Hotel Metropole, Monte Carlo

"Set back behind the gardens of the humming Casino Square, this 1900s Italianate-style palace is one of the few luxury hotels in Monte Carlo that is independent from the Grimaldi-owned SBM properties. It offers an attractive mix of style, superb cuisine, a top-notch spa, and an outdoor pool amid urban Monte Carlo. Redesigned by Jacques Garcia, the vast lobby was transformed into an atmospheric bar and lounge with the decorator’s trademark mix of opulent styles: Renaissance colors, 15th-century tapestries, and armchairs upholstered in striped Pierre Frey fabrics. The deeply comfortable rooms don’t all come with a view, but each offers a modern medley of warm beiges with orange taffeta curtains and chocolate-brown bathrooms with checkerboard floors. For the perfect post-shopping-spree tonic, have a drink in the hotel’s Karl Lagerfeld–designed poolside lounge area."