Menton at Christmas? Charming or dismal?
 

I am in the early planning stages of a Christmas trip for 2006. The trip will be about ten days, and we would ideally like to find a cozy apartment or villa with kitchen instead of a hotel.

Originally we thought of Bologna, which we love. Lyon has also been on my list for years, so that is a possibility too, but I am having trouble finding apartments there. I got great info on Lyon here on Fodors (Thanks IndyTravel!)a year ago and then work got in the way and we couldn't go, so I still long to taste the excellent food in this city.

Now we are thinking of taking my inlaws. They are from the south and my MIL hates cold weather. Although we love winter travel, I would like to find somewhere that she will be comfortable. After some research, I found Menton as a possibility, allowing day trips in both France and Italy, lovely views, lots of rental villas and apartments to choose from, the old town area, etc. From my reading it seems that they are protected from the Mistral and enjoy a mild climate.

Here is where I need help:

Is this a charming beach town or a glitzy cannes-style town? I fear that the charming photos I've found are from one small area, and modern condos abound everywhere else.

Will flowers be in bloom, leaves on trees, etc in December?

Any idea of crowds at this time of year? Will things be closed "off-season"? What I am afraid of is arriving to find that this would be a great destination in high season, but that off-season it seems sad and dismal.

Is the local food fit for a foodie family?

Sorry for the long list of questions! I truly appreciate any help.

Menton is not glitzy and is a nice town to spend some time in. Because of its micro-climate temperatures are warmer than other areas in the region. The Fodor's "Exploring Provence" guide makes Menton sound delightful, and the Michelin Green Guide to the Côte d'Azur devotes 7 pages to the town and environs; Menton itself gets 2* out of 3* as a place to visit. Hope all that helps you make up your mind.

Thanks Underhill! I've found some British online sources that make it sound great, too, but I appreciate "live" feedback.

Topping.

I'm still on the fence about whether to head for Menton for Christmas in search of some sunshine and a tiny bit of warmth, or to deal with the cold in a great food city like Bologna.

Anyone else out there have winter Menton experiences to share?

And my other concern: We are thinking Menton will be a good base for daytrips around Provence and into Italy, giving us the best of all worlds. Has anyone used Menton as the base for a trip with a rental car who can comment?

Thanks everyone!

Based in Nice in early January, we drove to Menton and spent a few hours there. We really liked it and enjoyed our walk along the beach and through the main streets.

While Menton is sunny, it is more like a California winter than a Florida winter, so you will still need warm clothes and won't be able to sit out and sunbathe.

Menton is a nice enough place, even though it has plenty of modern block condos. It is not glitzy. It has something of the character of a retirement community. I think I might prefer Bordighera, just over the the border, which enjoys the same palm tree climate but is Italian. I also might prefer Nice above all, especially for 10 days. Or Marseille for your inner foodie.

I wouldn't expect many flowers in bloom anywhere.

Weather is so hard to predict, but you might find that Venice, in terms of temps, is pretty mild, since the lagoon is a protected place and the water holds heat. The downside there is the likelihood of overcast skies -- and that the food is better in other places!

How about two weeks in Rome?

I was just in Rome for Christmas this year.

We loved it, but I would not characterize a Rome winter as warm. Most of the time it was cold -- certainly not Chicago windchill cold -- but it was a slow chilling cold. Also, many of the places you visit -- ruins, catacombs, churches and monuments, not to mention piazzas, are often unheated.

Besides winter coats, I wore long underwear, my husband wore his running pants under his jeans and our kids wore their pj pants under their jeans.

And I should mention that in Rome at least, from the day after Christmas through New Year's only half of the taxis are running. I have not finished my trip report (sorry!!) but click my name and scroll down aways and you'll get a fair idea.

Maybe Greece or Sicily would be warmer but not having been, you'd need to ask another poster.

I wouldn't characterize Roma as "warm" in the winter, either -- but I wouldn't expect "warm" weather in Menton either. Might happen, but I wouldn't expect it.

And I suspect Roma is warmer than Bologna.

And certainly there is no chance Roma is going to be dismal at Christmastime, whereas I think Menton might feel forsaken.

Sicily would be a chilly as Roma. Don't know about Greece or if it's the right choice for foodies.

