Monaco Life, in partnership with AS Monaco Basket, is offering two complimentary tickets to the game on Friday 26th April, when the Roca Team take on Fenerbache Beko Istanbul for a ticket to the Berlin Final Four.
The first of five matches in this play-off series will take place on Wednesday 24th April at 7pm at the Gaston-Medecin.
Match two is set for 7pm Friday 26th April, and Monaco Life has two tickets to give away!
All you have to do is subscribe to the Monaco Life daily newsletter by clicking here and email editor@monacolife.net with your details. The winner will be notified by Thursday 25th April.
If you’re already a loyal newsletter subscriber, just send us the email.
The other play-off matches will take place on Wednesday 1st May and Friday 3rd May in Istanbul, before the teams return to Monaco for the decider.
Beachside restaurant Elsa has reopened under the command of acclaimed two-star Chef Marcel Ravin. Meanwhile, the appointment of René Blino as the new general manager signals a strategic move to steer the cherished Monte-Carlo Beach towards the future, all while safeguarding its rich heritage.
With the holding of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finale last weekend, the Monte-Carlo Beach charged back to life, its terraces filled with sun-seeking locals and travelling tennis enthusiasts who all mark this busy weekend in April as the start of ‘the season’ in Monaco.
The Monte-Carlo Beach is unlike anything else in the Principality or beyond its borders. Situated at the very eastern end of Monaco, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin to be exact, the idyllic boutique hotel boasts the largest private beach in Monaco, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a protected bird sanctuary encompassing the oasis of La Vigie.
The Elsa restaurant and its “marine garden”
As the saying goes, “Don’t mess with success”, and Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) is certainly making the most of the talents of their Michelin two-starred Chef Marcel Ravin.
Two-starred Chef Marcel Ravin is taking over the Elsa kitchen this season. Photo source: Monte-Carlo SBM
In addition to the new-look Blue Bay Marcel Ravin** at the nearby Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort, the highly awarded Caribbean chef has now taken over the kitchen at Elsa, with the iconic beachside institution serving as a new outlet for his wildly imaginative and incredibly artistic mind. It is a strategic decision by Monte-Carlo SBM to regain the Michelin star that it lost a few years back.
After being awarded the Prize for Ethical and Environmental Responsibility by La Liste in 2023, Elsa continues its commitment to using carefully sourced products chosen with respect for the environment and animal welfare. The kitchen favours fresh produce from sustainable fishing sources, certified by the Mr. Goodfish label, and fresh farm ingredients from Domaine d’Agerbol, located in the sunny heights of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
Chef Marcel Ravin’s ‘sea spider’. Photo by Monaco Life
Here at Elsa, Chef Marcel Ravin creates a delicate harmony of sea and land, a “marine garden”, as he describes it. Among the dishes are the ‘sea spider’ with white asparagus and Menton yuzu, kiwi fruit and fennel; marinière fish with flying fish roe and green asparagus; confit lobster with oil made from its barbecued shell; free range chicken cooked in a sand and porcini mushroom crust; and melt-in-your-mouth wagyu steak cooked on hot stone pebbles served with samphire.
Elsa boasts a gastronomic experience that is as ethical as it is delectable, featuring light and fresh dishes that harmonise perfectly with its surroundings.
René Blino at the helm of Monte-Carlo Beach
In January 2024, René Blino took up the role of general manager of Monte-Carlo Beach when Danièle Garcelon retired after more than two decades on the job.
René Blino has taken over as general manager of the Monte-Carlo Beach. Photo by Monaco Life
Blino has an extensive background in the luxury hotel sector, including the Shanghai-La in South Asia, the Hôtel Madame Rêve in Paris, the Hôtel Barrière les Neiges in Courchevel and the Hôtel Barrière Le Gray d’Albion in Cannes.
This compilation of past experiences, Blino tells Monaco Life, has prepared him well for managing the diverse offerings at Monte-Carlo Beach, which include the hotel, the private beach, Le Deck restaurant overlooking the swimming pool, Club La Vigie – which will soon open for romantic nights – the chic new Maona perched on the nearby coastline, and of course, the gastronomic restaurant Elsa.
René Blino affirms that he has no intention of rewriting the success story of this iconic institution, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in five short years.
