Maison Albar - Le Victoria – a cruise ship moored in Nice

Maison Albar - Le Victoria occupies a landmark address on Avenue de Suède, in the gilded rectangle of Nice's Carré d'Or, between the Promenade des Anglais and Place Masséna. The building is no newcomer: raised in 1852, it counts among the earliest hotels in the city, and more recently traded as the Boscolo Plaza, one of the most imposing addresses on the Baie des Anges, before Nice architect Jean-Paul Gomis and Parisian designers Marc Hertrich and Nicolas Adnet of Studio MHNA reworked it with decor inspired by 1930s Riviera mansions. It reopened on 15 November 2024 as Maison Albar Hotels' newest Maison, named for Victoria, fifth generation of the Albar family, with 132 rooms and suites, a 650 m² spa and a rooftop restaurant run by three-MICHELIN-star chef Glenn Viel. The MICHELIN Guide awards it One Key.

01The house

Long before it became Le Victoria, the building traded as the Boscolo Plaza, one of the grandest addresses on the Baie des Anges, in a structure dating to 1852 that ranks among the oldest hotels in Nice. The overhaul fell to Nice architect Jean-Paul Gomis and the Parisian interior design duo Marc Hertrich and Nicolas Adnet of Studio MHNA, who gave the rooms the feel of 1930s Riviera villas, with ivory cameos, lacquer and Mediterranean blue set against the original façade.

The owners describe the result as an immobile cruise: 102 rooms and 30 suites, a 650 m² spa and a rooftop restaurant, bar and pool stacked like decks above the sea. The house carries the Clef Verte sustainable-tourism label, one of 2,428 hotels in France to hold it in 2026, and is run day to day by Centaurus Hospitality Management. In the 2026 edition it joined the MICHELIN Guide's Keys selection with One Key, alongside La Ponche in Saint-Tropez among the Riviera's new entries.

02Rooms and suites

The 132 keys divide into five categories: Deluxe Rooms facing the city, Superior and Deluxe Sea View Rooms with balconies over the Mediterranean, and Executive and Executive Sea View Rooms with an Art Deco-inflected decor, set among 30 suites and 28 twin configurations. All are air-conditioned with soundproofed walls, satellite television and, in several categories, sea views, balconies or a private terrace, with some bathrooms using Japanese-style fittings. Five rooms are adapted for reduced mobility.

Insider tip

Book early: sea-view rooms and rooftop tables fill fast since the hotel's low-key 2024 opening.

03Where to eat

At roof level, Taulissa is the domain of Glenn Viel, who holds three MICHELIN stars at L'Oustau de Baumanière in the Alpilles, working alongside his Executive Chef and long-time partner Fred Grava; the pair build their convivial menu around local produce. Their dining room turns a 360° view onto the Mediterranean, the Nice hinterland and the Mercantour National Park. The restaurant is designed to evoke a cruise ship docked at the pier, with an adjoining outdoor pool and rooftop terrace. On the floor below, Café Victoria handles breakfast and informal meetings over coffee.

04The bar

Downstairs from the dining room, Taulissa's bar pours revisited cocktails alongside tapas to share, with the same wraparound view out to the Mediterranean on one side and the Mercantour on the other, drawing as much of a local crowd from the Carré d'Or as hotel guests.

05Spa and wellbeing

Oria spans 650 m² and plays on its own name, derived from the Latin for gold, with an indoor pool, hammam and a modern fitness centre. Its six treatment cabins include two private suites with their own whirlpool baths, set around a luminous marble pool that blends marine style with Art Deco detailing. Guests also have access to a private beach as part of the wellness offer.

06The neighbourhood

The hotel sits inside the Carré d'Or, Nice's luxury shopping quarter, where more than a dozen high-end boutiques occupy the ground floor beneath the rooms. The beach lies a few dozen metres away, and the flower stalls of Cours Saleya in the pedestrian streets of the old town are a short walk further on. Place Masséna and the Promenade des Anglais are both within easy reach, placing the hotel at the centre of the Côte d'Azur's capital.

07Making the most of a stay

Breakfast is served daily from 7am to 10.30am for about €42 per person. Reception operates around the clock, with check-in from 3pm and check-out by noon. Word of the address has spread fast since its low-key opening, so sea-view rooms and rooftop tables are worth booking well ahead of a stay.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.