If Serge Gainsbourg's 'Couleur Café' were a town...
Villa Saint-Exupéry
22 av Gravier
"Fabled hostel in former monastery."
REVIEW Yes, yes, yes! This fabled independent hostel in a lovely old monastery sprawled in leafy gardens is absolutely worth the circa 3km trip from the city centre, with beautiful dorms and private rooms inspired by French writers and artists, and fantastic common areas.
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| hostel (Budget) |
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PROPERTY TYPE      
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| ATMOSPHERE party & backpacker-upmarket |
Fit for Saint-Exupéry's little prince, this palatial 240-bed place lays on a dozen free online computers (plus wi-fi and broadband), and a king-size buffet breakfast with 10 kinds of cereal. Within the stained-glass former chapel, the 24-hour common room transforms into a night-time bar; and there's an enormous gleaming slate-and-steel self-catering kitchen and a wraparound barbeque terrace.
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Staff have reams of info about exploring Nice and surrounding towns, there's no lock-out or curfew, and the immaculate, mostly ensuite dorms, singles, doubles and triples come with free fridge and TV on request. Upper level rooms have magical views across Nice to the Med (and double rooms 313, 314 and 315 open to a rooftop terrace, from where you can see down into the football stadium - BYO binoculars). Transport here will be a cinch when Nice's new tramway opens in 2007.
AUTHOR EXPERIENCE In winter, staff run ski trips including two-way transport and an hour's ski instruction to one of three ski resorts an hour-and-a-half from Nice.
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