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Month: May 2021

The Maybourne Riviera: a destination for locals

by: Cassandra Tanti
31/05/2021

A penthouse restaurant headed by Mauro Colagreco, a luxurious spa with infinity pool, and an elegant outdoor ballroom perfect for one of Monaco’s many charity galas… Here is what we know about The Maybourne Riviera, soon to open in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
The Maybourne Hotel Group, owned by the Qatari royal family, is the operator of Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley in London, and The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. The group will be launching its fifth hotel this summer in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
“The opening of The Maybourne Riviera marks a new era for Maybourne Hotel Group, with our first newly built property in one of my favourite places in the world: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a truly untouched French gem,” said co-owner of Maybourne Hotel Group Paddy McKillen. “We plan to bring the legendary service and spirit of hospitality that have made our London hotels so successful and much loved, building The Maybourne Riviera into one of the great hotels of the world.”
The striking modernist hotel features an exterior design by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, a nod to modernist architects Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier who built their contemporary homes close by. Among his many other projects, Wilmotte is responsible for the rehabilitation of the auditoriums of the Palais des Festival in Cannes and designed the Teotista residential building in Monaco, also known as the Monte-Carlo View.

Bathroom design at The Maybourne Riviera

Bringing luxury to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Floor to ceiling windows in each of the 69 rooms will enable guests to take in the dramatic views sweeping from Italy in the east to Monaco in the west. Among them will be 24 suites with private terraces or balconies, some even offering private horizon plunge pools.
The group has been collaborating with some of the most globally recognised artists, designers and architects to create one-of-a-kind spaces, with Andre Fu, Bryan O’Sullivan Studio, Marcelo Joulia, Pierre Yovanovitch, Pascal Goujon and Rigby and Rigby all adding their distinctive style, as well as the Maybourne in-house design team led by Michelle Wu.
Mauro Colagreco will head his second Riviera restaurant at the hotel

A destination for locals
For people who already live in Monaco, the great news is that The Maybourne Riviera will also be an outstanding gastronomic hotspot with a host of restaurants under the creative direction some of the finest chefs and restaurateurs in the world. The legendary Mauro Colagreco of three Michelin star Mirazur in nearby Menton, and holder of the number one position in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, will have his restaurant on the enviable top floor with panoramic views, drawing on his favourite theme, the sea.
In addition, global super-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will launch his first restaurant in the French Riviera with cuisine inspired by the hotel’s location on the French-Italian border. Finally, Japanese chef Hiro Sato will bring his world class sushi to The Maybourne Riviera.
Other perks for locals include a Piano Bar for a sunset aperitif or final nightcap, a wellness centre with indoor and outdoor pools and André-Fu designed spa, and conference spaces that can accommodate up to 250 guests for everything from wedding receptions to congresses. There are also two ballrooms, one of which is outdoors – perfect for Monaco’s many charity galas.
The hotel will feature incredible views from Italy to Monaco

The hotel is set on the rocky peninsula high above the coast in restored ancient gardens with walkways, citrus orchards and a seasonal herb garden.
When contacted by Monaco Life, the group said it was unable to give a specific opening date of The Maybourne Riviera as it is currently finalising timelines. But stay tuned as we will be updating our readers on this exciting new destination.
 
 
 

New bans on plastic products in zero-waste policy

by: Cassandra Tanti
31/05/2021

Plastic toys in children’s menus will be banned under a new range of measures that Monaco is introducing to help hit the target of zero single-use plastics by the year 2030.
Under the leadership of Prince Albert, the Principality is aiming for the complete elimination of single-use plastic waste in Monaco within the decade.
In order to achieve this, a ban on single-use plastic bags was introduced in 2016, followed by the elimination of plastic straws and stirrers in 2019, and disposable plastic cups, cutlery and plates just one year later.
The release of balloons and lanterns was also banned in March 2020.
Now, the government is taking the plan further with bans that have been written into law effective 1st June, while other new measures are being phased in gradually.
This year, all plastic plates are banned including those with only a plastic coating, together with steak sticks, take-away styrofoam containers, and lids and closures for cups and ice cream cups.
Other plastic products like confetti, balloon rods and all products made from oxodegradable plastic are also banned.
Finally, restaurants are no longer able to offer free drinks in cans or plastic bottles as part of menus.
From 1st January 2022, restaurants will not be able to offer plastic toys in children’s menus.
Non-biodegradable plastic tea bags will be banned, together with the plastic packaging surrounding fresh fruits and vegetables, and all non-compostable plastic labels on fruits and vegetables.
Restaurants will have to offer reusable cutlery, and employers must make reusable dishes available at workplaces, and stop providing disposable crockery when meals are eaten on site.
Paper receipts will be provided only on demand.
Further measures are due to be introduced from 1st January 2024, with salad bowls, meal trays and sandwich bags all banned.
The aim is to reduce the amount of waste being produced in Monaco, a large portion of which ends up in the ocean, harming marine life and fauna.
“To achieve zero plastic waste in 2030, it is essential to count on everyone’s mobilisation and support an increasingly dense network of individuals but also of traders and restaurants, united under the same acronym of commitment,” said the government in a statement.
 
