After being hard pressed to find a rooftop bar open during the day time in Cannes, it was a must for us in Monte Carlo. And thus we landed at the Horizon Rooftop at the Fairmont hotel for a very lovely and leisurely lunch during our day trip to Monte Carlo. The tables were so simple, yet unbelievably dreamy looking out over the water. The service was attentive and fun, not at all stuffy. Win, win.

Horizon offers an a la carte menu or a daily lunch buffet full of cold salads, ceviches, desserts and stations that grill fish and steaks. We opted for the later in an attempt to sample it all. Cold salads, fruit, and a bite of dessert hit the spot on such a hot day full of stairs and walking.

We also sampled the freshly grilled halibut with was accompanied by an apricot and cucumber salad- again, exactly what you want in this weather.

Dessert smatterings were good, but not great, little bits of this and that without too much hair blowing back. All fine and a nice nibble to go with the espressos included with the buffet.

Horizon was so fun and a nice change from a proper menu that I would certainly look to this rooftop when visiting Monte Carlo. The other great thing is that as it’s on the top floor of the hotel, you can walk out these doors (rather than take the elevator back down) and it puts you on the casino level, so no seven floors of stairs to return back up to the casino and park. Highly recommend!