Don't quite know where BA get off taking up to £150 from people to fly them to Nice - then offering imbibers all the free alcohol as they want but can't run to as much as a sandwich for teetotallers on a two-hour flight! Hell, most of the aircraft that fly the route are as old as the hills, grossly uncomfortable for anyone over 5 feet tall, [due to a lack of leg space] on one of the most turbulence effected flight paths in Europe. It's a rip, whichever way you cut it.
However, the really professional ripping doesn't occur until you enter Monaco. £10 for a half litre of pilsner or £17-20 for a simple cheese and tomato pizza! Breakfast at our luxurious hotel was £35 for a tepid, buffet-style Monegasque fry up, fruit, salamis or a variety of croissant. The coffee was like diesel and if that's not enough, they nick your DVDs, small change and sweaters while you're away from you're away from your €500+ luxury, sea view room. Of course, 'chambre and petit dejuner' came with deal for us and we were suitably impressed with that. Unfortunately, the petty pilfering jaundiced the whole experience for me - specifically the attitude of that particular hotel's management. Further episodes of that unwelcome scenario will appear soon.
The venue? Fantastic! The Ducks probably played the best gigs of their career, the sound was excellent and the crew were superb. The management were highly professional and you could have eaten your dinner off the dressing room toilet floor - if you were so tempted, that is - it was solid marble. There was even a fresh towel and bottles of water laid out at one's monitor wedge for each and every performance - an outstanding performance from the staff, all round.
From a ramshackle reunion at the 100 Club in 2007, the Ducks have played their way through France, Spain, Sweden and Monaco. We will continue our travels in 2010. heading out Scandinavia again to rock the good folks of Norway and Denmark as well as Sweden in March with planned excursions to Greece, Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe waiting to be finalised. We shall also return to Monaco - I think we may try the train this time!