“Monte-Carlo Beach is an iconic hotel, with guests who think of it as a second home,” says Blino. “I have spent these past couple of days listening to them, getting to know the DNA of this hotel, because my objective is not to change everything, it is to capitalise on the past and go the extra mile moving forward, and be ready for the 100 year anniversary in 2029.”
René Blino says his job is to find the right balance between the expectations of this loyal clientele and the trends of the luxury food and beverage industry.
Monte-Carlo Beach, photo by Monaco Life
“Normally, as a general manager, the idea is that your experiences will create your clientele, but here in Monaco, your clientele create the experiences. And the clients here are stunning,” says Blino. “We have 250 local families here in Monaco and they have quite an emotional connection to the hotel through the generations. I need to observe that, to feel that, so that every action I make will be relevant. You need to be smart sometimes and step back and understand the DNA of a place like Monte-Carlo Beach. I think at the end of the season, I will have a clearer plan of what we can do for the next few years.”
Season openings to follow
Following the opening of Elsa, as well as The Deck restaurant and the Beach Club, the funky new Maona Monte-Carlo, launched in 2023, will swing open its doors on 23rd May, just in time for Grand Prix weekend.
Then, Club La Vigie will follow on 30th May. But the 2024 version is evolving with a new restaurant and new daytime experiences. Pascal Garrigues, Executive Chef of Monte-Carlo Beach, will take over the restaurant’s kitchen to offer two summer versions of his Mediterranean cuisine: grilled meats and catch of the day for lunch, and a more sophisticated menu in the evening to accompany a live musical trio.
The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, in collaboration with the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, has announced a new category for the 2024 edition of the event that will champion innovative and sustainable solutions for the yachting sector.
The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is a yearly event that pits engineers, researchers, students and enthusiasts from all over the globe against their contemporaries in a “thrilling race to design, build and pilot the boats of the future”.
The recently unveiled Sustainable Yachting Technology Award is set to be one of the hottest categories at this year’s event, which will take place between 1st and 6th July, as it is offering a massive cash grant of €25,000 to the university or research team that comes up with the best design.
The goal of the new category, and its prize, is to entice universities and research institutions into sharing groundbreaking ideas that could help move the yachting industry onto a greener path.
From energy efficient projects to emissions-tackling concepts, the one rule that binds entries is that they must have the potential to make a “significant impact” in the yachting sector.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The award is open to all universities and research facilities regardless of location, though the project must have originated from the establishment and not an outside source.
Applications must be submitted prior to 30th May, and those who make it through the first round will be informed on 15th June. They will then be asked to come to Monaco to present their projects between 3rd and 5th July. The winner will be announced on the final day of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge.
On behalf of her namesake foundation, Princess Charlene spent a day in the pool teaching water safety to children from around the globe who have come to the Principality to participate in the Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament.
The Princess Charlene Foundation played host to a truly special event at Stade Louis II swimming pool on Thursday 18th April, with the Princess herself taking a leading role.
In all, the Foundation hosted 96 children who have travelled to Monaco to take part in the Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April.
The children were treated to a day in the water, where they participated in a variety of aquatic-based activities, ranging from drowning prevention to first aid and games, such as water polo and diving.
Princess Charlene was in her element as she conducted courses with the U12 players, many of whom have never experienced this kind of instruction.
Alongside members of the Monaco Red Cross and the team from the Monegasque Academy of the Sea, Princess Charlene helped teach the international group the basics of water safety and drowning prevention. Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais Princier de Monaco
Among the nationalities present were children from South Africa, Ivory Coast, Greece, Mauritius, India, Ecuador, the United States and Georgia, as well as locals from the Principality.
U12 rugby players from South Africa, Ivory Coast, Greece, Mauritius, India, Ecuador, the United States and Georgia joined local schoolchildren for the Water Safety Day at the Stade Louis II pool. Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais Princier de Monaco
The day was supervised by Pierre Frolla and his team from the Monegasque Academy of the Sea, with the support of the Monegasque Red Cross.
For more on the Princess Charlene Foundation and its work, as well as on the Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament, click here.
