Iwan2go

Hello. My husband and I are going to the Cote d'Azur in late April, after several days near Avignon and Aix. I have some questions about driving in the Cote d'Azur and lodging there. We will be arriving by car and dropping it off in Nice at some point.

We will be in that area for five nights, tentatively Monday April 26 - departing Saturday May 1st. I'd say were more mountain and view people than beach and harbor people, and prefer to stay in smaller B & B type places than hotels. We'd like to see many of the gardens and some of the museums - I have bookmarked the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap Ferrat, Jardin Exotique in Eze, Foundation Maeght in St-Paul-de-Vence, and perhaps the Serre de la Madone in Menton. Eze and Vence/ St Paul sound wonderful, and of course we'd like to wander in Nice a little too.

From reading the forums, it looks like it's pretty easy to take trains/buses from Nice to many of these places, but if we could see some of it more easily by driving, we'd keep the car Monday and Tuesday, and stay somewhere outside of Nice. I think in Nice we'll stay at the Hotel Suisse (privilege rooms are running 195 euros).

There are two B&B places I liked (which have the advantage of being less expensive than the Hotel Suisse): in Vallauris, the Villa la Porte d'Attache (www.portdattache.com) and in Cabris, near Grasse, the Mas du Naoc (www.lemasdunaoc.com). Has anyone stayed in either, or are you familiar w/the area? The TA reviews on Port d'Attache are great, but i haven't found many on the Mas du Naoc.

Would one location be better than the other to, say, arrive on Monday early afternoon, and drive somewhere close by - either Antibes and take the Sentier Tirepoil (sp) walk, or go to Vence/ St P de Vence? Would it be better to drive to Eze from either, or take the bus from Nice? I figure Cap Ferrat and Menton would be easier from Nice.

Please help! Thank you so much.

susanna

I just did a review of Hotel Suisse on Trip Advisor. I think that you can do better for the price. We also had a privilege room, great view, that was about it. It was just an ok hotel, we spent two nights and it came to about $550us. I would pick something else, for the price I didn't think it was worth it.
Someone here recommends the Mercur which is right on the promonade, I will try that next time...same great view, two blocks away from the other.

Cathinjoetown

It's been several years but I used to stay at the Hotel Les Orangers just outside St. Paul de Vence (walking distance into the old town). It has changed hands since I stayed there but I remember it well--rooms are furnished with antiques and the garden, including a small stand of orange trees, was lovely. There might be more recent reviews on TripAdvisor. Amenities were few (no TV or phones in the rooms) but the place was spotless and perhaps now there are more mod cons.

Iwan2go

Thank you both for your suggestions - I appreciate it and will look into them.

Does anyone have advice in particular about staying in either Vallauris or Cabris and driving to Vence, etc? Is either place better for getting around - i.e. are the roads really crowded, windy, etc. (Also thinking of Eze).

StuDudley

>>There are two B&B places I liked (which have the advantage of being less expensive than the Hotel Suisse): in Vallauris, the Villa la Porte d'Attache (www.portdattache.com) and in Cabris, near Grasse, the Mas du Naoc (www.lemasdunaoc.com). Has anyone stayed in either, or are you familiar w/the area? <<

We've vacationed for around 4-5 weeks in Nice, and 4 weeks near St Paul - so we've spent some time in that region.

I mark up maps with comments when we explore areas. I have Cabris marked as "very cute". I don't think we've passed through Vallauris.

Cabris is in an OK area - not great. Most of the non-coastal stuff I like is a bit east of Cabris. To get to these favorites of mine, you'll need to drive through Grasse - which I've always found to be difficult & confusing. I'm not a fan of Grasse also.

My favorites:
1. Gorges du Loup - Gourdon
2. Tourrettes
3. St Paul
4. Vence old section
5. Gorges de la Vesubie & beyond
6. Entrevaux & the Gorges du Cians & gorges de Daluis. Lots of cute unspoiled villages in this area.

I sent you my Cote d'Azur itinerary today - check other info in there.

Getting to my favorite non-coastal destination in the Nice Hinterland would be even more difficult from Vallauris - almost too many small roads to get to these favorites of mine.

