Praise Be: Nice’s Hotel Du Couvent Offers Deep-Rooted, Mindful Hospitality

Visionary designer Valéry Grégo is the guiding force behind a new spirit of hospitality on the French Riviera, Carole Annett finds.

Review: Hôtel du Couvent – Nice, France

I’ve never previously considered a life of piety, but after entering Hôtel du Couvent I can appreciate the allure.

A mere swish of a nun’s habit away from Nice’s old town, this restored building opened as a hotel last summer and offers a beguiling balance of peace and indulgence. With its Roman-inspired thermal baths, boulangerie, resident herbalist, morning yoga and menus fed by the gardens and the hotel’s own farm close by, it’s as if the modern traveller’s prayers for a perfect weekend escape have been answered.

The man behind the renovation, Valéry Grégo, is renowned for his fresh approach. As he explains: ‘Today, people travel everywhere, work anywhere. They form communities wherever they are, looking for ways to live, work and travel. They also want to engage more. They want more inspiration and wonder, but at the same time are mindful of their impact on the world and aim to re-evaluate the purpose and environmental footprint of their travel. I think hotels need to help us travel better and create wonder.’

And wonder is indeed what Hôtel du Couvent is about – quiet wonder. Sitting in a courtyard listening to birdsong while breathing in the aroma of orange trees and sipping on a Negroni – or gazing up at a circle of sky as you swim in a warm, cloistered pool. And credit where credit’s due: Grégo and his team at Perseus Group may have spearheaded how the convent looks now, but it is the Order of Saint Claire nuns who in 1604 built the original property.

‘The buildings have been resurrected with the utmost respect.’

Combining local expertise and resources including lime whitewash, stone, tiles and timber, they repurposed much of what was needed from a neighbouring chateau – very much the re-use and re-purpose ethos of today. Four centuries on and slowly over the last decade the four sanctuary buildings – including the historic cloister and orange-filled courtyard – have been resurrected with the utmost respect for preservation.

Every aspect feels bedded in. A bit like the slow-cooked veal I ate in the hotel’s bistro (accompanied by a sublimely creamy polenta), when ingredients have time to simmer, the result is a rich, concentrated depth of flavour, no one ingredient taking precedence.

‘Bedrooms offer a simple combination of stone, fluted glass and natural materials.’

In my room the decor is designed with the same ethos: unfussy, with no overpowering element; just a simple combination of stone, fluted glass and natural materials within a biscuity palette. It feels as if the nuns had only just moved out. I loved the plain but cosy bed covered with a weighty linen overblanket, the armchair with its straight-forward cream upholstery, wooden-shuttered windows with muslin drapery, hefty marble sink and the charming little books plus judicious scattering of ecclesiastical knick-knacks and antiques.

Each of the 88 rooms and suites has a well stocked bar and a view – of the Old Town, terraced gardens, harbour or across to the surrounding hills. Within the convent’s outer walls are 2.5 acres of garden for residents to enjoy, hidden from outsiders. Restored and replanted to reconnect the building with the land that feeds it, over 300 species scent the air, from olive and lemon trees to herbs and flowers. The centuries-old herbalist shop founded by the nuns has been brought back to life in the central cloister, offering advice and custom-made remedies, as well as teas, tisanes and tinctures using herbs from the garden.

‘Within the convent’s outer walls are 2.5 acres of garden for residents to enjoy, hidden from outsiders.’

Hôtel du Couvent’s wellness area is a tribute to the remains of nearby Roman baths. The layout encourages guests to enter a succession of pools, each increasing in temperature. I entered the warm tepidarium, followed by the hot caldarium with gusto, but I’m afraid I could only offer a toe to the frigidarium. My companion managed a minute in the freezing water. She looked and felt refreshed with skin aglow, but I preferred to reach the same result with one of the expert facial massage treatments, without having to endure near hypothermia. If the weather is kind, and in Nice it usually is, there is an outdoor 20-metre lap pool with views towards the Mediterranean.

The hotel’s culinary offering is dedicated to provenance. My measure of a good hotel is always the breakfast menu and here was top marks. We gorged on fresh juices, home-made granola, croissants (holy moly, how do they get that buttery, flakiness to perfection?), fig preserve (it was September) and just-popped-out eggs. A request for tomatoes was politely declined: ‘I’m sorry, but they are out of season’. If it is not freshly picked from the hotel’s own nearby farm or laid from one of its 250 hens, unless it’s in a pickle or preserve, it is not served in any of the eateries, which include the Cloister restaurant, the nun’s original refectory and Guinguette café and bistro.

The on-site bakery, set in the convent’s former bakery, prepares daily bread, with flour milled on-site in keeping with convent tradition, whilst the wine cellar offers the choice of 3,500 bottles. Le Bar is a timeless space in which to while away the hours, either indoors or on the terrace. Peace indeed.

‘The 20-metre lap pool has views towards the Mediterranean.’

Insider Tips

• Stay in a cosy nun’s room with adjoining marble shower
• Order a Rinquinquin aperitif – white wine and peach
• Enjoy a personalised facial, including ‘deep lift’ massage technique developed by holistic practitioner Melinda Bognar
• Stock up at the local farmers market in the hotel courtyard on Saturday mornings
• Eat everything: freshly fried seafood with garlic aioli, veal tonnato, beef tartare. Fritters stuffed with chard, rice and ricotta are a speciality.
• Nice train station is a 15-minute tram ride away with regular trains to towns along the Cote D’Azur coastline. Monaco is a 20-minute ride away and costs around 11 euros for a return journey. A fun day’s outing to ogle designer shops and smartly-dressed Monegasques, but avoid Grand Prix weekend unless you are lucky enough to have a ticket.
• Nice is lovely at any time of the year, so don’t be put off visiting ‘off season’

The Last Word

Hotel du Couvent offers deep-rooted, mindful hospitality – peace and indulgence for the modern nomad in a historic building where the past has been beautifully preserved.

Rooms from €330 per night. hotelducouvent.com

Return flights from London to Nice emit approximately 302.3kg CO2e. ecollectivecarbon.com