Columbus Monte-Carlo, Curio Collection

In the popular imagination, Monaco is a monument to excess, and, to be quite fair, there’s a lot of truth in that. But there are also exceptions, of course; anyone expecting a little Dubai-by-the-Med is going to be bowled over — or whatever the opposite of “bowled over” is, when it’s subtlety rather than force that’s doing the bowling — by the quietly stylish, discreetly luxe Columbus Monte-Carlo.

For while it doesn’t scale quite the same luxurious heights as the principality’s big-name five-stars, what the Columbus does, it does quite well. The look is clean and contemporary, in restrained neutral tones, with nary a gilded tap to be found, a style and an atmosphere that could be called residential without a hint of exaggeration. The Classic rooms are certainly nothing to turn one’s nose up at, but it’s in the Deluxes and the suites that the Columbus begins to spread out; the junior suites are proper suites, with a sitting room and everything, and the suite suites are downright expansive, with balconies overlooking the gardens or the Mediterranean.

The service, while perhaps less visible than the five-star norm, is certainly no less professional. And the location is just slightly out of the way — enough for a touch of peace and quiet, but with the Place du Casino and the famous shopping district still close at hand.