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Assist me Planning My South of France Trip

Amney,

I too am going to that same area but not until late November and December. I would appreciate it if you would share your experiences and tips when you return.

Having been several times in Nice and the Cote d'Azur I can share with you some fine places to eat i noted in my electronic agenda.
Auberge Theo, 52 Avenue Cap de Croix, Cimiez-Nice. EXCELLENT AND INEXPENSIVE
Restaurant La Baie d'Amalfi, 9 rue Gustave Deloye, Nice. THE SAME
Restaurant La Petite Maison, rue de l'Opéra, Nice MORE EXPENSIVE BUT HIGH CUISINE
Restaurant Toque Blanche, 40 rue de la Buffa, Nice SMALL BUT VERY HOMELY AND EXCELLENT MENUS

I can recommend you a very good and inexpensive well situated hotel i lodged several times:
Hotel La Malmaison, 48 Boulevard Victor Hugo tel 93876256.GOOD VALUE QUALITY-MONEY
Double rooms low season will be around 550-650 F.F. You can discuss the price with the owner he is very reasonable especially if you stay several days.

For me sites to visit as a must in Nice are:
Musee Matisse-Musee Chagall-Musee d'Art Contemporain-Old-Le Vieux Nice (old Nice)
The villa and gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild at Jean Cap Ferrat are a ABSOLUTE MUST!!
Fondation Maeght at Saint Paul de Vence
Galerie Beaubourg near Tourettes
Tourettes sur Loup ABSOLUTE DELICIOUS VILLAGE NEAR ST PAUL
St.Paul de Vence, old town and the tomb of Marc Chagall
You can push to Menton and visit in City Hall the wedding hall of Jean Cocteau who decoratde also the chapel St. Pierre des Pecheurs at Villefranche sur Mer
If you go a day to Cagnes sur mer you must see the house of Renoir whre he lived from 1907 untill his death in 1919.
In Antibes except the typical mediteranean village you cab ebjoy the Grimakdi castle with a great Picasso collection.
Last but not least the Kerylos villa at Beaulieu sur mer is worth a detour.

Thats all that comes to my mind ; Hope it will help you in your trip

Freund,
I printed your recommendations and but will not be visiting the Cote d'Azur until mid-December. I appreciate your response to Amney and will let you both know if I got to any of these attractions and restaurants. Thank you!

we were in monte carlo and provence 1 year ago
in Nice we stayed at the Hotel Negresco on
Promenade des Anglais (you must see this hotel)
and all the eating places in area behind hotel are
fun to visit----MUST go to St Paul de Vence (eat
at the cafe inside the walled area-good Salade
Nicoise),also EZE medieval village,and all villages
listed in previous notes---you'll have time to drive
to monte carlo to at least say you've been there
look at yachts,grand casino,palace,cousteau museum-HAVE FUN AND BUY EVERYTHING
YOU SEE COZ U MAY NEVER GO AGAIN!!!

Thanks ALL for infor on So. France. Planning trip
10/2/96. Anyone have info on hotels - Splendid
in Nice, Le Pigonet in Aix, or Palais des Papes
in Avignon. Driving Nice to Avignon - is this easy?
Any other info appreciated,ie, restaurants.

THANKS

Planning trip to So. France early October. THANKS
all for info. Anyone have info on Splendid Hotel
in Nice, Le Pigonet in Aix, Palais des Papes in
Avignon. Any good restaurants. Driving Nice to
Avignon. Any tips?

THANKS

Thank you all for your messages. I will leave notes when I return of any new discoveries
in the South of France. Also taking the train into Italy from Nice for 2 days. Thanks
for the shopping advice - will do! Cheers!

Thank you Marta, Freund and mphase for your input.
I'll be sure to update the information when I return.
Am also taking the train from Nice into Italy for some
great shopping. Will let you know where to shop.
Cheers, Amney

Bonjour Amney! Have a safe and pleasant trip.
Ciao, Marta

Two great restaurants:

Mas de Cure Bourse in L'Isle-sur-la-Sourgue,
about 23 km from Avignon (it is worth the
beautiful drive) Go on Sunday, there is a
wonderful open air flea market in the village.

La Fourchette in Avignon is wonderful but you
will definitely need to book.

