Where: 5 Rue Francois Einesy, Cannes, France, 06400
The 3.14 Hotel overlooks the storied Carlton Intercontinental hotel.
For most of us, heading to Cannes, the land of celebrities, yachts and movies, is a pipe dream. Probably something we could only do when we’re old and have saved up enough money. But we’ll be old then. Thank god we can live vicariously through Jet Set Life’s Kimberly Murgatroyd who gives us yet another hotel review. This time, it’s the funkee (in a French accent) 3.14 Hotel. Enjoy.
Coming of the heels of my St. Tropez vacation, I headed to Cannes for a six-night stay at the kitschy 3.14 Hotel. I chose this hotel primarily for it’s prime location and said to be unique design concept. My overall feeling on day six of six, was that this is a hotel with so much potential and in dire need of so much work.
Oh Look, It’s a Design Hotel!
The hotel’s design concept was to bring all areas of the world together into one hotel. Sounds interesting, and it possibly could be. However, I sort of felt (and I’m not a art critic or anything) that it was a little overdone. The lobby has a crazy design with the focus being an odd fountain in the middle of the room and a bull, or maybe it was a cow, with a disco ball for utters.
The design concept is unique and definitely fun, but over our six day stay, we realized that it has what music execs call a “high burn rate”. In music terms this means the song, or in this case decor, burns out quickly and you soon don’t enjoy it like you used to. Think, The Macarena.
Which Continent Are You On?
Each floor in the 3.14 represents one of five continents, America, Oceania, Europe, Africa and Asia. We stayed on the Europe floor, which was decorated with dark wood, red accents and dim red lights. Our suite was very large for European standards. An interesting note is that the room was completely red, including the carpets, walls and even the furniture. It felt like I was living in the Moulin Rouge!
Our bed had a corset above with a long sheer skirt draped over the sides of the bed. We had double doors that opened to a nice balcony with a terrific view of The Carlton and the blue Mediterranean Sea. The bathroom was nicely decorated and offer a huge whirlpool bath as well as a standing shower. Robes and linens were unusually plush for Europe, which was definitely an added bonus. The only real disappointment in the suite was the bed itself, I sort of felt like I was lying on a hard floor. The plush red carpeting may have made a better bed.
Too Cool Amenities: Pool Lounge Chairs That Require Reservations
The view from the roof top pool is really unique. It’s a nice place to take a dip and spend your day if you can manage to get one of the dozen lounge chairs. Now obviously you can’t fault the hotel for lack of space. But, what is frustrating is that no one tells you when you check in is that you must reserve a lounge chair at least one day in advance.
Definitely my favorite part of this hotel is the 3.14 beach club that is across the street on Promenade de la Croisette. It’s the complete opposite of the hotel, which makes you wonder why they don’t make the hotel more like the beach club! The design is simple, there are tons of lounges and a great restaurant for lunch or dinner. The water is shallow, calm, clear and great for swimming or just cooling off.
The only downside to the beach club is that hotel guests must pay 20 euros to use the lounge chairs (non-guests pay 25 euros). I’m okay with paying, but even the Delano only charges $10 for a lounge chair. However, I will say that the staff at the beach is wonderful. They are the only saving grace for this hotel.
“Come and Get It”: The Opposite of Overservice
What this hotel lacks is service. It honestly seems like the staff has never been trained. If you are speaking to the concierge (in person) and the phone rings, they will answer it and ask you to hold. The concierge in every other hotel I’ve been to informs the person calling that they are “With a guest” and asks them to hold.
Here’s the real kicker; If you call the front desk from your room, they never answer the phone, even though they’re always seems to be someone sitting at the desk! And room service only picks up the phone half of the time.
When we asked for someone to deliver the bill on our last day, we were asked to “come get it”. Even budget hotels slip it under your door before you wake up. When we inquired about this policy they simply said, “We like to give the guest a chance to extend their stay.” Really?
Bottom Line Yes, this kitchy hotel could be amazing. But for now, I would have to recommend finding another hotel for your Cannes vacation. Rooms start at 200 Euros for a standard room. The executive suite with the red corset over the bed is available for 815 Euros a night. by juliana – HotelChatter
Related Links: Cannes Hotels, France 411, Hotels in St. Tropez
Posted by pinoy70 
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