 1956 and died tragically in 1982, has goddess status. The streets are named for Grace and her family, and a revamped rose garden in her name will flourish again this year. Port Hercules, Monaco (7am, left); Princess Grace of Monaco (above)
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07:00
Stroll Route de la Piscine by the sparkling, choked marina and watch the deckhands cleaning up after a night on yachts the size of three-storey apartments while the populace sleeps off its hangovers. This is my-boat-isbigger-than-your-boat territory.
08:00
Join the early risers at the local market, Le Marche de la Condamine, in the Place d’Armes at the foot of the Rock, or Monaco-Ville, the old part of town. Find in abundance: fruit and vegetables, flowers, fresh fish, souvenirs, breakfast, pastries and, of course, coffee. ja n ua ry 2014 Q A N TA S 107
Monaco and Irish literature are entwined in an unassuming library, opened in 1984 and built upon a 500-book collection purchased in the 1970s by Princess Grace from the estate of Irish diplomat Count Gerald Edward O’Kelly (no relation), a nod to her Irish (via US) roots. Located in Monaco-Ville (9 Rue Princesse Marie-deLorraine, 9350 1225, www.pgil.mc), it houses personal effects of the late princess, just about every book ever printed about her, and an extraordinary collection of Irish literature, from history to literary criticism, poetry to politics. A sewing basket belonging to Grace Kelly’s mother is there, complete with the unpicked name tags of Grace and her sisters Peggy and Lizanne; pristine examples of floral bed linen that Grace designed for the US label Springmaid; an 108 Q A N TA S ja n ua ry 2014
elegant, full-length portrait by Mohamed Drisi; family photos; trinkets such as a Connemara marble casket given to the princess on an official visit to Ireland in 1961 (many newspaper clippings on that); and books inscribed by her uncle, the US actor and playwright George Kelly. What’s cool is its time-warp nerdiness: words, leather bindings, history and heritage, far removed from the spray tans, stilettos and high gloss of modern Monaco. Open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.
11:00
Head up the hill (bus no.1 or 2) to the Prince’s Palace atop the Rock. Built in the 12th century as a Genoese fortress, it’s home to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and his wife Charlene (a South African Sydney 2000 Olympic swimmer),
with one wing of state apartments open to the public (€8 entry). The Palais is a sumptuous history lesson – Louis XV furniture, 15th-century frescoes, Florentine cabinetry, damask and silk brocade wall finishes, marble, gold leaf, chinoiserie vases, Venetian glass chandeliers and paintings of Grimaldi ancestors and other nobility. Prince Rainier III is in the throne room on canvas with his celebrated princess and children Albert, Caroline and Stephanie Grimaldi, all chocolate-box cherubic. St Nicholas Cathedral next door provides a rich soundtrack of bells.
12:30
Popular with locals, La Montgolfière 18 (16 Rue Basse, 9798 6159) is a pint-sized restaurant – it seats 18 – in the old town near the palace. A blackboard lunch
library, market & la montgolfiÈre 18 photography: richard powers; mirror gallery: corbis; garden: getty images; scooters: richard taylor/4corners
09:00
Clockwise from top left: Le Vistamar (8.30pm); Princess Grace Irish Library (two images, 9am); Mirror Gallery in Prince’s Palace (11am); Le Marche de la Condamine (8am)
menu lists Monegasque specialties. Henri Geraci’s dishes are as pretty and creative as they are colourful: a Japanese take on foie gras, and sorbets of paprika, tomato and strawberry. If it’s booked out, try the more casual drop-in eateries in the cobblestone laneways.
14:00
Take the no.2 bus from its terminus near the Princess Grace Irish Library to the other end of the route: the Exotic Garden atop Monaco (62 Boulevard du Jardin Exotique, 9315 2980), a confluence of magnificent vista, breeze and botany. This hanging garden of prickly cacti and fleshy succulents – punctuated by purple bougainvillea and yellow marigolds – opened in 1933 after 20 years of cultivation. Allow 10 minutes to soak up the spectacular view – France
this way, the Italian Riviera that way – before exploring the terraces. There’s a limestone cave at the base of the cliff that can be explored with guides.
