August 2023
We had SUCH A GREAT TIME! It was perfect. The first two days were chilly and rainy, but on the second day by 2 pm, we made it to the top of Eze and the sun was shining, and then every day thereafter! Thankfully. Because that area with the sun and the blue ocean and the colorful buildings you can’t appreciate on cloudy rainy days. Ala Cote d’Azur
I can’t believe we did the entire French Rivera! The one tour company was the private ones, were amazing. Our guide was THE BEST. He taught us so much about the area, history, geography, and French! He was amazing. He took us to secret spots and lookouts to get the best views. We can’t for the life of us remember his name, he was an older gent like the late 60’s or early 70’s. We tipped him handsomely all the time and bought him wine from one of the wineries we went to. Our favorite place, we wish we had had more time at was St. Paul de Vence!
The hotel was great too. All the drivers were so surprised to find our hotel location, as it was really hidden in a residential area. It was a nice, easy walk to the promenade and the beach each day. Perfect location for us. Was not fancy, but really clean and perfect. The innkeeper, Nicholas, was awesome, we had a lot of fun talking and joking with him every day. He made us such a lovely French breakfast every morning out in the garden. Perfect for our long 6-8 hour touring days. We both actually lost a few pounds, lol from all the walking.
We had one short day, and thankfully really needed it. We spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping on the beach. If I’d change anything, I’d add another beach-chill day. Or even a spa!
We were sad we couldn’t see the lavender fields, but we knew it was the wrong season for that. Our timing was perfect, as the tourists seemed to be calming down, the weather was not too hot, it was perfect, and things were still in full bloom, the Rugby World Cup was going on in Nice so that was fun to see all the revelry. And to our great surprise, Nice was really affordable. Even tho the dollar is less, the food and alcohol were much cheaper than the US.
We had a great vacation thanks to you both! It was perfect! And our neighbors are planning a trip to France, and they were going to wing it! LOL. I said NO WAY. Don’t rent a car there. It’s a nightmare, and you really can’t wing it. And they are like 8-10 years older than us. Their names are Chris and Mary Barnes, I’ll connect you via email.
Thank you so much! We can’t wait to plan the next holiday to Italy with you!
Best,
Jen
