Nancy K

any strong opinions about which car rental agency is most reliable for pick-up in Marseilles? Also, has anyone had a RECENT stay at the hotel le Hameau in St. Paul de Vence? Sounds interesting, but I only have old reports. Is it a QUIET place? Are good restaurants near by? Finally-- any suggestions for a really QUIET hotel at de Gaulle airport in Paris? thanks!

Julie

Le Hameau in St. Paul de Vence is terrific. Yes, it's quiet. It's also beautiful and charming. Pool within a vineyard area. The breakfast room is colorful and picturesque. There are plenty of nice restaurants around. We drove to Cagnes sur Mer nearby and had lunch at Le Cagnard, a Relais and Chateau hotel/restaurant. It was a 3 and 1/2 hour extravaganza seated on a deck with views over the valley. We parked in an automated car stacking garage. quite unique. We had dinner at the Domaine de Diamant Rose less than 1 km from Le Hameau. Again we were seated outdoors on a deck with views of the lighted town of St. Paul de Vence with a live pianist providing a lovely backdrop. Food was wonderful in both places. Try the Bandol red and rose wines. Both are good, especially the rose which is nothing like the sweet roses we have here. Can't help with car rental out of Marseilles. Sorry.

Julie

Another likely good restaurant near Le Hameau is La Colombe d'Or. This is a very famous hotel in St. Paul de Vence with a lovely art collection. I've not stayed or eaten there but know people who have who rave about it.

Teri

Hotel le Hameau is absolutely wonderful. Yes it is very quiet. We have stayed here twice. In April 2000 and March 2001. It is totally charming from the orange trees, to wisteria, to the antiques in the rooms. The rooms are large and beautifully furnished, yet warm and comfortable. The bathrooms are exceptional. Each room has its own personality. It is a short walk to the quaint village of St Paul de Vence, which is one of the most charming villages in Provence. This is the perfect spot to stay on the final night of a trip to Provence, flying out of Nice on a direct flight to the U.S. The airport is only 15 minutes away. We will always return to le Hameau and recommend it to all travelers. The restaurants are terrific in St Paul de Vence. One of our favorites is Chez Andreas which is very affordable. The onion soup was perfect as was each entree served. It was the most charming and entertaining evening we spent during our week in Provence with our 17 and 22 year old daughters. The owners/hosts are gay and provided delightful service!! It was a perfect ending to our trip. They also own another restaurant on the upper, main cobblestoned street which is decorated in blue and yellow that is equally good and yet still reasonably priced (can't remember the name). We ate here on our first trip and enjoyed it too. <BR>

StCirq

Don't know anything about Le Hameau but I do rely on AutoEurope yearly to provide me with car rentals and leases. Call them at 1-800-223-5555. Have picked up cars at Marseilles from them (from their Europcar affiliate) with no problem. <BR> <BR>A really quiet hotel at CDG is the Sheraton. It must have soundproofing. The kids and I spent the night there last year before returning to the USA and if we hadn't had the desk wake us up in time to get our flight we would have slept for about another 5 hours, it was so comfortable and quiet.

Christina

I just picked up a car in Marseilles last month from Europcar and they were very reliable in every way -- had the car ready, exactly what I wanted, no problems on paperwork or unusual charges showing up later (which I was a little worried about given I left the car at Avignon TGV station where there's not a very formal dropoff process). I have nothing else to compare to. My one warning is that I arrived on a weekday from Paris around 3 pm or something and luckily just got there in time as they closed at 3:30 pm or something really weird which no one had told me about. Maybe no one told me because I said I planned on picking up the car at 1 pm but my plane was delayed so I was lucky. Even then, it was ready and waiting. I also rented through Autoeurope so even all that paperwork had gone through fine.