cigalechanta

you can get a room in Nice at La Perouse Hotel overlooking the ocean and breakfasting under the lemon trees. In St-Paul-De-Vence, the Colombe D-or Hotel is very romantic.

whuuf

wow thanks for all the great replys again.

Seems like St. Paul de Vence is getting some good recommendations, I shall have a look at some hotels on trip advisor. Is Vence within walking distance?

Also is Eze higher up and are the roads steeper? Its the crazy taxi and bus drivers speeding round those bends with the sheer drops that I think she would be more concerned about.

Oh and she's a vegetarian as well, so any recommendations for nice suitable restaurants would come in rather handy.

Its never easy is it, but half of the fun is the researching and finding things out!

flygirl

personally I'd rent a car, the cliffside drives are breathtaking. plus you will have a lot more flexibility. where else apart from the Riviera will you be - you will be there only 3 days, are you adding in on to something else?

Tulips

whuuf; the road to Eze is one of the most beautiful roads in the world. Steep, with lots of bends, but if I can do it, I'm sure you could too. And if you drive yourself, you can take it easy, stop to take in the views. Monaco is a bit further along the same road.
Vence and St Paul de Vence are not walking distance. The Colombe d'Or in St Paul de Vence is very nice for lunch or dinner; the hotel looks great, but I have never stayed there. There's some beautiful art there.

flygirl

assuming it isn't jam packed in August, one of the Corniches may be a beautiful place to propose. cliffside, overlooking the Med, and so on.

motor_city_girl

We just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in Italy and spent time on the Riviera. It a beautiful and romantic place, and your thoughtfulness, time and effort put into planning this proposal I think will bowl your girlfriend over. It is something you will both remember for the rest of your lives and a unique story to tell. Best of luck!

KimiG

My husband and I visited Eze and stayed at the wildly romantic Chateau Chevre d'Or (http://www.chevredor.com/uk/indexsommaire.htm). We strolled the little town of Eze, conveniently treked to Monaco and St. Paul de Vence. Sipped pink champagne on our private balcony. It was simplay amazing and I never wanted to leave!

Underhill

If you don’t like heights and twisty roads, I’d cross Eze-village off the lists. I found that drive really scary.

There are quite a few places with good views that don’t require climbing up the hills. One is the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which has seven lovely gardens, several of which are very romantic and most of which have views of the Villefranche bay. Another possibility is the sea-facing garden behind the château housing the Picasso Museum in Antibes.

As for where to stay, have you considered St-Tropez? It has everything you want, and the beach resorts can be a lot of fun in the evening. Difficult to reach by public transportation, however.

And no, Vence is not within walking distance of St-Paul, at least not by my definition.

walkinaround

if you are staying 3 nights, i wouldn't even begin to think about going to st tropez. it doesn't at all meet your requirement of being centrally located and on the train as it is very remotelly located. it can also be awful to drive to due to the roads not being improved to keep up with the traffic (it is done on purpose to keep people away). there are many better places on the coast anyway, IMO. If you like "old towns and markets" and want centrally located, Nice is the obvious choice as it has the area's main airport and is on the trainline.

the only problem i would see is if you don't want to be in a city, then of course one of the nice villages would be better. as cities go, Nice is very relaxed and i absolutely love it...however, it is a city.

i greatly prefer it over juan les pins, cannes, st tropez, and monaco (none of which i particularly like). antibes and Villefranche are nice but i'd much rather stay in Nice...and i think it would be plenty "romantic".

Underhill

While Nice is my personal preference, I wonder whether Cannes wouldn't suit the OP better. Lots of places along the Croisette to have drinks and watch the sunset; excellent sand beaches (while Nice has rocks); and places to dance. Also, easy access to the train for heading elsewhere.

Weadles

I'll just echo everything that walkinaround said. I totally agree with every bit of it!

I forgot to mention that right along the main street, Promenade des Anglais, there are tons of diner-type cafes that face the sea. Almost all of these are open into the early morning hours, so you can sit at them, and have a cocktail and dessert way past midnight while staring at the stars ( and if there's moonlight) the water. It's a pretty cheap date, but unforgettable. Great people -watching, too!

Can you tell that I love Nice? OK, I'll sign off now...

walkinaround

i do agree with underhill and in the interest of full disclosure, you should understand that Nice's beach is pebbled and the beach at Cannes is nicer. the pebbles do not bother me (i'm not a major beach person but i do enjoy it now and again) and the beach is very popular. if beach is top priority for you, i would not go to Cannes, Nice or anywhere else in france for that matter.

for that intangible thing called "atmosphere", cannes does not even come close IMO.

whuuf

After reading into St. Paul de Vence it sounds like it will be too crowded in august especially with those tiny little narrow streets.

