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 Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:13 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN MONACO |
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NIGHTLIFE IN MONACO
Sun Casino, in the Monte Carlo Grand Hôtel, 12 av. des Spélugues (tel. 93-50-65-00), is a huge room filled with one-armed bandits. It also features blackjack, craps, and American roulette. Additional slot machines are on the roof, with a wide view of the sea. Slot machines operate daily from 11am to 4am, and gaming tables are open daily from 5pm to 4am. Admission is free.
François Blanc developed the Monte-Carlo Casino, place du Casino (tel. 92-16-21-21), into the most famous in the world, attracting the exiled aristocracy of Russia, Sarah Bernhardt, Mata Hari, King Farouk, and Aly Khan. The architect of Paris's Opéra Garnier, Charles Garnier, built the oldest part of the casino, and it remains an example of the 19th century's most opulent architecture. The building encompasses the casino and other areas for different kinds of entertainment, including a theater presenting opera and ballet. Baccarat, roulette, and chemin de fer are the most popular games, though you can play le craps and blackjack as well.
The casino's Salle Américaine, containing only slot machines, opens at noon, as do doors for roulette and trente-quarente. A section for roulette and chemin de fer opens at 3pm. Additional rooms open at 4pm with more roulette, craps, and blackjack. The gambling continues until very late or early, depending on the crowd. The casino classifies its "private rooms" as the more demure, nonelectronic areas without slots. To enter the casino, you must show a passport or other photo ID, be at least 18, and pay 10€ to 20€ ($13-$26), depending on where you want to go. After 9pm, the staff will insist that men wear jackets and neckties for entrance to the private rooms.
Also on the premises is a Cabaret, in the Casino Gardens, where a well-rehearsed orchestra plays before the show. A performance featuring feathers, glitter, jazz dance, ballet, and Riviera-style seminudity begins at 10:30pm Wednesday to Saturday mid-September through June. For reservations, call tel. 92-16-36-36. Entrance to the cabaret costs 62€ ($81) and includes one drink and dinner.
Theoretically, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, whose patron is Prince Albert, is headquartered in the lavish belle époque Salle Garnier of the casino. It is closed for renovations until sometime in 2005. Meanwhile, venues for concerts, ballets, and operas are the Salle du Canton, Les Terrasses, av. de Fontvieille (tel. 92-16-22-99 for tickets and information), and the Grimaldi Forum, 10 av. Princesse-Grace (tel. 99-99-30-00 for tickets and information). At both the Salle du Canton and the Grimaldi Forum, ballet tickets cost 8€ to 26€ ($10-$34); concert tickets cost 15€ to 30€ ($20-$39); and opera tickets cost 30€ to 115€ ($39-$150).
If tickets are hard to come by, your best bet is to ask your hotel concierge for assistance. You can also inquire at the Atrium du Casino (tel. 92-16-22-99), a ticket kiosk and information agency open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5:30pm.
Dancing & Drinking -- The Legend, 3 avenue des Spélugues (tel. 93-50-53-13), is a favorite of the 25- to 30-year-old crowd who like a glamorous modern setting. It's open Thursday to Sunday from 11:30pm to dawn. Entrance is free. The wildest night is Saturday, when it's mobbed. At Le Living Room (tel. 93-50-80-31), 7 av. des Spélugues, crowds are international and dance-oriented. It's open every night from 10:30pm until dawn. Cozy and comfortable, it's a bit more formal and sedate than the Legend, attracting patrons over 35. There's no cover. Two nearly neighbouring piano bars are Le Sass-Café, 5 av. des Spélugues (tel. 93-25-52-00), and the Zebra Square Café, 10 av. des Spélugues (tel. 99-99-25-50). Drink prices start at around 10€ ($13). Toniest of all, and under the same management as the Hôtel de Paris, is Jimmy's, in the Sporting d'Eté, av. Princesse-Grace (tel. 92-16-22-77) open nightly 11am to 5am.
Newest on the Monte Carlo nightlife scene is Le Karement, in the Grimaldi Forum (tel. 99-99-20-20). Sprawling, ultra-contemporary, and bigger than any nightlife venue ever before seen in Monte Carlo, it boasts two bars inside, a third bar on an outdoor terrace, a sprawling bay window that encompasses a view of the sea, and the kind of house and garage music that the young and young-at-heart clientele can really dance to. Open nightly, year-round, from 10pm till at least 4am, and often later, if business allows, it charges 20€ ($26) for entrance, including a free drink.
INTERESTING PLACES
Cabaret
The premises also contain a Cabaret in the Casino Gardens. An orchestra plays before the show. A sexy cabaret featuring lots of feathers, glitter, jazz dance, ballet, and Riviera-style semi-nudity is presented at 10pm Tuesday to Sunday from mid-September to the end of June. If you want dinner as part of the show, service begins at 9pm and, with the show included, costs 45°F ($76.50) per person. If you want to see just the show, your drinks will cost from 15°F ($25.50) each. For reservations, call 92-16-36-36.
Le Box
More high-energy and hip than any of the entries posted above is Le Box, 39 Av. Princesse Grace (93-30-15-22), where the young, the restless, the beautiful, and Princess Stephanie wannabes dance, drink, flirt, and carouse until the wee hours. It's open nightly from 11pm till dawn. The entrance fee of 9°F ($15.30) includes the first drink.
Tiffany
Tiffany, avenue des Spélugues (93-50-53-13), is a favourite of the 25-to 40-year old crowd who like a glamorous modern setting. On Sunday, a bevy of showgirls is featured. Le Symbole, rue du Portier (93-25-09-25), is a hot spot for those over 30. The decor glitters with a high-tech gloss, and the music is disco.
Les Folies Russes
Les Folies Russes, in the Grand Hotel, 12 av. des Spélugues (93-50-65-00), is a dinner-dance cabaret. Many viewers like its shows much more than those staged at the cabaret in the Monte Carlo casino. Vaudeville acts are thrown in to ease the "monotony" of all those nude dancers. There's a dinner dance on Friday and Saturday with food served from 8:30 to 9:30pm, and a floor show, La Folie Russe, is presented Tuesday to Sunday at 11pm. Jackets for men are mandatory. The show with dinner is 55°F ($93.50); 25°F ($42.50) gets you only the show.
Opera de Monte-Carlo
The casino also contains the Opera de Monte-Carlo, whose patron is Prince Rainier. This world-famous house, opened in 1879 by Sarah Bernhardt, presents a winter and spring opera repertoire that traditionally includes Puccini, Mozart, and Verdi. It was here that the legendary Les Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo was first introduced in 1918 by Serge Diaghilev, starring Karsavina and the immortal Nijinsky, and choreographer Michel Fokine. The national orchestra and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo appear here. Tickets may be hard to come by; your best bet is to ask your hotel concierge.
Salle Garnier
In the Monte Carlo Casino's Salle Garnier, where lots of gilt and belle ipoque accents evoke the 19th-century opera house of Paris, concerts are held periodically. For information, contact the tourist office (04-93-41-26-00) or the Atrium du Casino. The music is usually classical, featuring the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. |
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