I thank all who answered my message re: Nice and
South of France. I will be there end of October to
mid November and will add any new finds to this
bulletin board. I appreciate the responses and wish
you all happy travels! Regards, Amney

The prodigal daughter returns and I have to say the Riviera and Provence are absolutely beautiful.
In Nice, stayed at the Hotel Albert 1er, one block off the Promenade des Anglais(main drag) and it's
reasonably priced, clean and friendly. Address is 4, Avenue des Phoceens and is across from a lovely
garden and park which is a city block long! Telephone is 93 85 74 01 and the fax is 93 80 36 09. It's
perfectly located and on one side bordered by Promenade des Anglais, on the other side is Rue Massena
and then Rue de France. 4 blocks away is Old Nice and 5 blocks away in the same direction is the bus
station. The SNCF Train Station is 10 blocks in another direction and the shopping and casino are an
eyeball away. Great place to stay.In Nice ate at: La Trattoria on rue de France(awesome Pizza
& Italian food & good value),Le Bistrot Nicoise on rue Massena(good value), Le Charolais( a bit
pricier though great seafood & on Promenade des Anglais).Also visit the Koudou rest.on Promenade
des Anglais(great food and good service and not expensive.And don't forget the market in Old Nice.
It is there every morning and has food and flowers. On Monday there are antiques and used goods.
There is a small cafe called Illy and serves fantastic coffee and ice cream. Search it out. As Freund
noted, the Matisse Museum & Chagall Museum are fabulous. Museum of Modern Art in Nice was
architecturally beautiful but had awful exhibits(in my opinion). Have tea in the Rotonde of the Negresco Hotel!
If you really want an major(though expensive)treat, have lunch in the Chateau de la Chevre d'Or
in the medieval village of Eze. It is gorgeous; the food, service and view are exquisite. My favorite!
Eze itself is delightful and visit the glass blowing shop at the bus stop outside the village!
Another expensive though awesome place to eat is the Auberge de la Vignette Haute in Auribeau sur Siagne.
This is located in the vicinity of Grasse and is a dining experience you won't soon forget. Bring money!
In St Paul de Vence make sure you visit the Foundation Maeght as Freund suggested. It is awesome if
you love Miro sculpture and brilliant modern art. Also in the village proper eat at Le Pontis on rue Grande.
It's a family run operation and great value. Get there early and beat the local lunch rush!
The shopping is also great and make sure you visit L'air de Sud if you like funky stuff. The art shops are
superb. In Aix en Provence visit Cezannes Atelier - quaint and historical. In Avignon, visit the bridge
that the song is written after and the grand Palais de Pape is great also.
The train passes all the wonderful villages along the Riviera and you can easily get on and off the train
to visit all these places which include: Villefrance sur mer(make sure you eat at Carpaccios - a bit on the
pricey side though); Beaulieu sur mer, Monaco(lovely and clean); Menton. There are many more but I didn't stop
at all of them.
Italy is a 25 minute train ride from Nice and we went to Ventimiglia - market day is on Friday and is fun.Make
sure you eat at Giuseppes on the water as it's also a family restaurant and is excellent food and value. Walk
over the bridge and to the left. Great shopping here for shoes and Italian candies, etc. Also, make sure you
go to San Remo, which is 1 1/2 hrs from Nice. Market day is on Tuesday and Saturday and it's even bigger than
Ventimiglia.Go to the Mare Blu restaurant in San Remo. Both are wonderful side trips.
The last ultimate thing I did was go to a health spa called Biovemer for thalassotherapy beauty treatments for
one day. It was 550 francs($150 Canadian, less American) and the treatments were good. The staff could be a bit
friendlier, but I guess you can't have everything. It is a good pampering and a lovely way to finish the trip!
If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]. Bon voyage and have fun in Provence.
P.S. TAKE MONEY!!!

P.P.S. I met some wonderful people while in Nice and if you
are in need of a lawyer you can call Mina Sarwary at (0033)93 88 61 10 in Nice.
She is at 4 bis, rue Alphonse Karr and her fax # is same as the telephone #.
If you are in need of an awesome hairdresser(she cuts hair fantastically and
even though doesn't speak English will do a great job!)go to Hair Passion and
ask for Helene. 29 Avenue Georges Clemenceau and # is 93 88 18 66. If you
have fallen in love with the area and are looking for a good Realtor call
Gerance Immobiliere at 38 rue de France, phone # 93 87 78 74 or fax 93 88 77 60
and ask for Molly Roth. She really knows her real estate and will steer you
in the right direction.