Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, the SBM's understated palace

The Hermitage is the SBM palace that turns up least in photos and the one I find most persuasive for a stay. It doesn’t face Casino Square but square Beaumarchais, above Port Hercule and looking across at the Rock. That change of pavement, away from the bustle of the square, shows in the atmosphere. The SBM bills it as the address for connoisseurs, and although the slogan is theirs, the idea holds up.

Belle Époque under Eiffel’s dome

The building is Belle Époque, and its showpiece is the Winter Garden, roofed by the iron-and-glass dome the SBM attributes to Eiffel. In 2004 the hotel grew by two floors, and those new storeys produced its apartments, now part of the Diamond Suites collection. The same building holds the Salle Belle Époque, a function room listed as a historic monument and hired out for events.

Since 2024 it has been refurbished in phases, with the Pierre-Yves Rochon studio and the SBM’s own design team behind the new suites. So far it has unveiled 40 rooms and suites, including seven Diamond Suites, and the Gustave bar under the dome, designed by Shirine Zirak. The tourist office announces a new phase for spring 2027. That wouldn’t put me off, but when booking I’d ask whether my floor is affected and what hours the builders keep. If the answer didn’t reassure me, I’d request a room in another wing.

Rooms, from 18 m² to 434 m²

Here’s its weak spot. The entry category, the Superior Queen, is 18 m², with a single queen-size bed and no twin option. That’s small for a five-star, and I’d go straight to a Deluxe or a sea-view room. The Exclusive rooms are the ones facing the sea, and that view is what separates this hotel from its neighbours.

At the top of the scale, the Suite Princière measures 283 m² and has three terraces over the harbour and the Palace. Joined to the Présidentielle, which is 151 m², it becomes a 434 m² apartment for eight. None of them has a public price.

Eating and drinking without leaving the hotel

The Hermitage is Yannick Alléno’s home in Monaco. L’Abysse, his Japanese restaurant, holds two Michelin stars and opens only in the evening, Tuesday to Saturday. Pavyllon, with one star, serves at the counter every day for lunch and dinner, and to me it’s the most relaxed way to eat starred food in the Principality. Le Limùn completes the line-up. If you want to set these tables against the rest, I rank them in where to eat in Monaco.

For anyone not staying, the Gustave bar is the way in. It opens from 12:00 to 1:00, and from Thursday to Saturday there’s live music from 18:00 to 22:30. A drink under the dome strikes me as the best plan for a night out in Monaco if you don’t fancy a club.

What’s included and what’s billed separately

As at the Hôtel de Paris, the rate includes the Thermes Marins and, when the weather’s right for it, the Monte-Carlo Beach Club, across the border in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Also included are the Kids Room, a children’s space for guests during school holidays except February, and the free Casino entry the SBM gives its guests.

Some SBM perks get forgotten when people compare prices. A private shuttle runs between its hotels, restaurants and the Beach Club, anything you spend across the resort can go on the room bill, and at the SBM’s tennis club, the Monte-Carlo Country Club, and its golf course, the Monte-Carlo Golf Club, you pay less than the general public. For a tennis player or a golfer, that counts for more than any detail of the room.

Billed separately are the tourist tax, €7 per adult a night; parking, €55 a day; and €60 a day for a dog of up to 15 kg. The room is yours from 15:00 until 12:00 on the day you leave.

Is the Hotel Hermitage worth it?

For me, yes, if you’re spending more than one night in Monaco and your budget stretches to a five-star. It shares the spa, the beach and the Casino perk with the Hôtel de Paris, parking costs less and the nights are quieter. What I wouldn’t do is book the Superior Queen expecting a palace room in the usual sense.

I wouldn’t pick it if you want the beach on your doorstep. That’s what the Monte-Carlo Bay and its lagoon are for. And if you simply want to sleep inside the Principality without paying for a palace, my guide to hotels in Monaco covers the two- and three-star options in La Condamine, a short stroll from the harbour.