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"˜vroom with a view' - Monaco Grand Prix 2009Why Monaco? "˜A sunny place for shady people' in the words of Somerset
Maugham. An anachronism. Impossible to overtake. Always a boring race.
The pits and paddock are cramped. So why is Monaco such a favorite with
Grand Prix fans, teams, sponsors and drivers? The answer is "˜glamour'.
And the street circuit, first raced in 1929, provides that intangible
element that no modern purpose-built circuit can ever match.The
Monaco GP usually coincides with the Cannes Film Festival in late May,
providing a glamorous double bill on the Côte d'Azur but creating
problems for those wishing to book hotels and flights. A piece of
useless knowledge for fans of "˜Trivial Pursuit' - Q: "Which F1 Grand
Prix has its date fixed by the Pope rather than Bernie Ecclestone?" A:
"Monaco" (it normally takes place on the Sunday after Ascension Day).To
get your "˜best seat in the house', you started work last autumn. You
chartered your yacht (easy) and arranged your berth on the trackside
(difficult). Luckily you have good "˜Formula 1' connections and a
well-known driver or team owner has agreed to sponsor your berth
application. So all is well, and life is good. You are sitting on your
yacht for the weekend, surrounded by beautiful people and with no need
to step ashore. The crew is catering to your every whim. The world is
beating a path to your passerelle (gangplank). And the spectacle of the
Monaco Grand Prix is unfolding a few yards away on the quayside, whilst
300 million people worldwide are watching you live on television.But
maybe you are not so lucky. What are the alternatives? If your budget
does not stretch to chartering a yacht for your exclusive use
(€5,000-50,000 per day plus food, drink & berth), you can always
enjoy the experience as a day guest on a yacht offering shared
hospitality at a trackside berth on Saturday & Sunday (€2500-3000
per person). The view of the actual racing from a yacht is limited even
at the trackside, so you will have to rely on the giant screen above
the port and TV monitors on board for race information. But the sights,
sounds and excitement of being on a yacht in the harbour during the
Monaco Grand Prix more than compensate!There are a number of
possibilities for shared hospitality and race viewing from well-placed
balconies and terraces (€1500-2500 per person for Sat/Sun). The
apartment blocks above the start/finish straight and after the
St.Devote corner offer an excellent bird's-eye view of all the race
action in the port area, from the tunnel exit onwards to the Casino
Square.A number of trackside restaurants offer hospitality and
race viewing, including the famous Café de Paris (in the Casino
Square) and the Grand Prix Café (the old Rascasse). Expect to pay a
premium price, and remember that you will be watching most of the
action on a TV monitor.The grandstands are to be avoided if at
all possible. They are expensive (more than €600 for a good Saturday
& Sunday seat), noisy, lacking shelter from sun or rain and it is
difficult to establish exactly what is going on in the race, even with
a distant view of the giant screen. Food & drink outlets and WCs
may be a long way distant. It can make for a very long day!If
you are not sleeping on a luxury yacht in the harbour, a leading Monaco
hotel is the best alternative but expensive (€8,000 or more per room
for a minimum 4-5 night stay, up to €55,000 for a suite). The
renowned Hotel de Paris in the Casino square and its belle-époque
sister hotel, the Hermitage, are the places to stay if you can but they
are normally booked from year to year by regular visitors. Both offer
race viewing from the hotel. Modern de-luxe alternatives positioned on
the circuit are the Fairmont (the old Loewes), the new Port Palace and
the Metropole.Hotels outside Monaco or Cap d'Ail port are
naturally much cheaper and the minimum stay requirement is usually
reduced to 3-4 nights. It is possible to find reasonable hotel rooms in
Nice (€250-500 per night). If you choose to stay further west, your
daily travel to Monaco becomes lengthy and you encounter pressure on
hotel rooms from the Cannes Film Festival. The Italian border is only a
short distance away by train to the east and San Remo offers excellent
hotels, with Ventimiglia providing a budget alternative.Visitors
staying outside Monaco will probably find it easiest to travel to the
Principality each day by the frequent & cheap coastal train
service. Helicopter transfers from Nice airport are available (€600
return on Sunday). The Monaco heliport is in Fontvieille, the land
reclamation area shared with Cap d'Ail (France), which is convenient
for guests taking a speedboat transfer to a yacht in Monaco harbour but
otherwise involves a 30 minute walk to the circuit. Taxi and limousine
transfers are possible, but the roads are inevitably very congested.
You can charter a small boat for the transfer, but you are subject to
the vagaries of wind and sea. On GP Sunday there is no quick and easy
way to travel to Monaco.During the Grand Prix weekend, the
action in Monaco continues long into the night. The Amber Lounge in the
Grimaldi Forum opened at the 2003 Grand Prix, and instantly became the
party venue of choice for F1 drivers, teams, models and celebrities.
Enjoy chill-out music in the relaxed bar area and lie back on a vast
sofa overlooking the sea as your personal waiter arrives with your
favourite cocktail (€5,200-9,000 for a table of eight with all drinks
included).The famous discothèque Le Jimmy'z further along the
sea front has always been a popular night-time rendezvous for the
international set. Dance under the stars until dawn, but a reservation
will avoid queues at the door.A visit to the world famous Monte
Carlo Casino, opened in 1878, is a must and offers a great atmosphere
in the Salle Privée at night during the weekend (passport required and
jacket & tie for men). There are many popular Monaco restaurants
within easy walking distance of the Casino Square, but they will be
busy and early reservation is advisable.For those on a tighter
budget, the American-style sports bar Stars 'n Bars in the port beside
the GP Paddock is always packed and lively at night throughout the
weekend. It is the "˜local' for F1 teams.Le Texan in Rue
Suffren Reymond, just behind the start & finish straight, is good
value and popular with those wanting a relaxed evening with a TexMex
meal rather than haute cuisine. Look at the glamorous photos on the
walls to see who goes there to relax when off-duty.A simple
evening stroll around the historic street circuit after practice or
racing can be enjoyable, taking in the sights, the famous bends, the
acrid smell of burnt rubber and the tyre marks on the street curbs, as
well as having the rare chance to see the pits and paddock close up.Even
visitors who are not "˜Formula 1' fans will find the Monaco Grand Prix
a memorable experience. A trip to motor racing's most glamorous event
is something to be done once in every lifetime.John Button is Chairman of Dolmen Yachts
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