It seems I am spending longer trying to find a place to spend one night on the Cote d'Azur than I just spent picking out a rental for two weeks in England!
Here's our situation. Our daughter (15) and a friend will be joining us in Provence at the end of May and we'll then take a couple of days to travel along the coast, up to Lake Orta, then through Switzerland to Salzburg. This is the friend's first trip to Europe.
I'm looking for a place to spend one night on Saturday, May 30, somewhere on the Cote d'Azur. We've enjoyed Bandol a couple of times and also stayed in Vence twice, but never really on the Cote d'Azur. I'd love to get just a taste and come back again for a longer stay sometime.
For the girls, I'd like to be very close to the sea, where they could spend an hour on the beach, walk along the shore, at least say they sunbathed at the Mediterranean. I'd like to be able to easily walk to the center of a village and have a nice dinner. I don't mind if a hotel is simple (in fact I don't want to pay more than 125 euro for a room), but I'd like for Charley and I to have a balcony and a view of the sea. And we'd need to be able to park nearby without too much of a hassle.
I was thinking of Villefranche-sur-Mer or maybe Menton but would be open to another location. We'd only be there mid afternoon until mid morning the next day, so I don't want to make this too complicated.
Both Antibes and Menton have good beaches. -- Dunno if end of May would be warm enough. The old town of Antibes would be a good, user-friendly base. It has a great market, great ramparts, wonderful white-sand beach frequented by locals. Ditto the old town of Menton. Last winter my friends stayed at the beachfront Hotel Napoleon. The interior is very nice. You can book a suite for your family. I saw the interior of the Jean Cocteau suite; it was very nice and hip. Cap d'Antibes would be a good place too. The Cap is beautiful, and all those posh villas are so glamorous. A few years ago a friend recommended Hôtel La Jabotte, 13 avenue Max Maurey, Cap d’Antibes (+334 9361 4589, www.jabotte.com)
Kathy, You might want to think about the Hotel Welcome in Villefranche; although we did not stay there during our five day visit(we opted for "higher" digs and used the daily bus/taxi to get down the hill), we did strike up a conversation with an English couple whom we ran into several times. They were quite happy at the hotel and as daily swimmers were also quite happy with the Villefranche-sur-Mer beach. The hotel is located right in the middle of many restaurants, has rooms overlooking the sea, and is a short walk to other restaurants and shops. We enjoyed Cosmos several times for a simple dinner and wine. Good luck with your hunt. Marilyn
Posts: 37 | Location: Illinois | Registered: 05 July 2007
Hotel Welcome is a great place in Villefranche. There is parking lot across from it or up at the fort. Another place that is good to stay at is Hotel de La Darse. It is along the water at the Harbor which is a little bit of a walk to the old town. The Danse is a great value and is usually booked but do give it a try. You probably would have to park at the fort.
The other options are the Hotel Provencal which is part of Logis and is okay. A student stayed at The Welcome and the Provencal and like the Welcome better but it might be a more economical option. I had dinner at Hotel Le Versailles. It was okay (overpriced food but it was a school party). I think it might have parking. It is on a busy street but great views. There is about a 5 minute walk down hill to the Wharf and old town.
La Fiancee du Pirate is up on the Middle Corniche. It gets high marks on Trip Advisor but it didn't look as good as people say. It might be better down inside the rooms. It would have a great view but not near the water.
I think there is a small beach near the Darse. Otherwise the main beach at Villefranche is farther down (~1/4 mile toward Beaulieu). It is somewhat sandy and is a good place to swim. They do occasionally have it closed due to pollution. If so, you can go farther towards Beaulieu which is usually open.
Here's a picture of Welcome Hotel:
Wharf and Old town next to the Hotel Welcome - Taken from the pier across from Hotel Welcome.
For Menton, Hotel Napoleon is very good. It is near Italian border and the marina and beaches are across from it. There is a large parking area near by. Let me look and see if I know of any other places. There is one place up near the train station which would not have any atmosphere. There are more hotels down past the Casino. We didn't go down there very often so I'm not as familiar with that area as I am with the area towards to old town and Italian border.
We loved La Fiancee du Pirate -- wonderfully friendly and helpful owners, great price. Right around the corner is the local bus that heads down to the harbor and runs about every 30 minutes; unfortunately, the last run is at 6:30 pm so it's a taxi back up the hill after dinner. Rooms are small but exceptionally clean but there is a nice pool, outside terrace and balcony that overlooks the harbor. Here's a picture of the breakfast room and one of the Villefrance harbor at sunset. Can't wait to go back. Marilyn
Posts: 37 | Location: Illinois | Registered: 05 July 2007
MW Thanks for the info on La Fiancee du Pirate. I admit I judged it totally by the looks of the exterior.
My apartment was just down the hill from where you caught the bus. I used to shop at the small grocery store near the bus stop. The bakery is wonderful but I never tried the restaurants near by. Kaydee - it is about a 20 minute walk down to the waterfront. Sandy's apartment wasn't too far away. Her report will tell a bit more about what it is like to be in this area of VSM.
MW, Do you know if there is any parking near by? I'm wondering because Kaydee will have a car.
Everyone, thanks for the suggestions and also the photos.
I have to say that I'm totally up in the air on this! I haven't used TripAdvisor very much, and my head is spinning after reading so many reviews. There are also many different sites presenting the same hotels.
