We will be arriving in Nice in early June and have 2 days. It is our first trip to this area. Currently we have reservations at a charming looking hotel in Cannes called Le Grimaldi at about $140. Anyone stayed here firsthand?<BR><BR>We would like to visit some real charming villages,be able to see lavander fields (have been looking forward to this for years!) and have a some wonderful food and wine.<BR><BR>Any recommendations as to what towns to maybe visit on day trip(s) we are planning on renting a car. And, is it a better idea to maybe keep looking for a hotel in a small village to be more centrally located? We need to return to Nice to get on a ship.<BR><BR>Any help with itinerary and wonderful places to eat would be greatly appreciated. We are planning on renting a car. Any recommendations on that? They all seem to be about $100+ per day with all the taxes.We were thinking of renting from here in order not to chance not being able to get one once we get there.<BR><BR>Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ginny,<BR><BR>Two interesting villages, a short distance from Cannes:<BR><BR>Vence: See the Matisse Chapel. Call ahead for when open and hours.<BR><BR>St. Paul de Vence: The Meaght Foundation, an indoor/outdoor museum dedicated to modern art. Even though I prefer art up to the Impressionists this site is truly remarkable. You can drive your car right to the top of the hill and park on its grounds.<BR>Nearby &quot;Colombe d'Or&quot; nice place for lunch or dinner.

Definitly agree about Vence and St Paul de Vence. Vence may be my favorite place - anywhere! I remeember lavender growing along the side of the road in that area but not whole fields of it. I think they may be further inland. One of the best was near Gourdes but that is at least a couple of hours from where you will be. If you only have two days I would just concentrate on Vence and St Paul. If you really want more than that Eze is also wonderful as are several other towns close by. We stayed in Vence at L'Auberge des Seigneurs which is right in the center of town. I found it in Karen Brown's guide and will definitly stay there again.<BR><BR>I also don't think the lavendar fields will be fully in bloom in early June. I was there in Mid July and they were are that time, but there is almost a six week difference.

Thank you for the e-mails. Any suggestions/tips for the car rental?

Ginny- I think good things have been written about your hotel here. Have you tried doing a text search here for info on the hotel? Try something like Cannes AND Le Grimaldi. <BR>Given your interests &amp; your limited time, you might prefer staying somewhere other than Cannes. There is a B&amp;B that's been mentioned on this board in Tourettes Sur Loup, a hill town 5-10 minutes from St Paul de Vence, called Le Mas du Soleil www.masdusoleil.com that you might want to check. I heartily second the recommendation of the Colombe D'Or for lunch or dinner (if your budget allowed, I'd urge you to stay there-a truly phenomenal place filled with amazing original art-Leger, Calder, Matisse). You should make a reservation well in advance-particularly in June(they have a website) &amp; sit outside on the terrace but make sure you have a walk through the inside dining room while you're there to see the art. Also, their swimming pool setting is amazing. St Paul is also an amazing village surrounded by ramparts so leave enough time to explore.<BR>While I can't help you with lavender fields (I think it might be a bit early), if you're into gardens you MUST see the Rothchild Villa on Cap Ferat. It is now a museum that can be toured inside &amp; out. Spectacular!<BR>As to car rental tips-try Autoeurope. If you can drive a stick shift, that will save money (but remember it's hilly so you must be confident!) Don't get too big a car! They don't fit in the narrow streets. If you have any frequent flyer miles saved (even if you're not using them for plane tkts.) consider using them for discounts on car rental as it is expensive in Europe.<BR>Good luck &amp; have a great time.<BR>

If you are not adept with a straight stick car get an automatic. It will cost more but much of France south of Paris, even near the Riviera, is hilly and mountainous and an automatic helps.<BR><BR>I use Hertz because they guarantee an automatic. One thing to be cautious of they will frequently try to give you a big car, say a Mercedes, at the same price. This is not a bargain because of the narrow roads, villages you may be traversing.<BR><BR>Good luck.

Other places I'd recommend, especially if you like art would be the Chagall Museum in Nice, also Musee National Picassoc in Ville de Vallauris, the Picasso Museum in Antibes, and Reniors's home (forgot where it is, but it's near Cannes.)<BR><BR>A wonderful small village I'd recommend is Gourdon. Also, the old town of Mougin is charming and there's a Photography Gallery which is devoted to Picasso and the view of the village from the top floor is fabulous. Several good restaurants there as well--we ate at Resto des Arts which was wonderful and reasonably priced.<BR><BR>We rented from Hertz and it was a nightmare! Highly recommend either Laurie's suggestion of Autoeurope or Avis (have had good luck with them in Europe.)<BR><BR>Have a great trip.