Castel Plage — Restaurant in Nice

We were here on two occasions. The first time for dinner and the second time as a beach guest and for lunch.

When we were there for dinner, it took a long time to get the menu and later a long time for them to come and take our order, although there were not many visitors in the restaurant. I ordered the truffle pasta and my companion ordered the meat. My pasta was very good, one of the best I've eaten actually. My party's meat was also good, but it was very tough and not medium rare as my party had ordered. The restaurant and the beach are very nice and clean. However, our table wobbled a lot, which led to us spilling drinks a few times (we told the staff, he only laughed and said "I know" and left), and the toilets smelled awful. We were also shocked that they charged 9 euros for a bottle of water.

A few days later we came there as beach guests, only because we didn't get a seat in any other beach club and we wanted to give it another chance. The water and the beach were very nice and clean. We loved that there was a carpet down to the water, to make it easier to walk. However, it took a long time until someone gave us our sunbeds that we had booked days ahead of time. We ordered mojito and pina colada. The mojito was very good, but the pina colada was watery and barely tasted of anything. When it was time for lunch, we tried to get help getting a table, but all the staff just ran past us. Finally we got a table, but no menu. I mentioned to the staff that I found the service to be stressful and absent and that I wanted help, but one of the staff told me "we have a lot of guests, that's why". We waited for 30 minutes at the table without getting a menu. After 30 minutes we gave up and decided to eat after the beach stay.

I don't think it was worth spending 30+5 euros per person for a sunbed and renting a towel. At least not based on the fact that the service was totally absent, the toilets smell bad, we didn't get any food, the water costs 9 euros. It would feel more worth it if you were allowed to bring food and water into the beach club, then it would have felt more worthwhile based on the nice beach (and you would not have to rely on the staff to bring you food and also be broke because of 9 euro water), but the club has a rule that you are not allowed to bring water and food with you. In addition, you are not allowed to leave the club and come back, so we also could not eat anywhere else and then be allowed back in.

The reason I give Castel a two instead of a one is because the pasta was very good and the beach was wonderful. I hope Castel improves their staff quality, lower their price on water, fix their toilets and tables. Its a shame since the location and the beach...

My partner and I visited Castel Beach on July 8th and 9th, 2024. At first glance, the beach appears gorgeous, providing a sense of isolation from the bustling, touristy Nice. However, the staff are quite adept at deceiving guests.

July 8th was our first day in Nice, and we chose Castel Beach due to its high ratings on multiple websites. Upon arrival, the hostess attempted to shortchange us by €20 when we paid the entrance fee with a €100 banknote. We noticed the discrepancy but assumed it was an honest mistake. After some time in the sun, we felt thirsty and requested tap water, which they offer free of charge. Instead, we were given €9 Evian water without any notice, and this was later added to our total bill, which came to €160: €60 for the entrance fee and €100 for food.

Despite these issues, we decided to return the next day, July 9th. We did not make a reservation. According to their website, “specific locations cannot be reserved”, and there is no mention of preference for booking over non-booking guests.

We arrived at 9:30 a.m. when the beach was nearly empty (only 10 out of 350 sunbeds were occupied). We were offered seats in the 5th row and told that everything else was "occupied," even though only 20 other people were on the beach. When we requested seats in the second row, the manager rudely refused, almost threw our money back at us, and asked us to leave. He gave us exactly 10 seconds of his "precious" attention before walking away. We had planned to spend seven days in Nice and around €1,120 at Castel Beach.

In conclusion, I do not recommend Castel Beach due to its poor customer service. The staff do not treat customers with respect, and they attempt to overcharge and deceive guests. This beach is not worth the money...

Thinking about what beach club in Nice to choose, I would recommend Castel out of all. Very welcoming - lots of space - good food.

On google it says its price class $$$, but I would say it’s very similar to the others (if we’re thinking a meal, drinks and sunbed) but at a much higher quality. Great costumer service and knowledge. Clean facilities and great food/ drinks, portions on the smaller side (I had the Asian tuna).

During our stay here I got stung by a jellyfish but got help by the lifeguard with a cream.

———— During our stay in Nice we went to lots of different beach clubs but since it was high season - it was hard to find a place (understandable). We had an unpleasant experience both at Boca Mar and Plage Beau Rivage unfortunately.

Plage Beau Rivage was nice the first day we were there - loud music but it was possible to have a place at the other end. They forgot our drinks at one point but apologised and returned. Second time we were told that it was full when it clearly wasn’t, despite if we were there the day before no help or trying. Lots of staff but very disorganised. Good food although I must say and big portions. Bathrooms were very dirty and lots of things missing/ broken.

Bocca mar had great reviews but I don’t really know why - it’s very popular so you have to be very early. Aesthetically pretty but the staff at the entrance are not welcoming at all - we were there twice and being told even if people who booked didn’t show up we would not be able to have a place (we wanted to leave our phone number). The second time we were there they insulted the lady in-front of us thinking she didn’t spreak French - but she did. Then trying to apologise.

Hope this helps to enjoy...