Amy

A big thank you to all of you who suggested I not try to do both Provence and the Cote d'Azur in the same week. After reading all the postings here,we decided to base ourselves in Nice. We think we made the right decision given the less-than-gorgeous weather, but staying in Antibes, Villefranche or Beaulieu would also have worked well. <BR><BR>The Hotel le Grimaldi is a gem. Nice rooms, wonderful staff, great location. My husband did not want to rent a car, so the hotel's 10-12 minute walk to the train station was ideal. Even better, at the end of the block one could catch a bus to Vence/St.Paul or to Grasse. The pedestrian area of Rue Massena was three blocks away, allowing us the flexibility to get a quick bite or leisurely dinner without any pre-planning.<BR><BR>Over the course of the week, we visited over 20 art museums using the Cote d'Azur pass. Available in 1, 3, or 7-day versions, our 25 Euros per person for the 7-day version was well spent.<BR><BR>Towns visited by train or bus: Menton, Monte Carlo, Eze, Beaulieu, Villefranche, Cagnes sur Mer and Haut Cagne, Mougins, St. Paul, Vence, Grasse, Antibes, and Cannes.<BR><BR>Favorite museum: The Maeght Foundation (not covered by the pass!)in St. Paul. Favorite view: Eze. Favorite town/village: we couldn't decide. Biggest surprise: ideal cuisine for a family. The best of all worlds. I had loved my carpaccio and arugula salads in Florence, and thought Nice area offered ones just as good. Excellent pastas. Great pizza everywhere. Fabulous paella. Tarte au citron to die for. Competitive chocolate pyramids. And we think there was one gelato place in Antibes that was worthy of Florence. Great area to get a French breakfast, Italian lunch, and Spanish dinner. <BR><BR>Again, a big thanks to all of you who posted your experiences or knowledge.

Capo

Hi Amy. As a fan of that area, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Nice & the Cote d'Azur. Sounds like you got around quite well by train & bus. I agree with you about the view from Eze village and the delicious tarte au citron.

sana

Amy, we are staying at Le Grimaldi in September. How far from the water is it? Could you give me some details about the hotel in general? Thanks a lot,<BR>Sana.

John H

Hi, Amy,<BR><BR>Thanks for your comments on Le Grimaldi. I am staying there in September and have recommended it to others on this board. Also, thanks for your other comments and tips about the Riviera.<BR><BR>John H.<BR>

Amy

John H.--are you the person who had to cancel his trip and his reservations at the Grimaldi? If so, your post was one of the first to make me check it out.<BR><BR>Sania, the 35-room hotel is five rather long blocks from the beach, but I don't think that's a negative given the layout of Nice. After its recent expansion,the hotel entrance is now on the Rue Maccarini opposite an Anglican church, almost on Boulevard Victor Hugo.<BR>We had a superior room for 145 Euros. It was a large but rather narrowly arranged room with the standard twin-beds-pushed-into-one, a separate toilet area, and a huge bathroom with two sinks, a bath, and an enclosed shower. The classic room my daughters had for 125 Euros was smaller, but still, the bathroom had two sinks with great storage (I imagine my kids' daily arguments were reduced by 50% simply because of this arrangement!). <BR><BR>Both rooms were simply and beautifully decorated. Each floor of the hotel has a different color carpet, one that is used to set off the very individualized fabric and wallpaper of each room. Breakfast ranged in price from 13 Euros for the downstairs buffet of boiled eggs, cheese, ham, patisseries, yoghurt, etc. to 21 Euros for an American breakfast in your room.<BR><BR>Two of the staff downstairs we wanted to bring home with us; the others were just polite. Everyone spoke quite efficient English. Housecleaning is super efficient.<BR><BR>One of the best bits about the hotel's location I've already mentioned--there is a bus stop on the way to the Rue Massena pedestrian area where you can chose to go to Grasse or Vence/St. Paul. <BR><BR>I may have given you a bit too much detail, Sana.<BR><BR>

sana

Thanks Amy,<BR>it was all very useful info. You know how it is when you are anxious about the trip and is interested in virtually anything you can find out.

John H

Hi, Amy,<BR><BR>I am indeed the person who had to cancel at Le Grimaldi last September for family health reasons. We have postponed our trip until this September and are very much looking forward to it.<BR><BR>Glad that one of my postings helped you.<BR><BR>All the best,<BR><BR>john