To wrap up our travel for 2025 and to tack a few last needed Marriott property nights, Nik came up with the idea of staying a couple nights in Monaco with Koval the Dog. A room at the Le Méridien Beach Plaza ended up being very affordable so we booked a two-night stay. On the agenda was to enjoy some quality time with Koval, explore Monaco’s Christmas market and treat ourselves to a nice dinner. Mission accomplished…with a memorable mix of joy and emotions.
Getting to Monaco
While the easiest and fastest way to get to Monaco is by train, we opted for an Uber since we had Koval and all of our travel belongings with us. Koval was a bit antsy during the car ride (slight understatement as our amazing uber driver kept asking if everything was ok and then attempted to distract Koval while he was driving, which was awesome but also somewhat disconcerting because of the epic route) because it was his peak sundowners time where he’d be restless for hours but we made it!
Staying at the Le Méridien Beach Plaza
The Le Méridien Beach Plaza is located on the Eastern side of Monaco in area that has a new and modern promenade. Once we arrived at the hotel, check-in was easy and the front desk staff was super friendly with Koval. We also got upgraded to a seaview suite. It pays to travel there in the offseason! Our room had a king bed, lots of space in the room itself and a terrace that looked out to the hotel’s private beach and the Mediterranean Sea.
The hotel also had a cute bar called Le Café Lacoste which is inspired by the French brand’s tennis and golf heritage.
Koval’s health issues made it hard for him to settle in public, but we still enjoyed drinks there and got some great photos with our best boy.
Related: Read about first visit to Monaco back in 2023!
Monaco Christmas Market
Monaco’s Christmas market and festivities are setup in two areas – the plaza in front of the Casino de Monte-Carlo and the Christmas village located along Port Hercule. Nik and I made visits to both areas, once at night and again during the day. The daytime had less crowds for sure, as we got there around noon. The evening was incredibly packed, so be patient if you ever go to explore.
The plaza in front of the casino was lined with large snow globes, each with various animations telling a story.
There was also a light show projected onto the casino’s facade which looked absolutely amazing at night when we saw it.
Nik and I walked along Avenue Monte Carlo from the casino down to the port where we passed a handful of chalet’s selling foods and various unique gifts. While those were cool, I enjoyed the view out to the yachts docked in the port.
The Christmas market village was especially enjoyable, stretching along the port and the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, better known as the iconic Circuit de Monaco, for the Formula 1 race held each year. The market was very busy at night and in certain spots it was tight (and annoying) to walk through.
The market had a teddy bear theme, with a few displays dedicated entirely to bears and plenty of chalets topped with stuffed animals.
The food options were also really great and different than we have seen at other Christmas markets. Nik and I enjoyed some bbq and I roasted my own marshmallow at the toasted marshmallow stand!
There was even an ice rink along side the market, though we did not go for a skate ourselves.
We wrapped up our time at the market by riding the Ferris Wheel and enjoying all the views.
On the right side of the picture just above, you can get an idea of the course for the F1 race. We’ve been in Monaco before as they were setting up the viewing platforms and it was pretty cool to see. I can only imagine how unique seeing the race in person would be.
Dining Out in Monaco
A very short distance from our hotel was the nice and modern Promenade du Larvotto that we did all of our walks with Koval. In addition to a few restaurants, there’s also beautiful plaza named for Joséphine Baker, the famed singer, actress and French Resistance spy. And a small garden named for Grace Kelly, the former Princess of Monaco and American actress. The two became friendly in the 1950’s – to the point of Princess Grace helping her financially.
Sexy Tacos
One of the restaurants along this promenade is a Mexican restaurant called Sexy Tacos. Nik and I had been there previously as part of a day trip to the nearby Larvotto Beach. We ended up stopping in twice this trip for margaritas and snacks – the perfect spot for a little people-watching while taking in the calm sea.
The food and drinks were great and we highly recommend a stop there.
Rampoldi
Nik and I usually avoid spending too much money on our day trips to Monaco, but this time we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner. Located in the heart of Monte-Carlo is Rampoldi, an Italian restaurant with Mediterranean influences.
Our dinner started with a bottle of Pinot Noir to go with our entrees. I had the homemade tagliatelle with beef cheek which was outstanding. Nik had the penne Arrabbiata.
For dessert we shared the Citron de Menton, which was a hard shell lemon tart, served with ice cream and whip cream on the side. A really delicious meal and I’m so glad we went.
Following dinner we stopped at Trinity Bar for a few drinks before walking back to the hotel.
Odds & Ends from Monaco
Here are a few random things to wrap up our weekend recap of staying in Monaco.
Water Taxi
The principality’s water taxi, the Bateau Bus, runs from one side of the port to the other, so after our Ferris Wheel ride, we tracked it down and rode across.
It cost the same amount as a bus fare, roughly €1.50, and gave us some nice views of the yachts docked in the port.
Formula 1 Car Sculptures
Several bronze Formula 1 car sculptures are located in Monaco, primarily serving as monuments to the principality’s racing history. On one of our walks to the hotel we passed one such sculpture and Nik insisted I sit inside for a picture.
According to an Internet search, I’m sitting in a McLaren MP4/13, at the Portier Roundabout. It’s a life-sized bronze sculpture of the 1998 McLaren Formula 1 car, designed by Christian Maas. It was unveiled on June 4, 2000, to commemorate McLaren’s victory in the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix.
Putting a Bow on This Trip
Despite the hills and small radius, Monaco is easy to get around using their public transit. From our hotel, we took the local bus to the casino and port, leaving Koval in our hotel room. He probably could’ve rode the bus with us, and I would’ve loved a photo of him at the iconic casino or on the water taxi, but we chose to leave him at the hotel where he slept and avoided the stress of the crowds.
Our second night at the hotel overlapped with a late Steelers game (10:00pm CET time) so as Nik watched, Koval and I fell asleep. And it was great. So glad we got to share this experience together as a family.
Back to Nice we went.
