Dining Out
The highest-profile new dining venue is ODYSSEY, an indoor/outdoor, pool/restaurant/nightclub concept that opened June 1 at the five-star, 133-room Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo, where catering comes from the kitchens of its main restaurant, the two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Joël Robuchon Monte-Carlo. ODYSSEY is the work of famed fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who created a 60-foot long glass mural depicting Odyssius' journey, as well as furniture, for the space. During the day, ODYSSEY is a heated sea-water pool for guests with an alfresco Joël Robuchon restaurant, transforming at 7 p.m. into a destination cocktail bar with live music, a DJ, and light bites by Robuchon.
Another new venue is the European-style market Marche du Condamine, which can now be taken over for private events, turning the colorful and aromatic fruit, vegetable, flower, seafood, and produce stands into a buffet of local specialties and regional cuisine from nearby regions of Southern France, Italy, and the Basque country. The market's year-round, indoor area can accommodate up to 350 guests cocktail-style, while the seasonal outdoor market can fit up to 1,500.
The newly redecorated Salon Bellevue on the second floor of the historic Café de Paris, overlooking Casino Square, can hold up to 350 guests. The five-star, 40-room Monte-Carlo Beach's new farm-to-table restaurant Elsa has received Bio certification as an organic restaurant the French organization Ecocert.
Monaco has a big birthday this year
It was 150 years ago that the tiny and fairly
quiet principality of Monaco invented Monte-Carlo, building a
grand, palatial casino and founding the Société des Bains de
Mer, which quickly built the equally palatial Hôtel de Paris in
Place du Casino square.
Other grand hotels, restaurants, and cultural facilities
followed and, today, Monaco is an incentive and meeting
destination that also has nearly unlimited cachet as a luxury
European destination, complete with Ferrari traffic jams,
billionaire's yachts, and even a fairy-tale princess.
When it comes to new developments, Monaco is not slowing down
either. The Grimaldi Forum wrapped up work on the third and
final phase of a three-year renovation of the waterfront
convention center. Located in the heart of Monaco and an easy
walk from Casino Square, the 376,000-square-foot Grimaldi Forum
is known for its commitment to sustainability, and includes a
106,000-square-foot exhibition center above a cultural complex
with three auditoriums, 22 meeting rooms, and two bright and
airy catering spaces that can each handle nearly 500 seated for
dinner. The latest renovations include enhancements to the
lighting and state-of-the-art A/V equipment, new signage, and
work on the main lobby, foyer, auditoriums, breakout rooms, and
bars.
Le Meridien Beach Plaza, Monte Carlo, recently renovated its
Sea Club Conference Centre, and has more than 32,000 square
feet of meeting space, including 14 meeting rooms.
A pair of new destination management companies have also set up
shop in Monaco. Pacific World Monaco, serving Monaco and the
Cote d'Azur, opened in February, headed by 22-year industry
veteran Evelyne Mancini de Boni. It also has a professional
conference organizer section. Avalon Events Organization, a
longtime organizer of private and family events in Monaco, has
launched an incentive department aimed at highly customized
corporate events.