I%26#39;m throughly confused and would appreciate if any of you could steer me along.
I%26#39;m looking at the French Riviera for a 10 year anniversary trip. My wife and I (both 31) would be going with our son, who would be 5 1/2 at the time. I want to enjoy the beaches, so I would imagine that our timing would be July or August, to enjoy the warmest weather. I%26#39;m also thinking that a week%26#39;s stay would be what we%26#39;re aiming for.
But I%26#39;ve spent the past hour looking at the TA forums for Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Juan les Pins, and St. Tropez. So although I%26#39;m more educated on the matter than I was an hour ago, I%26#39;m also more confused!
Here is what we%26#39;re looking for:
1) A 4+ star hotel with a nice pool and easy access to the beach. If the hotel is not beachfront, it%26#39;s got to be within a short walking distance.
2) A beach that children can enjoy. I%26#39;ve read about the pebbly beaches of Nice...and read the mixed reviews on whether these are ok for kids or not.
3) Beautiful sea/water. Some pictures I%26#39;ve seen look to be turquoise (like the Carribean), others look like what I%26#39;m used to here in New Jersey.
4) Nearby access to french cafes, restaurants, and shopping.
So first and foremost, our question is where would you recommend staying?
Secondly, it seems that the French Riviera is nowhere near Paris. Considering this would be our first time crossing the Atlantic, it might be worth our while to make a trip to Paris. If our vacation were to last a week, is there sufficient time to include Paris in our travel plans, or is that another vacation entirely?
And lastly, for now, to stay in any of the aforementioned locales, would we fly into Nice%26#39;s airport? We%26#39;d be leaving out Philly or Newark (NJ) or JFK...probably depending on where we can score the best airfare.
Neither my wife nor I speak a word of French, so if that matters at all, I thought I would mention it.
Thanks to everyone in advance for your help.
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First of all, beaches in Nice don%26#39;t compare to Cape May (re:pebbles) but the sky is so blue you%26#39;ll see some turquoise in the water. You have sandy beaches in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Menton and Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins and some other places.
Hotels with pools are not standard in Nice. The Sheraton and the Palais de la Méditerranée may suit your needs, the latter being closer to the Old Town, the shops and the restaurants.
Nice Airport is an International airport with all facilities, don%26#39;t worry. You probably have direct flights from Newark, even Philly. And Air France has very efficient connecting flights through Paris.
Talking about Paris , keep it for another trip. It is quite far (1.5 hr by plane and 6.5 hrs by high speed trains) and even if you are on the Riviera for 7 days, you%26#39;ll be jet-lagged on your 1st day, so I wouldn%26#39;t count on it.
If you can%26#39;t stand pebbles and want a 4 star close to a sandy beach, have a look at some hotels in Beaulieu-sur-Mer or Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins.
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In Nice, both Le Meridien and La Pérouse have pools; the latter is a very nice hotel built into the side of the château rock. Rooms with terraces and sea views are the nicest, and there%26#39;s a roof-top sun lounge with incredible views. Both hotels are near Vieux Nice (I mean a distance of about 2 blocks).
Given your child, you might consider the Holiday Inn at St-Laurent-du-Var. It%26#39;s quite kid-friendly and is right on a good beach--there%26#39;s also a pool. Restaurants and cafés are nearby, as is the large shopping mall with a branch of Galeries Lafayette.
If your trip will be in the summer of 2009 you have plenty of time to pick up at least basic French. Nice is a major resort town; so you can get by without much, but it does help to speak a little.
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Look up my post of last July on The Riviera with Children....spend a day with your child in Antibes where he will have everything from a petting pond to waterslides and pony rides....
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July and August likely to be hotter than you%26#39;d want - i.e. too hot to sightsee, and August in particular is French school holidays - so extremely busy!
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If all you want is to enjoy a beach holiday, I%26#39;m not sure that the Riviera is the best choice. Even the %26quot;sandy%26quot; beaches are not what I%26#39;d call sand - they%26#39;re a sort of small gravel. Having said that, I%26#39;d also recommend the hotel La Perouse in Nice. For a beach that children would enjoy, I%26#39;d recommend the Plage Larvotto in Monte Carlo because it has a small playground on it, there are lots of beach cafes, lots of other children and a net that protects it from jellyfish. For beautiful sea water, it depends on if you want to just look at it or swim in it. Unfortunately, the mediterranean is not the cleanest of seas, even if it looks gorgeous. If you%26#39;ve only got a week, I wouldn%26#39;t combine it with Paris, which merits a completely separate holiday as there%26#39;s so much to see.
Finally, if you%26#39;re planning a trip to France, then please do learn the basics of the language. The French are very proud of their language and in general you will get better service if you can say hello, please, thank you etc in French. Many older French people don%26#39;t speak English, and many of the service jobs are staffed by those who may have done only a year of English at school. There are lots of teach yourself language packs around and I%26#39;d strongly recommend getting hold of one and learning the basics.
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Paris for romance and history.... The Riviera for mostly rocky beaches and sea views. Paris is so easy to navigate. There are many reasons that it is visited. Surf the Paris forum for impressions. Consider Amalfi and the Italian Riviera for spectacular sea views and Italian romance. English spoken very well in all locales. Happy planning!
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