15:00
Pay a little more for the garden ticket and you have entry to Le Nouveau Musée National de Monaco’s Villa Paloma, a three-level modern art gallery, which is an easy walk down the hill (56 Boulevard du Jardin Exotique, 9898 1962). Coming up is Richard Artschwager! (February 20-June 22) with more than 145 works spanning six decades – sculptures, paintings, drawings, photos and prints – from an artist associated with pop, minimalism and conceptual art. Stroll along to the Anthropology Museum for art more ancient and desiccated.
Clockwise from above left: Jardin Exotique (2pm); La Montgolfière 18 (12.30pm); parked scooters
17:00 HER: Shop like a millionaire. The streets around the Hôtel de Paris are luxury label overload – Lanvin, Givenchy, Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dior. Less credit-card heartburn is Le Metropole Monte-Carlo, a mall beneath the Metropole hotel, open on Sundays in July and August when nearly everything else is closed. A special destination nearby is Paris 8 Haute Parfumerie (5 Avenue Princesse Alice, 9797 1884) for temptations in premium niche perfume. HIM: Walk or take the no.5 or 6 bus to the Fontvieille to see the private collection of Prince Rainier III’s antique cars: there are 100 of them on show including lust-after motors from Maserati, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Rolls-Royce. ja n ua ry 2014 Q A N TA S 10 9
word up
WHITE TRUFFLES IN WINTER NM Kelby (WW Norton)
The cook, the beef, his wife and the lovers… the town’s just a bit player in this fictional evocation of Auguste Escoffier’s life, loves and langoustines.
19:00 LOSER TAKES ALL Graham Greene (Penguin)
street photography: getty images; buddha-bar sign: richard powers
Two lovers at odds over the only-too-magnetic Monte Carlo gaming tables.
ONCE UPON A TIME: BEHIND THE FAIRYTALE OF PRINCESS GRACE AND PRINCE RAINIER J Randy Taraborrelli (Warner Books)
A pacey, racy behind-the-scenes look at the royal courtship, marriage, frictions, fictions and fiery families – a deconstruction of the fairytale that has become the lifeblood of Monaco.
Monte-Carlo SBM, which owns the cream of property in Monaco, including the Casino, celebrated its 150th anniversary last year by making 150 grand cru wines – mostly from Bordeaux – available by the glass across 20 of its venues. One of the cosiest places to experience them is the elegant Crystal Bar & Terrace in the Hermitage Hotel (Square Beaumarchais, 9806 4000). It’s not every day you get to sample a 2004 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux (Margaux), a 1998 Château Pavie Decesse (Saint-Émilion) or a 2000 Les Forts de Latour (Pauillac). The initiative is anticipated to be ongoing this year, exploring other wine regions.
20:30
Outstanding dining includes the cosy, buzzy Buddha-Bar and the more formal, wow-factor Le Vistamar. Not only is the food at Buddha-Bar (Place du Casino, 9806 1919) a Pacific Rim fusion – lobster sushi, salmon and yellowtail sashimi, king shrimp tempura and John Dory
Buddha-Bar (8.30pm, above and right); Rolls-Royce streets (top right)
green curry – but the decor is a mélange of old European Gothic, gilded Belle Époque and Eastern eclecticism. Despite a size that caters to big tables for families, special-occasion groups, and enclaves of pre-dinner crowds, Buddha-Bar has an ambient intimacy. There are stairs; Jimmy Choo wearers beware! Le Vistamar (9806 9898) at the Hermitage is front-row alfresco Mediterranean. Yes, it’s got the luxury views, but it’s also got chef Laurent André and sommelier Franck Damatte – the perfect gourmet storm. Their truffle and lobster degustation menu with matched wines is pure indulgence.
23:00
Pop your head into the Casino de Monte-Carlo (you can hardly come here without visiting its landmark – for the architecture, of course) and then seek a nightcap at the Bar Américain in the Hôtel de Paris or one of the many small hot spots. For airfares and holiday packages to Monaco call Qantas Holidays on 1300 735 542 or visit qantas.com/ holidaysaustralianway ja n ua ry 2014 Q A N TA S 1 1 1
