Housed in a Belle Epoque-era private mansion built in 1890, Hotel Villa Rivoli is evocative of old Nice. An elegant ambience pervades the property, with colors of rich red and antiques and art thoughtfully chosen by the proprietor. Guests can retreat to a sitting area with artwork, a fireplace, mirror, parquet floors, a piano, and monographs on art, photography, and gardening. Unique for a Nice city center hotel, the Villa Rivoli has a garden. In good weather guests can take their breakfast here in a serene setting with trees and flowers. Rooms are individually decorated in classic French style, and many rooms have balconies with garden views. Service is exceedingly gracious. The intimate, romantic environment means the Villa Rivoli attracts a lot of couples. 

Hotel Villa Rivoli is set in a good location on the Rue de Rivoli in central Nice in what locals call "the musician's quarter" for its many streets named for famous composers. Many bars and restaurants are in the area, and the hotel is a block and a half north of the Musee Massena museum and its gardens. The Promenade des Anglais, beach, and Mediterranean Sea are a three-minute walk south of the hotel. Guests can walk 10 minutes southeast for gaming at Casino Ruhl and 15 minutes southeast for the charming Old Town and its Cours Saleya flower market, restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, ice cream stands, public squares, and Baroque churches like the Chapelle de la Miséricorde. The Galeries Lafayette shopping mall and Massena tram station are a 10-minute walk east and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral is a 15-minute walk northwest. The Gare Nice Ville train station is a 10-minute walk or four-minute drive north of the hotel. Located a seven-minute drive east of the hotel, Le Chateau of Nice offers up a superb view of the city and sea. Nice Cote d'Azur Airport is a 10-minute drive southwest of the hotel. 

The Villa Rivoli's 26 rooms are on four floors, connected by a staircase. The hotel does not have an elevator, so guests who can't climb stairs will need a ground floor room or get assistance with luggage. The elegant rooms have hardwood floors and are individually decorated in a French style with items like antiques, classical artwork, and toile bedspreads and wallpaper. Rich reds and maroons are the prevailing colors in the bedrooms, and some rooms have striking royal blue-and-white checked bathrooms. Rooms all come with air-conditioning, phones, coffee/tea makers, in-room safes (can fit valuables but not laptops), free Wi-Fi, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. Rooms do not have minibars. Most rooms have balconies, some with views of the hotel garden. Most bathrooms are shower only. Rooms located on the first floor are a bit dark, but those on higher floors get natural light. 

The highlight of the Villa Rivoli is its ample and free breakfast buffet (for a fee), featuring meats, cheeses, breads, pastries, fruit, hard and soft-boiled eggs, coffee, juice, and more. Guests can take their breakfast in the hotel's small garden, a pleasant setting with banana trees, shrubs, and flowers. Guests can also gather in the gracious sitting room and mingle, play the piano, plan their Nice excursions, or read one of the fine selection of art and garden books. The hotel serves glasses of Champagne (for a fee) at night. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property. The friendly proprietor and her multilingual staff are available 24 hours, and can offer excellent Nice tourist recommendations. Guests also enjoy access (for a fee) to a nearby private beach on the Mediterranean.