Where to stay for short family beach getaway near Marseille?
 

Hi all,

We will be ending our 3 week trip to France by flying out from Marseille (we booked open jaw tickets into Paris and out of Marseille). We will be in Paris, Normandy and Provence. I have blocked off the last 3 nights to stay somewhere near Marseille to catch our return flight. Ideally, I am looking for something near the beach so we can relax by the sea before flying home (we are 2 adults and 2 kids, ages 8 and 10). .

I am having trouble figuring out lodging for these last 3 nights. It doesn't sound like the beaches in Marseille are that nice. We have been to Nice on a previous trip so I am less interested in staying in a city proper like Marseille (although I do want to try bouillabaisse!). Cassis looks like a pretty town and I am intrigued by visitng the calanques (although it seems like they are only "viewable" by boat - not sure my kids could hike into the national park). Can anyone recommend a good place to stay close to a nice beach? (not sure if the beaches are only pebble beaches). We want to be within 45 minutes of MRS airport. Note that we will be driving from Les Baux area so anywhere from the Blue Coast to Cassis would work. I would prefer a 1 bdrm so the kids have their own sleeping area.

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

Cassis - sand beach.

Stu Dudley

You may check Cassis, la Ciotat, Les Lecques, Sanary, Fabregas, St-Elme.....
I suppose you know the the seawater will remain rather cool until early July.

The whole area is nice but Cassis is the best. Sorry I can't help with hotel recs that include a one bedroom but check some of the hotel sites. You might also consider 2 nights in Cassis and spending your last night in Marseille to be closer to the airport. We found Marseille quite delightful after avoiding it for many years in the false idea that it was dirty, run down and awful. Not so. Fun, attractive and interesting.

You may only view the calanques by boat, but why is that a problem? It is a pleasant outing. And they do have a real small beach right in the center of town.

>>You may only view the calanques by boat<<

I think it is actually better by boat. I prefer views of pretty coastlines by boat over by foot from the shore (Amalfi coast, Acadia National Park, Maine), Brittany.

Stu Dudley

At least two of the calanques have little beaches with some sandy patches-- one behind La Ciotat (La Lavande, I think it is called, and it's an easy walk from a municipal parking lot), and the Calanque des Figuerolles, which is a resort once frequented by the likes of Marlon Brando: www.figuerolles.com

Could be a nice day trip with a drive along the Route des Cretes.

Thanks, all.

Having trouble finding lodging in mid-July when we are planning to be there. Seeing more options in Marseille. How are the beaches in Marseille proper? Is the water quality such that they are swimmable? We will definitely do a boat trip to the Calanques but I was also hoping we could find a swimming beach for our stay.

Thanks!

Jacolis,

You mentioned in your original post that you were looking for a 1-bedroom ? If that is what you been searching for, I think finding one for just 3 nights in mid-July in Cassis is going to be extremely difficult. The vast majority of vacation rentals during that time of year ont he coast will be 1 week minimum.

Perhaps book a hotel ?

Anyway, Cassis would certainly fit the bill for you. If not, you could try around Sausset or Carry. We used to go to the beach nearby called St. Croix when we lived in Aix. Great little sandy beach, not built up and relatively quiet even during the summer (weekends excepted).

Marseille itself would be a bad choice, IMO. As much as I love the city, the beaches aren't fantastic and especially if you are looking for a relaxing few days with young kids in mid-summer, Marseille isn't the place.

- Kevin

Thanks very much, all.

I ended up finding a suite in a B&B in the hills above the Calanques and will follow the suggestion of spending our last night at the Pullman airport hotel.

As noted by Kevin above, most of the places with a 1 bedroom required a 7 night stay which didn't fit in with our timing for this leg of the trip (we will be coming from a week's stay at a villa near Les Baux). We will plan to do a day trip to the beaches/Calanques.

