Introduction - Monaco Grand Prix
A title that needs no introduction. Yep, like many other insta hoes, ya girl also bamboozled her way into the Monaco Grand Prix. The only other international event to feature a rivaling concentration of sex workers would be the World Economic Forum, not that I have any problem with sex work... Even if I did, it would mostly be on the bid side…
The Monaco GP is one of those things that people book a year in advance. Given the limited lodging capacity within the Municipality, hotels have special event pricing. The most famous hotels in Monaco are the ones affiliated with Société des bains de mer de Monaco (SBM) - a company founded under a royal ordinance by Prince Charles III of Monaco back in the 1800s. It’s through that decree that Monaco became the global gambling destination that it is. Nowadays, the SBM enterprise include the casino, the opera house, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo Bay Resort, Monte-Carlo Beach Resort and a swaths of restaurants, bars and clubs.
Of all the SBM hotels, Hôtel de Paris is the crown jewel of the group. Understandably, it commands the highest premium for the biggest event of the year. You can get a quote via your travel advisor or by contacting the hotel directly. In either case, a minimum of 4 nights is required, so are deposits. Like most things in life, prices go up every year. For 2026, the base room in the package at Hôtel de Paris was a deluxe city or patio view room, starting at €38,000. That same room was €29,000 in 2025. Base room at Hôtel Hermitage was a exclusive sea view room, starting at €29,000, up from €22,000 in 2025. We ended up booking a sea view junior suite at Hôtel Hermitage, which offers the view of the track but quite a bit removed.
Prior to the race, we had to be in Zürich. We were in New York already, so it was a quick nonstop flight on Swiss from JFK. I redeemed 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles for this flight. It was still a good deal, even after factoring in how mediocre Swiss business class is. I wasn’t going to review this flight, since I had just reviewed Swiss business class on its B777-300ER late last year. Swiss recently revamped its soft product, so I figured I’d compare the two flights and see if Swiss improved (it didn’t).
We stayed at the Park Hyatt Zürich last year, so we tried La Réserve Eden au Lac on this trip. Zürich is not a budget destination to begin with, and it was the beginning of summer. Our rates were $1,200/night, which could be worse. Can we talk about how expensive the francs are these days??? The 40-key property was sold out during our stay. From there, we had a couple extra nights in Switzerland before the race. I randomly came across this beautiful Kempinski in a town called Engelberg. I enjoyed our stay at the Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras, so I knew I was going to like a Kempinski in the Swiss Alps.
After Engelberg, we drove back to Zürich and flew down to Nice, where we chartered a Blade to Monaco. I mean, if you’re going to the Grand Prix, you might as well do it right. Similar to taking a Blade to JFK from Manhattan, I think of it as a free helicopter tour of the city. Post the race, we hung around in Nice for a couple extra nights waiting for the crowd to dissipate. We were able to book the newly opened Hôtel du Couvent with Marriott points, which helped take the sting out of this trip a bit. To return to the US, I booked a one-way business class ticket on American Airlines for 77,000 AAdvantage miles. AAdvantage miles are increasingly more useful on its own flights, as its partners are stingier about awards than ever. I won’t be reviewing the AA flight, as it has been reviewed on numerous occasions on this blog. I had the chance to check out the newly opened Flagship Lounge in Philadelphia, though, so I will review that.
In the end, this was the itinerary for our Grand Prix journey:
Review - Lufthansa Business Lounge New York Kennedy (JFK)
Review - SWISS International Air Lines Business Class A330-300 New York Kennedy to Zürich
Review - SWISS Arrival Lounge Zürich (ZRH)
Review - La Réserve Eden au Lac Zürich
Review - Kempinski Palace Engelberg
Review - SWISS International Air Lines Business Lounge A – Zürich (ZRH)
Review - SWISS International Air Lines Business Class A320neo Zürich to Nice
Review - Blade H130 Nice to Monaco Heliport
Review - Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo Monaco
Review - Hôtel du Couvent, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nice
Review - The Canopy VIP Lounge Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE)
Review - American Airlines Flagship Lounge Philadelphia (PHL)
It’s been a busy summer with travel, so your patience on this trip series is highly appreciated🤪.