Monte Carlo:
A Vacation to the ATP Masters 1000
Monte Carlo is a small principality. Romanticized by those of us who remember Grace Kelly’s marriage to the then Prince Rainer back in the ‘60s. Longtime home to one of motor racings historic venues for Formula One.
Now that I have completed my goal of attending all the Grand Slam tournaments, my next goal is to attend as many of the 1000 level tournaments for both men and women. The aura of the Monte Carlo made it number one on my list.
Monte Carlo:
A Brief History of Monte Carlo
Alright, let’s have a quick geography lesson, shall we? Where is Monte Carlo, you ask? Well, it ain’t in your backyard, I’ll tell ya that much. Located on the French Riviera, Monte Carlo is a beautiful city-state that’s known for its luxurious lifestyle and high-stakes gambling.
Indeed, that’s not all that Monte Carlo is famous for, my dears. No, no. It’s also the home of the Monte Carlo Master’s 1000, which is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world.
On the other hand, if racing cars are your thing, Monte Carlo is home to one of the long-running Formula One car races. This race winds its way through the narrow mountainous roadways of Monte Carlo. It is a race that draws in the who’s who of sport, entertainment, and royalty.
Monte Carlo as a Travel Destination For Seniors
The spectacular destination of Monte Carlo, one of the most luxurious vacation ideas for seniors that will leave you absolutely breathless! With its temperate climate and stunning views of the Mediterranean, this travel destination offers an enchanting experience for seniors looking for a getaway that’s both relaxing and sophisticated.
The city is infused with culture, luxury, and an impressive variety of things to do, including sightseeing, gambling, and indulging in sumptuous cuisine. As a senior travel destination, Monte Carlo doesn’t disappoint, with a range of upscale accommodations and leisure activities to suit any taste.
However, here I will insert a word of caution. The streets of Monte Carlo are extremely mountainous. I had to break out my walking cane on several occasions to be comfortable to handle the steep inclines and declines. Check here for some recommendations on walking canes. But they have a great community transportation system so you can buy tickets at the stops and travel throughout the city quite comfortably.
When I planned out my Grand Slam tours, I did all of it myself: booking flights, getting tickets, finding hotels, city transportation, non tennis activities. I enjoyed that level of control. However, it was a lot of long hours of research and some trepidation on whether or not I was making the correct decisions.
I was younger and felt I could handle whatever curves the international travel threw my way whether it was missing a train in Paris; a scorpion bite in Melbourne; rain at Wimbledon; noisy and uncaring spectators at the US Open.
The decision for this trip was made to use a third party to do as much of the planning for me as possible. For Monte Carlo, I choose Grand Slam Tennis Tours. There were tons of good reviews. I know some former tennis associates had used them for their Indian Wells trip and continue to rave about the firm to this day.
The service was A++. My initial inquiries were met with quick, detailed responses. I felt that they truly cared about my business but also, they weren’t pushy about it either. Hence, I decided to book my trip with them.
Included in their package was hotel, tickets for 2 days at the Monte Carlo Masters, a welcome dinner, and an optional walking tour around Monte Carlo. They also made recommendations on other activities and destinations.
Oh yeah, also included was the helicopter ride from Nice airport to Monte Carlo and the ground transportation to the host hotel. Something which was the highlight for me!
In summary, the value received equalled the price paid in my opinion. Given Monte Carlo is not cheap nor are the tickets to the tennis. I felt extremely satisfied using their services and look forward to using them again!
Monte Carlo Host Hotel
Grand Slam Tours used the Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel. It is a 4-star hotel with a private beach on the Mediterranean Sea.
Some of the amenities of the hotel include: along with the private beach there are an indoor and outdoor pool; fitness centre; room service; restaurants and bars; and free wi-fi.
My impressions: I will give the hotel bonus points for location, location, location. I was able to easily get to everywhere that I wanted to go. (Albeit I was only informed about the elevators across the street that would have avoided some steep climbs on the next to last day!). The room could have used a sprucing up. The furniture was stained in spots and the desk area was not all that comfortable – plus there were too few power outlets. The bed however was very comfortable.
