L'Abeille

Some of the finest hotels are not strictly hotels at all. L’Abeille uses the phrase “boutique apartments,” and it’s a remarkably apt description for a type of lodging that the world could use a few more of. For while the truly forgettable extended-stay hotel is mercifully a thing of the past, few apartment shares or residential-style hotels are anywhere near as stylish as these ultra-modern, ultra-colorful Pop-inspired spaces.

L’Abeille’s architectural style displays almost nothing in the way of typical south-of-France nostalgia; the building’s setting in Nice’s old port district takes care of that. Outside, it’s modern but finished in classic Mediterranean colors; inside it’s all clean lines, naked timber, raw concrete, and ultra-saturated primary hues, as well as some judiciously chosen contemporary art and an occasional honeycomb motif, a nod to L’Abeille’s namesake (“the bee”). Each unit comes with a well-equipped modern kitchen, a bathroom in Carrara marble, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system among its gadgetry.

You wouldn’t expect a restaurant from a boutique apartment-hotel, and you’d be mostly right — there is, however, a lovely little garden, which grows produce and herbs for the Michelin-starred restaurant Jan, located a few streets over to the east.