French Riviera for Tighter Budgets
Stretching from the Italian border towards Toulon, this Mediterranean coast receives more visitors during summer months than any other part of France. In XIX century Cannes and Nice attracted European royalty and nobility; fishing villages became fashionable seaside resorts. Artists – Renoir, Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso, and Chagall were charmed by this land where sea meets the sun-drenched coast, and the air is filled with the fragrance of orange blossoms.
We had only four days during our French trip to explore the Riviera, and opted for Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a “favorite holiday destination amongst European aristocracy”.
(http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/stjeanca/stjeanca.htm).
Saint-Jean is only six miles from Monaco, and can be easily reached from Nice either by bus, or by car. In fact, taxi proved to be a better option: for âÂ?¬ 30 we enjoyed a panoramic ride with views of Old Town, and Promenade des Anglais, accompanied by our driver’s wry comments about the crazy pace of Parisian life. Contrary to common misconception, the majority of the French speaks English, and makes a sincere effort to understand you. Out of my not-so-extensive French vocabulary the most useful phrase proved to be: “Sorry, I don’t speak French. Do you speak English?” Together with “Good morning” and “Thank you” it worked miracles.
There are several hotels in Cap-Ferrat ranging from one to four stars depending on the quality of accommodations. This classification is based on room size, dining options, amenities (air conditioning, TV in the room), elevators, renovations, etc.
(http://www.autoeurope.com/guides/France/France-hotels.cfm).
Often two or three-star hotels will have all the qualities of a four-star establishment without one essential feature – an elevator, or AC. You have to inquire about a particular hotel and its options before making a final decision. We chose three-star hotel Clair Logis (12, av. Centrale, 06230 St Jean Cap Ferrat, tel: 04 93 76 51 81) based on the online description. Reviews from other travelers (http://www.tripadvisor.com) were contradicting, and we decided to find out for ourselves. The room rate in July was âÂ?¬ 105 per night, and we were charged an additional âÂ?¬ 10 per person for breakfast (croissants, coffee or tea, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, cheeses and jams). The hotel consists of several buildings surrounded by a lovely garden. Breakfast was served on the terrace of the main house – a charming turn-of the-century villa, and from our rooms we walked down the gravel path among cypresses and orange trees. Some guests spent the siesta hours in the garden, sunbathing or reading.
Our room came with a little balcony; sometimes we had our evening meals there, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the place. The hotel owner advised us to lock balcony doors before leaving; apparently Saint-Jean is not a crime-free paradise.
It is easy to find your way around Saint-Jean: all you need is a map and good walking shoes. Our host kindly provided us with the first, explaining the best way to get to the beach. There were three of them, all within walking distance from the hotel. Beach Paloma had a restaurant that served salads, pizzas, and more sophisticated food to hungry crowds. Our way to stay within the budget was to make lunch the major meal of the day, and to buy fresh fruit, bread, cheese and pastries for the evening. Saint-Jean does not have an open-air market; however we found a small fruit and vegetable shop close to the hotel to be quite adequate. Sometimes this routine was broken. We treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Captain’s Cook restaurant: fish soup followed by lamb Provencal accompanied by a local rose wine, and a chocolate cake. The hostess offered us a complimentary delicious liqueur produced by the establishment. The bill for three came to âÂ?¬ 100.
Saint-Jean continues to attract vacationers of different social strata mostly from Europe and the United States. In 1905 Beatrice Ephrussi from the Rothschild family built a magnificent villa in Renaissance style surrounded by seven theme gardens: French, Spanish, Japanese, and Provencal among them. Visitors walk from the fragrant rose garden through the Florentine staircase, admiring exotic Japanese temples. The view of the pink villa through the cascading waters of many fountains is unforgettable. The villa and the gardens welcome more than a 100,000 tourists every year. A half-hour walk takes you from there to the center of town; beach Passable is a short distance away.
For those interested in Ancient Greek culture, Villa Kerylos (Impasse Gustave Eiffel, 06310 Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Tel: 04 93 01 01 44) in the nearby Beaulieu-sur-Mer recreates the atmosphere of a wealthy citizen’s house in second century BC. Villa Kerylos was built in 1902 for Theodore Reinach, a historian born into a prominent banker family. Every detail of the villa from wall decorations to furniture was modeled after Greek originals.
The map of the town proved very helpful: we carried it along while hiking around the peninsula. The path led us along the coast, changing from a leisurely promenade to a rugged trail among rocks and pine trees. There were quite a few bathing spots along the way; bringing a towel and a picnic lunch can be a good idea.
Saint-Jean certainly deserves its fame as a fashionable resort: high walls and secure fences protect the privacy of luxurious villas and gardens. One can easily spend a fortune vacationing here. However, Cap Ferrat is not a forbidden territory for travelers with tighter budgets: one has only to know how.
