Hotel Livin'

I always say that picking the hotel is one of my favorite parts of any trip we take, and this time I definitely have to pat myself on the back. In Paris we got a great deal, and our hotel was just steps from the Eiffel Tower. But the fun began when we got to Cannes. Each floor of the hotel we stayed at invoked a different continent. Since Africa is one of the few we have never been to, that is the one I chose. The room was decked out in crushed velvets and Moroccan lighting fixtures. The roof had an amazing pool with a view of the sea. We didn't do much in Cannes besides eat and sun ourselves. The whole atmosphere was a little snooty, from the service at the hotel to the designer shops to the Ferraris and Lamborghinis everywhere you turned. It felt like we didn't have enough money to be there.

When we originally booked the trip I was looking more forward to Cannes than Nice, but this town is a "Nice" surprise, a lot more my speed than Cannes. The shopping is more fun, and the streets are more lively. We are also staying in an art hotel here, where every room was designed by a different artist. The room we are in is called Parfum du Orient, and it reminds me of something my Grandma Orsini would have loved. It has these antique chairs that may have even been in her house, French doors leading to a patio, a Victorian bedspread, but this awesome jade colored wallpaper. The hotel staff is also much more friendly and it has added to the welcome feeling. Bry and I spent a lot more time in the last 24 hours roaming the streets, and tonight we're hopping the train to the casino in Monte Carlo. You have to wear a suit and tie there, which isn't all that appetizing in this 90-degree weather, but hopefully we'll win big. Come on, sevens...