 
 
 

All adults in Monaco, France eligible for jabs

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/05/2021

Anyone over the age of 18 in Monaco is now eligible to receive the Covid vaccine, as the Principality joins France in accelerating the rollout of its health plan.

Younger people in the Principality have been patiently waiting their turn for months and were rewarded when the 34 to 44 years olds were called up on 25th May. The response was overwhelming, with a thousand appointments made in just three days. This encouraged the government to open the inoculations up to all people aged 18 and over.  

Following a request by the National Council to expand its programme to include all citizens and residents of Monaco, Minister of State Pierre Dartout announced on the government-run Monaco Info channel on Friday evening that all adults in Monaco would be eligible for the Covid-19 jab as of Monday 31st May.

Currently, more than 16,500 people in Monaco have received at least one dose of the Pfizer jab, equalling 43% of the population. Of those, 13,527 have also received their second shot.

The minister also said that a health pass for Monaco is “a necessity for the reopening of businesses as well as for those who wish to go on holiday”. Monegasque and French authorities are currently discussing details before the rollout.
 
 
 

EU approves Pfizer for children 12 to 15

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/05/2021

The European Medicines Agency has approved the Pfizer BioNTech jab for use in children aged 12 to 15, making it the first vaccine to be approved for use on children in the bloc.
The European Union’s drug approval arm, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), gave the go-ahead for the Pfizer vaccine to be given to teenagers after deciding it was “well-tolerated” in children and that they experienced no serious side effects.
“As anticipated, the EMA’s Committee for Human Medicines has today approved the use of the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech in adolescents from 12 to 15 years,” Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of vaccine strategy, told journalists.
He said that data from clinical trials “is really showing that the vaccine is highly preventative” for this age group, adding that vaccine side effects were “not raising major concerns at this time.”
Germany has already expressed interest in ramping up their programme to include children starting on 7thJune. The United States and Canada have been inoculating children of the same age since approvals there in early May, paving the way for EU approval and the clinical trials showed the two-dose regimen was safe and effective.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that the vaccine was not obligatory, nor would it prevent children from attending school of going on holiday. There is no word yet on Monaco’s position regarding this announcement.
The Modena jab, which uses the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer one, has been conducting clinical trials on 12 to 17 years old as well, and found an efficacy rate of 96% in the early results.
In the US, health authorities were looking into a small number of reports of heart inflammation in some of the younger people who were given mRNA-based inoculations, a number which the American Centre for Disease Control called “relatively few”.
“Most cases appear to be mild, and follow-up of cases is ongoing,” the CDC said, adding that reports were more often from boys after having received their second dose.
 
 
 
Photo by Jesse Paul on Unsplash
 
 
 

Roya kids’ special day out at Oceanographic Museum

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/05/2021

The Oceanographic Museum and the Princess Charlene Foundation have joined forces to offer the children of the Roya Valley a dedicated day for this year’s Oceans for All project.

The children living in the Roya Valley have endured an incredibly difficult year since the disastrous floods that hit their region in October 2020. To give them a break from their daily hardships, this year’s Oceans for Allevent at the Oceanographic Museum on 1st June will be dedicated to them, giving them and all visitors a chance to delve in the watery depths and learn about the fascinating world under the sea, as well as to see what role they can play in helping to preserve the planet.

Marine ecosystems provide food, regulate the climate, and are home to countless species of plant and animal life. Giving children the chance understand how they can be a part of keeping this fragile ecosystem healthy is vital and Oceans for All has been there for the past seven years to show them how.

Since 2014, the Princess Charlene Foundation has championed this event, which gives children from the PACA region’s most remote areas or disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to spend a day immersed in another world.

The day will be filled with fun activities and discoveries at the Oceanographic Museum including a journalistic project where they will use photos, videos and their own words to put together a message explaining the reason the oceans must be protected. Each piece will be shared with other classes, giving the children different perspectives on the topic.

The French Ministry of National Education, the Monaco National Youth and Sports Education Department, Le Grand Tour, the Novotel Monte-Carlo hotel, Stars’N’Bars and France Bleu Azur provide support every year in the organisation of the event, and private anonymous donors have also contributed to make the day a success.

The Institute is also accepting donations from private individuals who would like to participate in the event. The money collected will go towards making transportation, overnight stays and supplies readily available for the children, as well as to make this event open to as many classes as possible.

 
 
 

Monaco's slow return to normal continues

by: Cassandra Tanti
28/05/2021

The joyful sounds of music are set to return to restaurants and cafés under a new easing of restrictions, while the curfew has also been pushed back an hour to 11pm.
The government released details of its new round of health measures on Friday, revealing that the nighttime curfew will kick in from 11pm and remain in force until 6am.
Evening service at restaurants remains at the 11pm closing time, while service also remains banned between the hours of 3pm and 7pm.
Cafés have had their opening hours extended to 8pm.
The announcement also marks the long-awaited return of music to establishments, however dancing is still not allowed and there is a sound limit of 74db, which, to put it into perspective, is about the same range as a vacuum cleaner.
Meanwhile, working from home remains mandatory until at least 13th June.
The number of people allowed in groups outside has grown from six to 10, while reception rooms and congress centres are now allowed to welcome 70% of their capacity audience, with a limit of 1,000 people.
The measures are effective on 31st May for a period of two weeks.
 
 
Photo of the Café de Paris dining terrace by SBM