Long underwear is advised for anywhere in Italy where a lot of outdoor sightseeing and walking and church visiting will be part of the visit.

Thanks everyone! This really helps. We aren't afraid of the cold, but were thinking maybe we would find that kind of sunny, blue skies weather where a sweater is enough.

The "forsaken" feeling of an off-season resort that nessundorma mentioned is exactly what I am hoping to avoid, so maybe we will take a look at Nice or go back to the city plan- either Bologna or Lyon.

Thanks for helping. This was exactly the information I was looking for.

We spent three nights in Menton last November, and had a wonderful time. The weather was sunny and pleasant. We have been there in January and it can be a bit cool, but nonetheless, okay. Hope this helps.

Thanks callmbc-

I think at this point it might depend on the inlaws, too. If they go, we will have to find somewhere at least slightly warm. If not...we will probably end up in northern Italy.

Would you say that Menton gives you the best of both worlds, being on the border between France and Italy (my two favorite countries)? Or is it a case of neither one nor the other and we would be better off just picking one country. (I am particularly talking about food! We love both French and Italian cuisine, but know that sometimes "fusion" doesn't exactly work!)

Glad you got on onsite real time report on the weather.

My experience of the food is that once you are on the Italian side, the food immediately gets Italian -- but it is overwhelmingly Ligurian cooking, which I happen to adore, but it is a distinct regional cuisine. Along the coast it is very reliant on seafood; inland in the hilltowns (worth visiting, such a Dolceacqua and Apricale) you are likely to be served rabbit. There are a couple of rather famous restaurants near the border, in Ventimiglia and San Remo, and in the town of Cervo (in the province of Imperia), San Giorgio's is considered one of Italy's finest.

I had an excellent lunch of mussels in a cream based sauce in Menton, and it is of course famous for its lemons and lemon-based treats, but that's all I know about eating on the French side.

Sorry. We spent a February day in Menton and were underwhelmed. I wouldn't make it a base for a trip of a week.

I tend to feel likewise about making Menton a base for a week or 10 days.

Why not go to Nice? We did that last Christmas and had a wonderful time. There's plenty going on in the city, and tons of fantastic day trips in the area. We thought it was a great time to be there, because most attractions were open, but not at all crowded.

You can see my photo album (with links to a trip report) here:
http://rozault.com/riviera2005

We spent 10 days or so in Menton in November 2003. It was a bit quiet (my search of Michelin guide suggests that more hotels close in november than December or January, so it may be a bit more lively around Christmas) but very nice. We enjoyed our stay. See my trip report entitled Off-season Riviera--South of France in November. I posted as jmv at that time. We took wonderful day trips and had generally agreeable weather. Menton's climate is supposed to be the best/most mild on the riviera, but I'd guess that Nice would probably be approximately similar, and as suggested above, will probably be more lively. I've tried Bordegheria (sp?) a couple of times but just can't find the charm there. We found Menton pleasant and a nice place to be away from the madding crowds.

On a side note, we've scheduled ourselves into Rome for Christmas this year. Based on the above I'm starting to worry about how cold it will be.

The amount of information you can get here is so amazing. This is so helpful.

nonnafelice- Nice is certainly in the mix, depending on what kind of flight deals we can get.

nessundorma- I appreciate your honesty and your knowledge. I have a dinging philosophy: "If rabbit is on the menu- order it!" It has never steered me wrong, so I was interested to hear about the hill towns.

The planning is half the fun...once you decide where to go. I do appreciate everyone's feedback.

The funny thing is that our other option is to meet the inlaws in Crystal Springs, Florida to swim with manatees and do some fishing, so I am gathering information on two very, very different types of trips right now:)

Thanks again everyone!

We are also going to Menton for Christmas. We hope it will be sunny but we do not expect it to be warm. We go to Menton most summers and love the place and thought Christmas there might make a nice change. It is more Italian than French, being on the Italian border, so you get the best of both worlds.
We live in Athens and my mother used to live in Spain so we know the Mediterranean is not warm in winter, and positively cold between Jan-March.
There is a Christmas market on the beach from 8th Dec - 8th Jan, and if it is anything like the Christmas market in either Athens or Salzburg, will be wonderful.