>>Would one location be better than the other to, say, arrive on Monday early afternoon, and drive somewhere close by - either Antibes and take the Sentier Tirepoil (sp) walk, or go to Vence/ St P de Vence?<<

Of the two locations you mentioned, I could choose Cabris.

>> Would it be better to drive to Eze from either, or take the bus from Nice?<<

probably the bus from Nice if the schedule fits.

If I had to choose a location, I would pick one in the Vence or St Paul area.

Stu Dudley

Iwan2go

Thank you so much, Stu, for both your reply here and for sending your itinerary. I had some time to read it this afternoon, follow along on the map, and get some idea of the distances and charms of the area.

I think that I need to share it with my travel partner (aka DH), and see if he would prefer to spend more time in the "hinterlands", as you put it, or closer to the coast. That might also factor into the decision of where to stay.

Good to hear that if we go to Eze, the bus from Nice would be ok or even preferable to driving. My guess is, the less challenging driving he has to do, the better. As the navigator I seem to get the better end of the deal as far as views.

Again, thank you so much for your detailed drives. I think I'll go to the travel bookstore and do some more research! You've given me lots to look into.

fbc34

I think you'll find Cabris is too inconvenient. . .too much driving involved (and as Stu pointed out to get anywhere you'd have to go through Grasse, which can be a nightmare.) I've driven through Vallurais once and did not find it very charming. Way too much traffic for me.

I'd recommend you think about Valbonne. It's a lovely small town and perfectly situated. You can get quickly to Nice, Antibes, and Cannes if you feel like seeing the sea, or you can head north and northeast to Gourdon, Tourrettes, St Paul de Vence. Take a look at www.bastidedevalbonne.com. I've not stayed there, but have driven past it many times and I believe it's been well recommended on this board for quite some time.

catsailor

Ok I am going to throw another suggestion. Back in the late 1990's my husband was commuting back and forth to the South of France for work. I was fortunate enough to travel with him on a number of occasions and spend a lot of time there over the course of 4 years.

We usually stayed in Mougins within walking distance to the old village. Quite a beautiful village to walk to in the evenings. The place we stayed at was Le Club Mougins, a small complex with approx. 55 small apartments. They offer 1bedroom units with sitting area and small kitchen. The property is located within walking distance to a little supermarket and bakery. Excellent pizzeria close by as well, probably goes down as one of favorite pizzas ever! Here is a link on tripadvisor http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R..._Provence.html. I am not sure what there prices are now, but I believe they are reasonable. When we stayed there they did not offer breakfast and their bar wasn't open, but we always stocked our kitchenette with a few supplies.

Mougins is closer to the coast than Grasse or Vallaruis and I tend to agree with the other poster, I did not really like either.

StuDudley offers excellent suggestions for drives and places to visit. The Gorges du Loop is a stunning drive. I would not miss old village of Mougins, Eze, St. Paul, Vence and Antibes. If going to Eze you may as well visit Monaco, interesting to wander about and experience.

If I were you, I would stay in Mougins or other small village and keep your car for the entire trip, rather than take a bus. Driving is very easy, sometimes parking is difficult, but the time of year you are there, shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Have fun, France is a wonderful destination!!

Iwan2go

Thanks again! I think I'm going to pass on Cabris and look into Vence/Mougins a little more.

StuDudley

It's my opinion that the criteria you should use to choose a place to stay for exploring the Cote d'Azur, is the same you probably used for purchasing a house to live in - location, location, location.

I this case:

If you primarily want to visit the coastal towns like Cannes, Antibes, and Nice - then choose the Valbonne locatin.

If you primarily want to explore the canyons, mountains, and cute unspoiled villages farther back into the Nice Hinterland (Gorges de la Vesubie, Cains, Daluis, St Martin Vesubie, Entrevaux, etc) then pick a place near Vence.

Gorges du Loup, Gourdon, Tourrettes sur Loup, St Paul, Vence, & old Cagnes are close to both locations.

Driving through Cagnes is almost as confusing as driving through Grasse. The D536 from St Paul to the freeway is easy, however (but not scenic).

Stu Dudley