What happened at the poshest event in Monaco
Arriving in Monaco, a magnet for the rich and glamorous and the second smallest country in the world, I was struck by the tones of the buildings: an enticing blur of apricot, peach and sand.
Famed for fast cars due to international races like Monaco Grand Prix and Monaco ePrix, it is a country of roads yet manages to avoid feeling like it due to its endless lush greenery, sparkling sea views and charming, winding roads that loop up and down the hills, clinging to coastal edges and tunnelling through rocky escarpments.
I had been invited to attend one of the society events of the year, the Festival des Etoilés Gala, the finale of a six-month celebration of “the art of living and gastronomy” by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, the most Michelin-starred resort in Europe.
I was intrigued to find out what partying with the richest people in the world was like. The average wealth of a person living in Monaco exceeds 10 million US Dollars (yes, you read that right). It is the top-ranked city in the world based on wealth per capita. It is also the world’s most expensive city in terms of apartment costs per square metre.
A gastronomic marathon lasting nearly five hours, including six amuse bouches, the Gala epitomised Monaco’s particular style of opulence you don’t find anywhere else in the world.
Food was from Michelin starred chefs Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno, Dominique Lory and Marcel Ravin. It is hosted in the Hotel de Paris, which opened in 1864 to accommodate the guests of the next-door casino.
Food was from Michelin starred chefs Alain Ducasse, Yannick Alléno, Dominique Lory and Marcel Ravin. It is hosted in the Hotel de Paris, which opened in 1864 to accommodate the guests of the next-door casino.
Champagne in the American Bar was cut short when the prince arrived into the chandeliered dining room, which fell silent for the entering royal, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, who greeted international guests. The crowd was of all ages and ethnicities, but everyone had an affluent sheen, everyone sparkled and here you know that what glitters really is gold, or diamonds or sapphires or rubies… you get the idea. This is not the place for Stealth Wealth.
Courses were served by a marching line of waiters directed by the white waving gloves of the Head Waiter. But the first course came and I had to stifle my giggles. To one side of a huge plate was a single spoon-sized dollop of something yoghurty-looking with herbs on it. It felt a bit of an anti-climax, but the brevity of the dish was somewhat rectified by a single chilled langoustine, placed with care by a pair of silver tongs from over my shoulder.
Monaco can feel surreal. “It is like a village, it is safe, and politics are left outside,” one local dining next to me explained. “In my son’s class there are 22 students and 15 different nationalities. Russians study with Ukrainians, and we are all the same. Everyone here is in business. We work hard. You can’t live here and expect to work a 40-hour week”.
We ate endlessly, but when dessert was served at half midnight, I admitted digestive defeat and headed to bed before the coffee and chocolates.
I stayed in one of the most pleasantly put together rooms I have had the good fortune to stay in. Room 111 of Hotel Hermitage is a high-ceilinged haven overlooking the sparkling blue harbour and the views of the castle beyond. Large double-glass doors open to a marble balcony where we opted to take breakfast and here, sat above the sports cars and super yachts, it is a wonderfully peaceful place to take in the surreal opulence of the place.
I listened to the sound of birdsong, the bells from the cathedral across the water and the occasional pop of a champagne cork. I have travelled a great deal, but the effortlessly old-world glamour was hard to top.
Monaco is easily walkable. We strolled by the water’s edge, watching swimmers take their morning sea dip, before climbing up to the castle and pretty old town at the top of the hill. The azure waters stretch toward boats rocking and palm trees waving.
I loved how clean everything was. 16th century buildings look like they just went up as set dressing for a Hollywood film. Everything gleams.
We were heading to Pavyllon in Hotel Hermitage for what was one of the best lunches I have ever experienced.
Here was fine dining without any of the pretention. Chef Emmanuelli Ghjuvanni placed tiny individual petals and curls of herbs onto incredible-tasting vegetable tarts. The langoustine pie was topped with actual gold leaf, a speciality of the house and surely the fanciest comfort food in the entire world – I was totally blown away by the flavours in this simple looking dish
The Wagyu steak was delicately sliced up to 60 times and into each slice was inserted a sliver of mushroom. The fat and flavour of the steak can be lost in cooking but here the juices flow into the mushroom, which seems to dissolve into the meat and retain all of the flavour. It was a revelation. For the finale we ate a dessert that tasted like a treacle tart and a crème brulée made love in a bath of Guinness. Sensational.
All the wines come from the legendary Hôtel de Paris wine cellars, who are themselves celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year. I went for a wander along their subterranean pathways where 100-year-old bottles were ageing; these underground rooms are where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, former Prince of Monaco, used to privately dine each week. With over 300,000 bottles these are the largest hotel cellars in the world. The country of Monaco is two square kilometres in its entirety and these cellars, carved into the rock at the request of German socialite Marie Blanc in 1874, are 1.5 square kilometres. While wandering Monte-Carlo, there are treasures lying all around you, but some of the most coveted are beneath your feet.
• Room at Hotel Hermitage start from £350 a night and tickets to the Festival des Etoilés Monte-Carlo Gala are €950. Fly to Nice with British Airways and it’s a 30 minute drive to Monaco