Click on the images below to see more from the event:
During his appearance at the Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona earlier this month, Prince Albert II unveiled the exciting plans for Monaco Explorations’ latest project and mission: a voyage across the Mediterranean that will begin in Greece.
After the success of its Indian Ocean Mission in 2022, Monaco Explorations has pivoted its focus to a place much closer to home: the Mediterranean Sea.
Announced on 9th April at a special event preceding the Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, the next major project will see the Monaco Explorations team tour an array of destinations within the Mediterranean zone in a bid to better understand the challenges faced by the sea.
Though no official start date for the mission, which will begin in Greece, has been confirmed, Prince Albert’s aspirations for the project are clear.
“By virtue of its geographical features and geopolitical situation, the threats it faces and the activities it generates, the Mediterranean is in many ways a laboratory for the challenges that lie ahead for all seas,” he says, “The movement to protect the sea is gaining ground every year. The time has come to accelerate the movement before it’s too late. The first challenge is to strengthen existing marine protected areas, both politically and legally. The second challenge is the expansion of these marine protected areas, which should cover a third of our seas to ensure effective protection.”
Prince Albert II of Monaco unveiled the Mediterranean Missions plans during his time in Barcelona for the Ocean Decade Conference in early April. Photo credit: J. C. Vinaj
In short, this mission reflects his ambitious goals of achieving 30×30; the Monaco sovereign is seeking to attain protected status for 30% of the Mediterranean Sea by the end of this decade.
“The Mediterranean is a hotspot for biodiversity,” says Xavier Prache, the director of Monaco Explorations, “[but] it is also one of the world’s most polluted seas and is at the crossroads of multiple civilisations and economies.”
He continues, “Monaco Explorations’ new Mediterranean Missions expedition will take place over several years around the Mediterranean, under the impetus of Prince Albert, who has long been committed to preserving the Mediterranean along with all the Principality’s stakeholders. In collaboration with all partners involved in the conservation and sustainable management of the Mediterranean environment, Monaco Explorations aims to shine a spotlight on the urgency and importance of accelerated development and effective management of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean. Supporting initiatives, federating players, pooling resources, explaining, acting in the field, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge, convincing through government action, mediation and science… We’re going to do our utmost to help create the right conditions for the success of this collective undertaking.”
The Monaco Explorations Society was founded by Prince Albert and unites local specialists and scientists from the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, the Oceanographic Institute – Albert I, Prince of Monaco Foundation, the Centre Scientifique de Monaco and the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Further information about Monaco Explorations and its projects can be found here.
Ahead of a busy month for motorsports in the Principality, the Monaco Government has announced a series of preferential rates for drivers who use the new Salines carpark. Free shuttle services will also be on offer.
First will come the Monaco E-Prix on 27th April, then the Historic Grand Prix of Monaco between 10th and 12th May and finally F1’s legendary Monaco Grand Prix from 23rd to 26th May.
With three big back-to-back events set to draw thousands of spectators to the Principality, the Monaco Government will be putting the recently opened Parking des Salines in the Jardin Exotique neighbourhood to good use, and has announced a number of special rates for the three weekends.
The vast parking lot, which offers close to 1,800 parking spaces, is ideally situated for drivers heading into the Principality via the Moyenne Corniche.
Thanks to the pedestrianised Galeries des Salines, fans will be able to reach the circuit in less than 15 minutes on foot, but there will also be a free shuttle service, provided passengers can show a valid parking ticket, for those who want to save their energy for the races.
The shuttles will be departing the carpark every 10 minutes between 8am and 8pm on the race days, stopping first on the Avenue Albert II before heading to Place d’Armes and the bus stop closest to the famous circuit. Return journeys will also be possible.
“Parking at Salines will allow people to avoid the intense traffic that comes with these kinds of events,” say government sources, “while also benefiting from reduced carparking fees.”
It can cost €24 to park in the majority of Monaco’s public carparks for four to 12 hours during these events, but drivers can expect to pay less than half that – €11 – if they choose Salines.
On Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May, the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix, drivers will have to dig a little deeper, but Salines remains the cheapest option. On these two days, drivers who drop their cars off before 3pm will have to pay €20 here instead of the €25 demanded by other facilities for three or more hours of parking.
For more information on the tariffs and shuttle services, click here.
