After 10 long months of renovation works and upgrades along the Promenade de la Mer, Menton’s private beach restaurants and clubs have finally begun to welcome back their loyal customers.
With the summer season now in full swing, beachside restaurateurs in the French Riviera city of Menton are breathing a sigh of relief following the reopening of the beaches along this stretch of the coast.
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The Promenade de la Mer project began towards the end of last summer, but the beach clubs and restaurants were forced to end their season early, causing uproar among many of the owners and management companies who cited a loss of income and disruption to clients as their principal woes.
The ensuing legal claims put the city at odds with these businesses, who were asked to make final contributions to the project, but the €6.8 million renovations were nonetheless carried out.
Unfortunately, the projected finishing date of mid-June came and went, and it was only on 15th July that the new-look Promenade de la Mer was officially inaugurated, bringing much relief to the teams behind the bars and restaurants.
Decked out in wooden walkways, palm trees, plentiful planting and vastly improved access for disabled visitors, it has revived the city’s aesthetic and made the area infinitely more accessible to a greater range of beachgoers and tourists.
Fernando Usai, the manager of La Pergola, told France 3 he was “happy to have gotten [his] beach back”, but lamented the extended timeframe of the project, adding that he and his fellow restaurateurs had “seen the season wasting away before our eyes”.
So far, four of Menton’s private beaches have been able to welcome back the public, with more expected to follow over the coming days and weeks. The final two will only be able to reopen, likely under new names and management, next year.
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Photo source: Ville de Menton