Let them eat cake

We have visited Menton on many occasions and have nearly always stayed at the Hotel Paris-Rome. It is about one kilometre from the heart of town near the Italian border and we thought that this time with the winter weather we would stay nearer the centre of town.

The internet is a wonderful thing and as it matures, the information you can get on hotels from sites like Tripadvisor and ViaMichelin means that you can get reviews from fellow travellers that are up to date. We chose the Hotel Méditerranée, good reviews and within our price range.

Their website had various offers. The old folks deal which included free breakfast, the romantic break with breakfast and a welcoming glass of champagne and the epiphany special with breakfast and epiphany cake and champagne. We chose that one.

Yesterday morning after a very good breakfast we asked when we got our cake and champagne. The receptionist looked surprised and said she would find out. When we got back from Ventimiglia in the afternoon we were given a card saying we could have our cake anytime between 5pm and 11pm at the rooftop bar on the 7th floor.

So after supper, where the cheapest wine available was 26 euros compared with our final meal at Pane e Vino Peschici where the entire meal, including one litre of wine, cost 25 euros, we went to the 7th floor for our glass of fizz.

At 10:30 we were the only customers and the bar manager said that our cake was waiting. We said that we were full and just the fizz please.
"It's not champagne it's cider, you can have a wine or a beer instead - but the cake is just for you, I'll wrap it up if you don't want to eat it now"

So a glass of wine on the terrace with a fabulous view.

And then to our room to unwrap our cakes. Not a little piece of Epiphany cake each but two whole cakes including crowns.

We'll save it for the journey back. Thank you Hotel Méditerranée