Tag Archives: South of France

  • Understated Chic!

    September 8, 2012

    Leave a comment

    St. Tropez, France…last day in this French playground! I decide to take a more laid back approach today to the beach in order to cap off my holiday on the Cote d’Azure…

    Instead of one of the swanky beach clubs, I choose Aqua Club. A simpler, less glitzy club along the same yacht filled beach. It’s situated next to yesterday’s Les Palmiers but it’s a world apart!

    I can sit on my lounger and watch people shuttled in from awaiting yachts on one side or I can view the nudist beach to my other side. But this club has no pretension, no class system, and no attitude! It’s a feet in the sand kind of place on the shore…

    Lunch is served simply…tables right on the beach. The list of daily specials sound great and I pick beef carpacio and fresh mussels, one of my favs! Of course, I don’t forget to accompany it with a heaping plate of French fries…I am holding out on my all time favorite, steak tartare for when I am in Paris later this month!
    Besides the laid back vibe, my day here costs half of what it did at the other chicer clubs.

    Its been a marvelous summer getting to spend time on all of Europe’s rivieras…each uniquely it’s own! This winter I’ll be itching for a trip to St Barths…it’s the closet thing we have to this riviera!

    20120908-173604.jpg

    20120908-173612.jpg

    20120908-173623.jpg

  • Fabulous on a Budget!

    September 8, 2012

    Leave a comment

    St. Tropez, France…this destination is beautiful but it can be harmful to your wallet! I have prided myself this trip on creating major wows on a fairly low budget! Usually, I live by a “Don’t worry, live it up…it’s vacation!” mentality when I travel. But when the trip is 4 months long, that policy needs to be re-examined!

    I knew the French Riviera would be my expense challenge! How can I play with the International elite without breaking the bank? Well, a lot of research and planning and I did very well by Cote d’Azure standards…

    The 5 star hotels like Hotel Sezz or Hotel Byblos start at $500 a night and more often hover around $1000 a night! I found a lovely French hotel, Hotel Mouillage, and by booking in advance secured a rate well under $200. I was worried, but it’s a lovely French style hotel…clean, air conditioned, and decorated in a Provencal style…I have an amazing room with large terrace overlooking their great pool and gardens! Plus, its walking distance to town which saves on overpriced taxis! A total Score!

    Now I needed to keep my spending in check…I decided to splurge on the beach clubs and lunch since that is the essence of life in St. Tropez! That splurge cost approx $150 a day between beach chairs and food! Of course, there are public parts of the beach which are free, but I am not a bare bones kind of guy! The hotel owner was so friendly and he matched me up daily with other guests so we could carpool together in a taxi to the beach! A huge savings…

    I stocked up on drinks and snacks at the grocery store and there are a plethora of take out places, gourmet shops, and little bakeries that have delicious delicacies for take out! I would do dinner on my private terrace for $10-15 and really have a lovely and relaxing time. Grazing on authentic cous-cous, rich salads, delicious sandwiches, or amazing French pizza!

    Then it was off to town nightly to enjoy the parade of yachts and the energy of the beautiful harbor!

    I wasn’t luxuriating on a yacht, rubbing elbows with celebrities, power shopping at Hermes, or indulging in bottles of champagne…but I created my own “lifestyles of the rich and famous” week in the home of Brigitte Bardot, St. Tropez!

    20120908-115630.jpg

    20120908-115638.jpg

  • La Joie de Vivre!

    September 7, 2012

    1 Comment

    St.Tropez, France…another gorgeous summer day in the Cote d’Azure…I return to the beach but decide to try a newer beach club along the three mile Pampelonne Beach that was recommended to me; Club Les Palmiers. Awash in modernist designer white and with a younger vibe compared to yesterday’s Le Club 55.

    This feels like the Nouveau Riche version of yesterday’s more established old moneyed club. A D.J. blares Euro beats and the crowd looks straight out of the gym with their toned bodies! Of course, there are plenty of pretty young model wannabes with their wealthy older suitors. It seems this is the club of choice for the Hotel Byblos as I see guests with their blue striped hotel towels arriving.

    Life in these beach clubs doesn’t come cheap…a chaise, umbrella, and towel costs 46 euro for the day! I prefer these loungers as they are more comfortable than yesterday’s. But I like the feel of this club, sort of South Beach meets French Riviera…a variety of loungers and beds fill the beach and bold sculptures are scattered about. Flashy as only the French can do!

    I reserve a table at the second seating of lunch at 3:30. The prices are just as insane as the rest of St Tropez’s inflated prices! Truly feeling sticker shock! Models do a fashion show and glide around tables in order to show off their over-the-top wares and the crowd gets up dancing away at their tables as the music blares! Girls in their bikinis gyrate on tables on the beach…it’s September and it’s crazy, I can only imagine what August must be like! Its a day in euro trash glory, albeit very wealthy euro trash…

    Economic slowdown? Money woes? Rising unemployment? Not on the radar here! It’s like a fantasy land of excesses! Just let reality go and live like the French do!

    20120907-180848.jpg

    20120907-180908.jpg

    20120907-180930.jpg

    20120907-180945.jpg

    20120907-181004.jpg

    20120907-181020.jpg

    20120907-181031.jpg

    20120907-181103.jpg

  • Through Artist’s Eyes!

    September 5, 2012

    2 Comments

    St. Tropez, France…the harbor is lined with artists showing off their craft. It is amazing how we all look at the same thing but see it so differently! I was taken by how each artist interpreted the beauty of this place with such a distinctly different point of view.

    I love creativity and it goes to show there are many ways to look at this world! We each have a different filter…that’s why we each can experience the same place in our own unique way!

    20120905-200431.jpg

    20120905-200438.jpg

    20120905-200447.jpg

    20120905-200456.jpg

    20120905-200503.jpg

    20120905-200511.jpg

    20120905-200521.jpg

  • Market Daze!

    September 4, 2012

    Leave a comment

    St.Tropez, France…So far this trip, I have hit the Italian, Spanish, and Croatian Rivieras…now it is time for the French Riviera!

    I arrived in Nice from Rome yesterday and then took a very expensive 2 hour taxi ride to St. Tropez. The weather wasn’t in my favor, but I was tired from partying on the cruise so some r&r was fine by me!

    There is something magical about St Tropez…the gorgeous people, the wealth, the fashion, and the food! This morning, I was greeted by blue skies and headed to one of my favorite events in St. Tropez; the market at Place des Lices that is held every Tuesday and Saturday!

    This is one of my favorite markets! Food, soaps, tapestries, hats, you name it; all with that indelible French accent to it! You can wander for hours through this crowded market of goodies!

    I’ll get to the jet set and yachting fabulousness that this town is known for, but first I treated myself to a morning in the market for a total French fix!

    20120904-152013.jpg

    20120904-152020.jpg

    20120904-152032.jpg

    20120904-152041.jpg

    20120904-152053.jpg