And, I will definitely do a boat trip to the Calanques. My comment about seeing them by boat referred to the fact that apparently you can "hike in" (or down to?) to the Calanques but I didn't think that seemed feasible with the kids.

Thanks all for your help! We are getting excited for this trip... especially now the days are turning dark and cold in Canada. :(

>>apparently you can "hike in" (or down to?) to the Calanques but I didn't think that seemed feasible with the kids. <<

One of my older guide books says that the area is closed off to hikers in the summer. I don't know if that is still true.

Stu Dudley

I've sure you will have tons more housing options in Marseille than Cassis, Cassis is minuscule. And there is that resort option factor for Cassis, you can't rent place for only a few days.

The beaches in Marseille are not right in the city, of course. And they can be polluted. But there are plenty of them to the north and south, just outside the city. Here is a description of some to the south
http://www.marvellous-provence.com/o...ches/marseille

Stu -

Yes, that's still true (even more so). The Calanques are regularly closed to hikers during the summer, though it does depend on whether or not there's been recent rain. In any case, the tourist office in Cassis can give regular updates for anyone curious.

I've done both the boat ride and a number of hikes - frankly, it's all gorgeous !

- Kevin

Thanks Kevin.

For our late summer trip to France this year, we got "stuck" in Paris for two extra nights because of the AF strike. After many "busy" calls to AF where they just hung-up on us, and also trying to use their on-line reservation system (that could only book us on another AF flight - which would probably be cancelled too), they finally got us on a non-stop United flight. This was after calling the AF office in the USA, getting to talk to a real person, and waiting/talking two hrs on the phone.

In Paris we were chatting at dinner with an older couple from Montpellier. She said that she never flies AF because of their frequent strikes.

Do you fly AF if there are other options? I know United/Lufthansa flies from SFO to both Nice and Marseille (both 1 stop) - plus of course, non-stop to Paris.

Giants are hot!!! Up 2-1 in Natl League playoffs. Go Giants!!!

Stu Dudley

Hi Stu,

I generally try to avoid Air France if at all possible, though having said that, I just booked them for a trip to FL - flights were very good with short stopovers and the price was right. Since I'm not constrained by work issues, if strike happens, it happens. Though I suppose for a while, we are safe since the pilots pretty much got everything they asked for.

The worst by far is the SNCM (ferries to Corsica). Never, at any cost, booked with them. Go with Corsica Ferries (italian). The italians know the meaning of work !!

- Kevin

p.s.: can't get excited about the Giants since I'm a die-hard (fortunately) Mets fan from way back...

>>Though I suppose for a while, we are safe since the pilots pretty much got everything they asked for.<<

I heard it was a stalemate??? However, it ended while we were back in the US, so your information is probably better than mine. If it was a stalemate, I was assuming that they would strike again in June - before the French take their vacations, and while the rest of us are trying to get to France. We're Flying AF to Paris/Montpellier on June 12, but returning in July.

Giants up 3-1 - win last night.

Stu Dudley

That's interesting as I was just in France and everything I read was that they finally agreed to stop the strike but they, in fact, were not satisfied and did not get everything they wanted at all. Unless something has changed since the end of September when I read that in all the news. Being in the US or not is irrelevant to reading the news, the news isn't different, you can read European newspapers from the US.

I usually fly AF if I'm going to France, or any open-jaw that ends up there as they usually have the best fares for me, and they fly nonstop to/from Paris from where I live. I also like their planes and food better than, say, United. But ultimately it's the schedule and fare, that's all.

I have never had a problem with their strikes and I've been flying them for decades. They don't strike that often, but more than some other airlines, of course. Partly I've just been lucky, I guess, but I think it is seasonal, also. I usually go in summer and I don't think they've ever had a strike in July-August. Their strikes usually revolve around dates related to contracts, I believe, and that's why there are more in the Fall or early Spring. There was a strike in June of last year (and this year), but that was the French air traffic controllers, not Air France employees. They also struck in the Fall of 2012 (air traffic control).