cincy45229

My niece and I are planning a trip to France at the end of May. Four days in Paris and three on the Riviera. I've read several extremely helpful messages on this forum. Thanks a bunch. Now, I would like to ask a couple of questions . . . we have decided on a hotel in Paris, The Hotel Duret. Has anyone stayed here? It sounds like a good location but we chosed it specifically because they could guarantee us a smoke-free room and other hotels could not. We are willing to entertain other suggestions if you all think this is not a good hotel. We would like to stay in the $200/night range. We dont' really need suggestions on what to see in Paris since I've already printed off several wonderful suggestions from this forum.

My niece would like to stay in St. Tropez (she is a young 30) so could anyone suggest a small hotel in or near there? I don't think there is much to do in St. Trop, just the beach, but we will most likely take a bus or train to at least one other place. Any suggestions?

We will be taking the TGV from Paris to Nice and flying out of Nice. I've gone to the SNCF website and left my email address for notification when the prices are up for May.

Thanks a lot to everybody. This is a great place to go for info. Love it!!!

RonZ

You may wish to rent a car. There is no train station in San Tropez.

I can recommend the Chateau Valmer in La Croix Valmer.

Tulips

There is indeed no train in St Tropez, and the roads in and out of St Tropez can get very busy. The beaches are outside of town; you would need to take a bus or taxi.
There's a boat service to St Maxime, and to Cannes and maybe other places too.
I do think St Tropez is lovely, and would love spending three days there; very nice shopping too! But it's not the best base for visiting other places.

cincy45229

Thanks. I'll look up that hotel.

I know there isn't a train station in St. Trop but there is one in San Rafael and a bus to St. Trop, from what I understand. There is no way we will drive a car in France!!!

cincy45229

Thanks Tulip. The boat sounds interesting. We don't want to spend too much time running back and forth to other places. One will be enough.

Tulips

cincy, depending on time of day/week, the road between St Tropez and St Maxime alone can sometimes take you an hour. The last Monday in May is a holiday in much of Europe; not absolutely sure about France.
And if you would want to drive, it's absolutely fine; easy, good signposting. And in St Trop it's the easiest way to get to the beach (some of which have valet parking - try Club 55!).

SuzieC

I was in St. Tropez in October, end of its season. (We trained to St. Raphael but should have trained to St. Maxime and then over to St. Tropez).
I adored it. When we go back, we're going to try for the Hotel Sube right at the marina. I'd ask for a room at the back though. I think The boats themselves are pieces of art, and then there are the painters all along the quai ... some quite fine little restaurants...and some not so fine...but edible. If one likes to shop, there is great shopping as was said earlier. Quite a few haute couturiers have shops. I am more of a window shopper. There are some high-end clubs as well for 30 somethings...

cincy45229

Thanks everybody. We've decided to stay in Cap d'Antibes at the Villa Val Des Roses. Someone on another forum suggested it and I thought it was a good idea. We can go down to St. Trop for one day but I have a feeling we will stay around that area because it sounds lovely.

Tulips

cincy, if you are staying in Cap d'Antibes, go to Keller Plage at Plage de la Garoupe. Nice for lunch or dinner, or just for lounging on the beach. There's a path that goes around Cap d'Antibes, departing from Plage de la Garoupe. It's not hard, but wear good shoes; it's a very beautiful walk.
You're also close to Juan les Pins, if you (or your niece) want some nightlife.
And staying in Cap d'Antibes, I would definitely want a car.

Tulips

Just looked at the website; it looks lovely. Very nice location too. Actually not far from Antibes center looking at the map, so if you don't want to drive, you can walk to the train station.
Antibes is a lovely place to stay. Nearby Juan les Pins, although not as pretty as Antibes, has some great boutiques and many not too expensive restaurants right on the beach. We like it in the evenings; shops are open late and on Sundays too.

cigalechanta

St Tropez is one of th few places with a night life.
Here's a partial list:

http://www.10best.com/Saint-Tropez/N...essSearch.html

cincy45229

Thanks Tulip but neither of us want a car. We don't want to spend time stuck inside a car trying to find places. The Val des Roses looks to be in a great location close to the beach and not far from Antibes and Juan le Pins. We can take busses or walk but I think, after walking in Paris, which we plan to do, we both might need a rest and we both love the beach. Thanks for everybody's help.