If you are like me and enjoy being pampered while discovering something new, follow me to the Givenchy Spa, created in collaboration with the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo!
A true oasis of elegance and tranquillity, Givenchy Spa was designed by the award-winning French architect Didier Gomez. It’s minimalist chic and refined interior harmoniously combines shades of black, gold and marble. The 10 treatment rooms, including a single and a double suite, take on a couture-influenced interior featuring lace-inspired embossed walls.
The facilities include chroma-therapy bathtubs, integrated hammam showers, sauna, caldarium, ice fountain, sensory showers, nail studio, relaxation room and fitness room appointed with Technogym equipment.
For my treatment I chose the Harmony 360 full body massage, which was blissfully relaxing. But if I knew then what I know now I would have tried one of their exclusive pedicures, designed by ‘feet maestro’ Bastien Gonzalez. The high price tag, ranging from 120€ to 250€, is justified when you consider that Gonzalez is a trained podiatrist and pedicurist to celebrities, royals and the social elite around the world. Apparently Naomi Campbell, Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow are all fans. Keep in mind however that there is no nail polish as the treatment is centred around ‘curing’ feet and hands. In other words, it’s perfect for these colder months of the year.
Another tip from me would be don’t arrive on time. Allow an extra hour to start your spa-treatment experience on the right note. Your therapist will take you on a fragrance journey where you select one scent from L’Atelier de Givenchy, a series of unisex fragrances from the Haute Parfumerie Collection.
Subtle but delicious accents of jasmine, patchouli and angelica swayed my selection towards Chypre Caresse, a fragrance interpretation of a timeless haute couture dress featuring diaphanous pleats, fine embroidery and evanescent feathers.
Spritzed onto a linen pocket-square, your favourite scent will follow you into the treatment room, lingering on throughout your spa stay and adding something almost hypnotic to the experience. For an extra touch of luxury there is the option to personalise background music by creating your own playlist and, finally, ending your treatment with a supercharging cryotherapy session.
If you want something exclusive to Monaco, go for the two-hour Le Soin Noir Renaissance Intégrale ritual, which incorporates rare black algae extract, an ingredient known to benefit cellular longevity and deliver incredible anti-aging effects.
Beyond its famous fragrances and skincare, Givenchy carries a couture-inspired makeup line conveniently displayed at the Beauty Boutique. I found this to be a thoughtful detail as I touched up my make-up on the way out, and of course I couldn’t resist buying one of Le Rouge lipsticks, created by Nicolas Degennes for the 2019 spring collection.
Guests can also have their make-up done professionally or even book a make-up lesson if they want to pick up some pro tips.
As head chef of Coya, Victoria Vallenilla has made history in Monaco. But it is not just her gender that is breaking new ground, it is her revolutionary approach to running a kitchen team.
Restaurateurs and retailers in Monaco can use the lure of free taxi vouchers to draw in customers under a government-funded scheme that is also designed to support taxi drivers.
Productions on the storming of the US Capitol, Turkey’s gender-based violence, and the 1980s AIDS epidemic are among the contenders for this year's Monte-Carlo TV Festival Awards.
Charles Leclerc took 4th place at the Spanish GP, earning him 12 points and keeping him near the top of the heap ahead of his homecoming race in Monaco on 23rd May.
Mayor Georges Marsan has unveiled plans for the refurbishment of the beautiful Villa Lamartine, which will eventually be used as a multi-purpose entertainment and cultural venue.
Team Malizia is commissioning a new 60-foot boat built to better handle waves and maintain faster average speeds, whilst being highly sustainable, reliable and sturdy.
For the first time in 11 years, AS Monaco has made it to the Coupe de France finals after a win over Rumilly Vallières. They will now head to Stade de France to take on the mighty PSG.
The International University of Monaco will be hosting the first edition of the Sustainable Luxury Conference on Monday 17th May, a digital event that all are invited to join in.
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Initiated by the United Nations in 1972 in Stockholm, World Environment Day on June 5 will focus this year on the theme: #beatplasticpollution.
At least 1,800 billion pieces of plastic waste pollutes the oceans. Over the years, they have agglomerated into a huge mass, equivalent to three times the area of France, which continues to expand in the Pacific.
For the last ten years, the Principality has been committed to reducing the negative impacts of plastic on the environment: by enhancing selective sorting, enabling the plastic once collected in yellow bins to benefit from a second life, and by banning, since June 2016, single-use plastic bags.
The ban was extended on January 1, 2017, to all plastic bags for the packaging of bulk products on the shelves of food stores or on market stands. Only compostable bags consisting of at least 30 percent bio-sourced materials are allowed. (From January 1, 2020, disposable plastic kitchen utensils will also be banned.)
From 2017, eco-responsible solutions such as the use of tap water and water fountains have been encouraged within the State administration.
“As part of Monacology, which will take place from June 11 to 15, and to educate the youngest on the issue of plastic pollution, the Environment Directorate will offer children a bottle that they can customise and put in their backpack,” says Valérie Davenet, Monaco’s Director of the Environment.
“This World Environment Day’s Beat Plastic Pollution is a good opportunity for everyone to reduce their use by no longer buying or using plastic straws, a source of pollution, and focus on biodegradable materials such as paper, bamboo or corn starch,” said Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Planning.