If we were staying a few days and using this as a base also to explore more of the Cote d'Azur, I would choose La Fiancee du Pirate. But for a one night stay, I'm not sure the location would make sense. I sort of envision being near the center of the village, able to send the girls just across the street to the beach and an easy walk to dinner.
The Hotel Welcome would be 160 euro per room (and we need two), which is out of our range for this trip. And the Napoleon looks great, but also what is available is more expensive too.
I sent inquiries to the Darse and the Hotel Provencal. The Darse is especially economical-- it looks like I could get two garden view rooms for 140 euro total. Or I wondered about the Hotel Princess et Richmond in Menton. It seems to be right across the street from the sea. The rooms are more expensive, but I could get one room right on the sea for 135 euro and the second room for 117 euro. We are going to be traveling for much of the summer, so I need to be careful on the $, especially since we have half the cost of a second room for our daughter.
The hotel is listed in Frommers. You can find a bit on it at NYTimes Frommer's listings. I think I remember the Aiglon which it says is next to it.
We walked to this area one day to visit one of the citrus garden at Palais Carnoles. This area has most of the condos and hotels. The pedestrian shopping area is a little bit away as is the old town. (~ 1 mile). I think for one night it will be fine. The biggest item will be road noise. A road runs right along the sea similar to in Nice but it is only a 2 lane road versus the wider 4 lanes in Nice. It still can be busy.
The bathing area isn't too far away. The closest one is a bit more rocky than the one near the old town.
Here are some pictures:
Beach towards area of Princess et Richmond
Buildings along Promenade du Soleil
Promenade du Soleil closer to old town
Beach closer towards Quai de Monleon & Promenade du Soleil.
Posts: 9585 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 25 October 2001
Antibes could be a nice choice. And Juan les Pins too, and all the area around. The beach is with sand (while it's not from antibes/villeneuve-loubet up to Nice) and the prices are not so hight (well, it’s depend where !). I don’t know really the hotels, because I don't realy need some there, but I can try to find a cheap one (but correct) for you.
Marta. There was ample parking along the street, and since we were there over the weekend, the hotel owners directed us to park in the (slightly) off street parking spots in front of the shop next door to the hotel. We never had a problem finding a spot -- tho we used public transportation most of the time. Marilyn
Posts: 37 | Location: Illinois | Registered: 05 July 2007
Since you don't have much time there, I would recommend Nice or Antibes.
Here's why:
We took the bus to Menton on a Friday afternoon after finishing lunch on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper and the bus stopped constantly. We had very little time in Menton when we got there. Menton was packed with people (first weekend in May). We took the train back to Nice.
I don't know if a Saturday is like that or not.
We spent two nights in Nice at the Hotel Suisse overlooking the Promenade. It may be out of your price range, but it was a great hotel (tiny rooms). Afterwards, we went to our apartment in Mougins and had a rental car. We didn't use a car in Nice... picked one up at the train station before heading out into the countryside.
The girls will be intrigued with the view from the Promenade:
The "action" in a night view from our room at the Hotel Suisse was fun for two nights... then, off to the quiet country. Closing the windows DID block the noise. No problem.
The market in Nice:
A quiet street in Nice as the shopkeepers set up for the day:
I had also thought of Nice old town, but the rocky beach never cut it for me. That is why I suggested Antibes or Menton. True, Menton traffic has become a bother, because everyone wants to go there - pour cause ! All the more reason to stay there, instead of commuting there. The teenagers can go hang out at the beach while the post-teenagers can visit one or two legendary gardens.
We spend a fair bit of time in this area and tend to look for cheap accommodation. We often stay at the Residence Resideal in Antibes, a building of studio style apartments next to the local pool complex (so lots of teams and families stay there). It is a 5 min. walk to the train station and also from the 200 bus from the airport! We have spent as little as 200 euros for 10 nights. It is more now but still very reasonable. Has a kitchenette to boot. Some units have bunkbeds in the entrance hall (!) which would be ideal for the kids. Great seasonal pool on the roof, with amazing seaviews.
I've read that Menton has a small microclimate and can be little bit warmer. Not sure about the ocean, but, it may be worth looking into for just general "suntanning". I enjoyed staying in Menton, it's easy to get to Monte Carlo and such a pretty drive on the Corniches.
I can't believe how much I have fussed around over this one night, but I finally have booked something. We are staying in Menton at the Hotel Mediterranee. I decided to splurge a little bit to be near the pedestrian area and a short walk to the beach for the girls. I love gardens and am looking forward to being in Menton.
We'll just have this one afternoon/evening, but I wanted a sample of this area and I'm sure we'll be back. I also do want to spend a few days in Nice-- but I'll have to save that for another trip.
Thanks to everyone who offered ideas on this thread!
That looks very nice, Kathy. We walked that street a couple of times on the way to the train station. I think it will be a little bit more quiet than along the beach and there is also good access to the Autoroute for driving in and out of Menton. There is a large supermarket (Shopi) just about 1 block away on Felix Faure near the traffic circle that we stopped at a couple of times if you need to pick up water and snacks. There was also a great looking deli just up on Rue Partouneaux with take out foods and a couple of bakeries. We never got anything but always stopped to drool over the offerings.
Hi, The easiest answer if you are just staying one night is probably somewhere like Cannes. Lots of accommodation available, close to the beach and you have a glut of shops and fun on your doorstep!