So it's between Antibes, Cannes and Nice now. Can anyone tell me if there are actually nice cafes on the beach in Nice or if they are all separated by the main road and if so is that road likely to be really busy in august at night? I'm leaning towards Nice it's just the traffic and congestion that concerns me, but maybe i'm being over critical.

http://www.beyond.fr/map/map_d05.html
This is a great map if you don't really know the Cote d'Azur area. just click on the town and it gives you a page of information. I've found it very helpful.

Thanks for the info on those gardens as well underhill i'll be having a looksy into them.

Tulips

There is a large and busy road along the seafront in Nice, the Promenade des Anglais, and this does get very busy any time of the year. There are lots of beach clubs, with restaurants right on the beach. The same is true for Cannes, but there is a sandy rather than a pebbled beach there.
I like Nice, but it is a large and busy town.
Other places that are worth considering are Beaulieu and Villefranche; both smaller towns, and easy access to the train. Antibes is nice too, with its walled old town. I personally like Juan les Pins; I've been there often in July, but not in August. There are lots of cafe's, restaurants, in town or right on the beach.
If you're going mid August, be aware that August 15 is an official holiday.

flygirl

another possibility, if you are looking for beachside cafes, is Menton. We saw a few that had tables across the street and even lunched at one (which meant waiters in peril - but the street wasn't very wide nor busy at that time). that's the very end of the Riviera, nearly Italy. Just a thought.

I didn't go through the length and breadth of Nice either time so I don't recall if there were anything directly beachside. The traffic will be a bear in August, yes.

Tulips

there's a lot of info in this thread;

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1

RSSmith

I disagree with the assessments about the drive up to Eze. My husband and I came up from Nice a few years ago and the drive is fairly easy (this being the opinion of a passenger who gets queasy very easily!) The "scary" part (with the sheer cliffs and no guardrails) is farther along, en route to Monaco, but even that is overrated, in my opinion.

I strongly agree with the recommendations for Chateau Chevre D'Or as your proposal site. I have never been to a more romantic location for drinks (Champagne, of course!) than the poolside terrace there with endless views out toward Cap Ferrat and the Med beyond. Better yet, spring for a room with your own private balcony. You and your wife-to-be will never forget it! The staff there is truly first-rate and they will make everything perfect.

whuuf

Hi flygirl, I did consider Menton but thought it a bit too far out of the way for the rest of the sightseeing. Too many place and not enough time to see them!

Tulips: I have read a lot off comments from people saying that Juan les Pins is a bit wild and crazy, what would you say the age range is down there, are there a lot of teenagers getting a bit too drunk? Also how long do you think it would take to walk from Antibes to Juan les Pins?

RSSmith: I must agree that the Chateau Chevre D'Or does look absolutely fantastic
http://www.chevredor.com/uk/indexsommaire.htm
but I just don't want to take the risk, knowing what she has been like on previous trips, shame becuase it does look very romantic. Oh the search goes on...

Tulips

whuuf; we have an apartment outside of Antibes, but sometimes go to Juan les Pins for the beach and for dinner. We go with children, so are not into nightlife. It does attract younger people than Antibes or Cannes, but we always like the atmosphere there. I've never seen any trouble or drunks, but I've never been in August, just in July. My kids love going to PamPam for icecream, and there are some nice small shops.
But off course Juan les Pins is not an old town, if that is what you are looking for.
From the Pinede area of Juan, you could walk to Cap d'Antibes I suppose, but I've never done that. The road along the sea towards Cap d'Antibes is pretty, but quite narrow; I wouldn't want to walk there.

I've been to Cannes often, but in the evening, the place does attract some odd people. I've felt much more at ease in Juan les Pins and Antibes than in Cannes in the evening.

If you are looking for a romantic meal in Antibes, I can recommend Les Vieux Murs, right on the old city wall. Very good food, but expensive. And I've already mentioned Les Pecheurs, just outside Juan Les Pins (towards Antibes); there are two restaurants; one is more 'fusion' with a bar, the other a specialty fish restaurant.

I also like Plage Keller on Plage de la Garoupe, Cap d'Antibes. Lunch on the beach there in summer is great; it's always full, so you have to book. And from there, there's a walking path around Cap d'Antibes; that could be romantic too!

If you are looking at places away from the beach, also think about Mougins; old town, great restaurants, and very easy to get to most places, since it's just off the A8 motorway.

Can't help with hotels, since I don't usually stay in hotels there.

flygirl

you have a fun dilemma - where to go and where to stay!

I do hope you decide to get a car, one of my favorite memories is driving way high up above the sea. the view is stupendous and the windy roads fun. the one time my little car didn't have power steering and of course you slow down so much for the hairpins (at least I do, I don't wish to go over the edge) that it was a nice little workout.

I also believe at least one of the James Bond driving scenes were filmed there.

I agree, Menton is way out there. but a nice drive!