Further, the view was spectacular! The breakfast which was an add on to the GST billing was plentiful and worth the extra cash. However, the room service was less than acceptable. While timely, I ordered a hamburger that came to me raw and barely thawed!
I could have spent all day on their outdoor patio bar. It was comfortable and warm until the sun went below the mountains.
Overall, I give the hotel an 8 out of 10. I will do another blog in the future on other accommodation alternatives.
Now other alternatives near by are the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort (the host hotel for the tournament so you may see players and coaches hanging around the pools) and the Fairmont Monte Carlo which overlooks the famous hairpin corner of the Formula One race.
Find Your Flight:
Find Your Hotel:
Things to Do in Monte Carlo
Time on any vacation is always going to be one’s enemy. With two of my days taken up with attending the tennis tournament, I was left with only two days to do the touristy things out and about Monte Carlo.
I will be honest when I have so little time, indoor visits drop to the bottom of my list. I booked two days on the Hop-on Hop-off Bus. In this manner, I was able to get to all of the key sites throughout the city without having to worry about walking great distances to the next site. However, I did walk between some of the bus stopping points.
My Hop off recommendations:
- Place du Casino – stunning architecture; great view exterior of the casino; there were several restaurants and patios I wished I had had time to use.
- Place des Palais – here you are up top of the mountain looking down into the port of Monte Carlo; walk into the courtyard outside of the palace; then wander down into the old city; here I had a coffee and ice cream and people watched for a bit; then made my way down to the Oceanographic Museum to pick up the bus again.
- Jardin Japonais – this was my last stop anyway, from here you can walk along the waterfront; (this stop is just beyond the section of the Formula One track known as the tunnel); if you are a car buff, on the north side are some very expensive car dealerships – McClaren; Sauber; Lamborghini. Plus, if you are hungry after your day’s travels, there are restaurants of all price ranges smattered along the promenade.
If the bus is not your style, many of the folks in the group truly enjoyed the walking tour. Now this is not recommended for folks with heart conditions or if you do not feel you are physically fit to deal with the steep nature of Monte Carlo’s streets.
However, no matter which mode of transport you choose by bus or by foot, you are going to see some stunning views.
Conclusion
My time in Monte Carlo, went by so fast. Saturday morning rolled in and it was time to take the helicopter back to Nice to begin part two of my vacation: after a weekend in Nice I would be off to Barcelona for the 250 ATP tournament there.
I truly enjoyed to package put together for me by Grand Slam Tennis Tours. The one thing I didn’t mention is that they have representatives there to assist you if needed. I found this comforting as they were able to answer all my dumb questions and I knew there was someone I could contact if needed.
The seats for the tournament were awesome. For a photographer like me, having the perfect angles to the players was important. My caution is to maybe align all your other activities ahead of time as the wi-fi at the hotel was shaky at times.
Get to Monte Carlo, you never know who you will bump into from Formula one drivers; F1 team managers; to tennis players, their fathers and or coaches. Or go to sit on the beach or café and soak in the European lifestyle. You will not regret it.
Lastly, check out my recommendations on travel accessories for these long journeys here.
Please note: The opinions expressed in this document should never be construed as advice. The thoughts are based on my experiences after 40-plus years of business and vacation travel. My likes and dislikes may vary drastically from yours. Do your research and find products and experiences that align with your likes and dislikes. Most of all have happy travels and see you out there on the road!
Al of Al Murray Travel & Photography: From the time in my youth, when I would lay on our garage roof watching planes traverse the skies above me, I knew I wanted to see the world.
My passion grew after spending a semester of my university days in Barcelona. I spent more time on trains and buses than I did in class.
After earning my BA from Carleton University, life got in the way. It wasn’t until my “middle age” did I start exploring the world again. First, transversing the US and Canada to take part in tennis tournaments. Then later to complete my spectator “grand slam” of tennis.
I accomplished this while earning my certificate in photography from Toronto Metropolitan University. I am now combining the two passions and now sharing with you my many lessons learned.