melodyt13

Hello

Planning spring trip to St. Tropez area for first time. Where's the best area to rent a villa in.. I"m looking at St. Maxime. Looks very close to St. Tropez and has a nice sandy beach..

Any tips on dining in ST. Tropez, getting around, other day trips, etc..

Thanks everyone

Underhill

My main tip on St-Tropez is to go there early in the morning. There's just one road into and out of the town, and traffic can be fierce later in the day.

St. Maxime/Fréjus are favorite holiday towns for the French--very nice.

Surfergirl

I second everything said by Underhill. Ste Maxime has some really great restaurants as well.

Patrick

When are you going? I could be wrong, but I really don't think the traffic is all that bad in the spring. July and August it is bumper to bumper, though.

St. Tropez has one of the greatest markets anywhere -- I forget what day of the week. There are great seafood restaurants and bars along the BUSY harbor, and some nice shops as well.

You're a stone's throw from Provence for unlimited daytrips. You can also go to Cannes for the day by boat if you don't want to drive.

Underhill

One more time...the Côte d'Azur IS in Provence! It extends from the border of Italy nearly to Nîmes. The Côte d'Azur is just a specific area, like the Lubéron.

Didn't we run this subject to death about a year ago?

Patrick

Was that directed at me? Forgive me for not saying "from the REST of Provence".

I would think most would understand what I meant, just as if you said "staying in Florence -- Tuscany is at your doorstep". Yes, people might say that even though we all know Florence IS IN Tuscany.

SeaUrchin

OH, I am jealous, you are in for a treat! All along the harbour area as Patrick suggests there are excellent restaurants.

I used to go every season but it has been a while so I shouldn't give any restaurant recs, but just wanted to say you are making an excellent villa location choice.

Underhill

No, Patrick, it was directed to everyone in the past two weeks who keeps talking about going to Provence from Nice or other points on the Côte d'Azur. I just can't take it any more!

Patrick

OK, but I think you're over reacting, Underhill. I hear things like that all the time. Surely you have to admit that when someone says "I'm going to Provence" you don't instantly assume they're spending the bulk of their time in Nice. When most of us think Provence, we think of the countryside and not the coast, just like when speaking of Tuscany we mainly tend to think of the villages --not Florence.

There are many strange advertising slogans if that bothers you. How about "Visit Sanibel and Southwest Florida"? Huh, I thought Sanibel IS in Southwest Florida. Or what about "visit Louisiana from New Orleans"? Heck, I've even heard people say I want to stay in Brooklyn and visit New York City.

Underhill

Actually, when I hear Provence I see the Michelin map that runs from east to west. For many years what we now call Provence was referred to as the South of France, including the Côte d'Azur and east to Menton.

I never hear the French in the region referring to the area as anything other than Provence. It's only when I started reading these boards that I came across Provence's being considered only the western part of the geographical region.

Patrick

"I never hear the French in the region referring to the area as anything other than Provence."

Really? How unusual. My experience has been that I've NEVER heard a person living in Nice say "here in Provence". Instead they tend to say "here in Nice" or "here in the Cote d'Azur" or even "here on the Riviera".

And if you go to any of the hundreds of apartment and/or hotel sites on the internet, you'll see the places along the coast listed as "Cote d'Azur" or "Riviera" apartments -- rarely, if ever as "apartments in Provence". Go to any number of them, click on "Provence" and see which apartments are listed. Click on Cote d'Azur and you'll find a whole different group listed.

Don't get me wrong. I know you are correct, but I think this is one of those things that has come to be commonly used differently that its true meaning. What's more, I keep seeing things listed as "Provence AND the Cote d'Azur" and that includes websites by regional tourism boards. So I think those of us who say the same are in pretty good company.

Here's a really good example pretty close to home. Go to the following link and look at the possible "destinations" in France. You'll see that one destination is Provence and another is Cote d'Azur (which in fact if you read it, never once mentions that the Cote d'Azur is IN Provence). Are you going to argue with Fodors?

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/ind...stscope=europe

4totravel

Back to St. Tropez - great choice for a vacation!
When are you going? If it is beach weather you won't find better in the area than at Plage de Pampelonne.
Also, day trip to Gassin - a small hilltop town with views of St. Tropez, cobblestone streets, small restaurants overlooking the sea.
Also on the way to St. Maxime from the A8 (exit 36) is a Olive Oil Mill/Store - Olivier Thierry.
Enjoy!

Underhill

Our friends who live near Grasse are in no doubt whatsoever that they live in Provence--and they find the distinction between the Côte d'Azur and the rest of Provence silly.

Keep in mind that the Côte d'Azur/Riviera was essentially invented by the British--before then it was not considered a separate region, just part of the over-all south of France. (See Mary Blume's book "Côte D'Azur: Inventing the French Riviera."