​​You Can Stay at an Abandoned Convent That’s Now the French Riviera’s Most Serene Hotel

Stay Here For

A French Riviera hotel that, refreshingly, isn’t a total scene. 

When you step off the street and into Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxury Collection Hotel from Marriott, set in a 17th-century convent, the noise of Nice’s historic center falls away. What you’ll hear instead? Soft birdsong, hushed chatter and glasses clinking in the old cloister. Time itself seems to slow as you enter this gentler world, the kind of place where you can imagine artists like Matisse and Chagall, who once lived in and around Nice, sipping wine or painting at an easel set up in the garden.

Original terra-cotta floors and furnishings sourced from antiques markets and other historic convents (including a massive 17th-century wooden table from Bologna that now sits in Le Restaurant du Couvent) give the impression that you’ve time traveled to a more analog era. There’s even an apothecary, complete with an old wooden cabinet filled with glass jars of herbal tea blends. It all adds up to a serene escape from the modern, hyperconnected world, where you can slow down and embrace simple pleasures.

Life here centers around the cloister, which now plays host to the main restaurant and bar. Throughout the day, the space is animated by hotel guests and locals with their dogs in tow, who come for tea or an aperitif before dinner. Afterward, they might wander through the tiered gardens, which have been replanted since the convent days with herbs and tons of produce, including tomatoes, artichokes and eggplants, or climb the stone stairs leading to the hotel’s seasonal alfresco restaurant, two garden pools and shady corners where children play during the summer months. There’s also a lovely spa on-site, with Roman baths and a Movement Studio offering yoga and Pilates sessions.

Once seen merely as a place to pass through en route to more glamorous towns like Antibes and Saint-Tropez, Nice is experiencing a bit of a renaissance, in no small part thanks to Hôtel du Couvent. It took 10 years and $100 million to transform the abandoned convent into a luxury hotel, but now it’s a true oasis, surrounded by a city equally rich in heritage.

The Essentials

The Location

Hôtel du Couvent is set within Nice’s pedestrianized historic center, just a five-minute walk to lively Place Rossetti and the open-air fruit and flower market on Cours Saleya. It’s a 10-minute stroll to the beach and a 15-minute taxi ride to top cultural attractions like the Musée Matisse Nice and Musée National Marc Chagall. Since Nice is the gateway to the French Riviera, the hotel also makes for an excellent jumping-off point for day trips to Antibes and Cannes.

The Rooms

The terra-cotta floors in the historic building speak to a bygone era.

Of the 88 rooms and suites, 40 are located in the historic convent, while the other 48 are in the two new buildings. Those in the convent evoke a bygone era with restored terra-cotta floors, but all possess a spare design that borders on minimalist, with an earthy color palette and mostly natural materials. There are no televisions in order to preserve a calm, contemplative environment, and the walls are mostly bare—a few antiques, statuettes and art books provide the only decoration. Still, there are luxurious touches: natural linen bedspreads, espresso machines and a minibar stocked with the hotel’s own wine, organic sodas and premixed Negronis and palomas. Bathrooms are equipped with soft towels and the hotel’s own line of bath products in cheery yellow tubes; all have custom-designed marble washbasins, while some also come with claw-foot tubs.

Some suites have kitchenettes with an oven and stove, pots, pans and dishes, making them a great option for the families that tend to flock here during summer vacation. A few even have sea views, while most other rooms look out to the courtyard or gardens.

The Bars and Restaurants

All of the hotel’s dining venues (three restaurants, one bar and a boulangerie selling house-made breads and pastries) champion a farm-to-table ethos, eschewing elaborate tasting menus in favor of fresh, local recipes made with seasonal ingredients grown on a farm just 35 miles away.

Le Restaurant du Couvent, the main restaurant, is located in the cloister and serves the traditional cuisine of the French Riviera, with specialties like socca (chickpea-flour pancakes), barbajuans (fritters filled with Swiss chard and ricotta) and John Dory in a saffron sauce with ratatouille. Le Bar, set under the cloister’s arches, pairs aperitifs, including a selection of pastis, and cocktails such as the Spritz du Couvent (with rosé, strawberry-infused vermouth, amontillado, tangerine and sparkling wine) with snacks such as pissaladière, which is like a focaccia that’s been topped with onions, olives and anchovies. The alfresco La Guinguette dishes up lighter fare in the garden, while Le Bistrot des Serruriers serves classic bistro fare including gnocchi in sage butter, trout with roasted fennel, and squab with celery root purée.

The Standout Feature

The main pool is perfect for a lazy afternoon of swimming and sunbathing.

The main pool, located at the top of the gardens, offers fabulous views of Nice and the coastline. It’s the perfect spot for an afternoon swim and sunbathing on the cushy loungers. There’s also a smaller plunge pool nestled in the gardens, but unlike the main pool, it’s not heated.

The Time to Go

Summer is the high season on the French Riviera, so you can expect the best weather for swimming and sunbathing, but also higher prices and crowds. Consider spring or fall for better rates and fewer tourists.

The Vibe

Hôtel du Couvent is a serene escape from the modern, hyperconnected world.

What are people drinking? The hotel serves exclusively natural wines. Don’t worry, you can still get rosé from Provence—the Eau de Source by Fondugues-Pradugues is pleasantly light and crisp.

What’s on the speakers? A series of nature sounds, birdsong and even silence curated by a film composer.

The perfect spot for your social media post: The cloister, perhaps seated in one of the wicker armchairs under the arches, or the gardens, as you frolic through the trellised vines wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat.

Where are people going at night? Many guests embrace the hotel’s romantic atmosphere and stay in for a candlelit dinner at Le Restaurant du Couvent. Those who want more of a scene go to nearby La Petite Maison, which draws celebrities with indulgent dishes like haricots verts with foie gras.

The souvenir from the gift shop you’re bringing home: There’s no gift shop, but you should absolutely buy some herbal teas from the apothecary.

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