I wanted to try for St. Remy as a central location. It looks to be quite a drive to the water though.

What other towns are in that area, yest close to the water? I would love to be near the water for a week in a house. Cannes is going to be too pricey so please don't suggest that one. As is Nice!

St.-Rémy is nowhere near the Mediterranean; you would have to go further east for that. Have a look at Fréjus/St.-Raphael, a beach area where many French go in the summer; it's over beyond St.-Tropez. There are many holiday apartment and house rentals, but time is getting short for this coming summer.

thinkpink, PLEASE get a Michelin map of Provence. You will see what towns, villages are near the water. In provence it will be very expensive.
So we went to languedoc one year(you will still be in the South of France) and had a room on the plage(beach) of St Cyprian. I'm not a beach person, but watched from my balcony, the dogs and beach activity as we lunched or had a late dinner we picked up at the local market.This can be so much fun when you aren't traveling alone.

thinkpink: You need a map. Are you interested in Provence (a large area in and of itself), or the Riviera (a totally different proposition)?

Most rentals in Provence will include a pool - is that an option for you?

Apart from Cannes, I should think that most ALL properties right on the Mediterranean will be pricey.

What is it you want to experience? The small towns of Provence or the Côte d'Azur? They are very different, and the prices are different too - though both are expensive by French standards.

Anyway, though St-Rémy is an excellent location for visiting the Alpilles region of the Bouche-du-Rhône, it's ridiculous as a base for the Mediterranean. There aren't any towns "in that area" that are close to the water. You really do need a map to figure this out.

DUH, duh, duh , duh, isn't that what the previous poster said?

Yes, but the wording was different, which is why I enjoyed reading both.

On the water, Provence type atmosphere, lower prices, less resort like, laid back yet fun? Cassis!!

Thanks, Cassis helps.

The reason I ask, is because I have found that while I may have a map to France, Italy etc., The beach is small. Then I found this one area that I thought would be great, and the prices were good. Come to find out the entire thing is rock and you cant even walk out on it. So, I'm sorry for posing a question that experienced travelers automatically want to scream "Get a Map". I understand that you probably get asked a lot of questions over and over, by people trying to get around purchasing travel maps and books. The inter net has spoiled us!

thinkpink -

If you are from the States, know that what we come to understand as a beach is not what you find in most places in Europe. There are many beaches, on the shoreline, that are just rocks and boulders; there are some that have clean sand. So if you select a spot with a beach do make certain it has sand, as we understand sand in the States. Even Monaco has a fishtank-type gravel combined with sand.

If you want sand on the beach (and free parking), visit Stes. Maries de la Mer in the Camargue or further west the plages (beaches) between Canet-Plage and St. Cyprien-Plage opposite the Etang de Canet.

It's opposite a wildlife refuge so there is absolutely no building on the beach area. However, directly above and below the refuge it looks like the Carolina coast . . . one beach resort after another.

Hi

Quick guide to the French Med coast !

From Italy to the Rhone, it has cliffs with some sandy bays. Some of the resorts import sand.

From the Rhone westward the coast is flat with dunes. The Pyrenees meet the coast and form cliffs near the Spanish border.

Roughly, tourism & prices decrease as you travel west.

Here are some pics :
East - http://tlp.netfirms.com/newphoto13.htm
West - http://tlp.netfirms.com/newphoto12.htm

Bonne chance

Peter
The Languedoc Page
http://tlp.netfirms.com