There are six Best Western Hotels in Nice, four in Cannes and one hotel in Antibes, one in Juan les Pins and one in Menton, east of Monaco for quite a selection of properties on the Cote d’Azur / French Riviera within easy transportation distance of Nice Airport. There is bus service from Nice Airport to each of these destinations.
Best Western So’Co combined the lowest reward night rate at 8,000 points with the closest location to Gare de Nice Ville train station at 200 meters.
My flight from Warsaw at 8pm meant I would basically being sleeping in bed for the night before going to Monaco and not using the hotel as a base for Nice tourism.
Nice Airport Bus
Tourist information was open at 8pm Sunday night when I arrived at Nice Airport. The woman directed me outside the doors of Terminal 1 where I could buy a ticket from inside a bus terminal room for €6.00 on Bus Line 99 to Nice Gare SNCF / Railway Station.
You can also buy tickets on the bus.
Nice Airport has Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The buses go to each terminal.
Nice Airport is right on the coast and the bus passes within 10 meters of the beach in places as it heads east into the city.
The confusing part for me was when the bus stopped and the driver said ‘last stop, everyone off!’ at Poste Thiers. Despite the bus route saying Nice railway station, the actual bus stop is called Poste Thiers and is about 100 meters west of Nice railway station. You can’t see the railway station from the bus stop, especially in the dark.
Show me a Best Western sign please!
Best Western So’Co showed on my iPhone map as being about 100 meters down the street from the bus stop, walking west back towards the airport. I walked right by the hotel without noticing it since there was no Best Western signage on the street.
Hotel So’Co Happy Culture Collection (French hotel site)
The hotel is part of the HappyCulture Collection.
TripAdvisor reviewers give the hotel good reviews at 4.5 circles and #70 of 204 Nice hotels.
My initial impression looking at the lobby was this hotel is the definition of the term ‘shabby chic’ to me.
There were couches with seating for at least 4 by the coffee maker, and guests sitting there every time I was in the lobby.
My room rate was 8,000 points + €1.40 city hotel tax for queen bed.
Published room rates for the date were €90 for a double and €110 for a queen bed.Â
The receptionist asked me if I wanted to add breakfast for €12.00 and I declined. I ate breakfast at a Turkish restaurant the following day for €5.90.
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The place has character.
The Room
Comfortable bed and the partially painted wall design is purposeful.
All necessary mod cons provided. Even a USB outlet by the bed in place for phone charging.
Wifi worked well and a coffee pot.
Plywood cabinet contained safe, refrigerator and two extra pillows. I had to unplug refrigerator for access to an outlet to power my computer while on the bed. I did not see power outlets except on the wall with the desk.
Bathroom
No complaints about the room. In fact, if anything, this room had great air conditioning. Only Marriott Riviera Cap d’Ail was comparable in a hotel where I needed AC. I suffered at night from two too hot rooms when staying at Days Inn Nice and Clarion Prague City on days when the temperature reached 75F and the rooms did not cool down sufficiently at night.
I give Hotel So’Co Nice a thumbs up, if the price is right, especially for a solo traveler. Walking to Promenade des Anglais takes about 15 minutes to reach the beach.
Nice Train Station and Nice Airport Bus are easy access from Best Western Hotel So’Co Nice.
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