Sunny French Rivera

Arrival 

Traveling after the first covid rush was as exciting as scary. We couldn't wait to discover, meet and eat in restaurants again but at the same time we did not really know how things would really be after the pandemic. Luckily everything sort of fell in place, the happiness of traveling again made everything much easier.

Cassis

I needed a worldwide pandemic to finally take time to visit new cities. It was my first time visiting the beautiful little Cassis town, well known for its lemons and port. We had to chance to get an Airbnb only fifty meters from the main "promenade", it was super cozy and well designed with some Mexican inspirations. We ate well... amazingly well ! Fresh fish and vegetables, a lot of french provincial wine, and beautiful sceneries. Cassis is a tiny town on the coast in which you can sail and hike to hidden stone beaches. The main hike can take two to five hours depending on which beach you are willing to reach, we did around three hours very early morning in order to come before tourist mass. The hike is rather easy, with a few bottles of water and some good shoes you'll be perfect. Before leaving Cassis to join nearby towns, we had an oriental massage in a spa located in one of the tiny yellow streets of Cassis.

Port-Grimaud / St Tropez

You maybe know St-Tropez more than Port-Grimaud... however, Port Grimaud is a secret gem at only ten minutes by boat of Ramatuelle's beaches. It's a little less crowded and a lot more authentic. Located on the French Rivera, Port Grimaud offers many accommodation types. From apartments to villas, you can also glamping and sleep on boats. Restaurants usually serve fish and with a taxi boat, you can easily join St Tropez to party all night. Like any port, the local beach isn't the nicest of the region but like I said, only ten minutes away by boat of twenty by car will brining you to the well know beaches of Ramatuelle. Port-Grimaud allows you to stay very close to the trendy St Tropez zone but on a lower budget as well. If you want to experience more of the luxury south of France type then St Tropez is really nice as well, there are luxury shops everywhere in very provincial houses/buildings. It's possible to eat all sorts of food, be careful to not be trapped in touristy restaurants. You should try to look deeper into the streets and check Trip Advisor reviews. Don't miss coffee break at the very well known Dior café!

Monaco 

If you go further on the south of France coast, you will arrive in Monaco. Monaco is a sovereign city-state bordering the French's Alpes Maritimes and the Mediterranean sea. It's well known for its major events such as the Grand Prix of Monaco and the Yacht Show. It has many beautiful hotels and restaurants bordering the sea as well as major Casinos. Passing between France and Monaco wasn't an issue, be decided to rent an apartment in the french part called Beau-Soleil because it was way less expensive. We ate a lot of good food and discovered Cap D'Ail beaches after a tiny hike. The water was crystal blue and the sand very clean and nice. We discovered the Menton town near Monaco and walked through the old town. Monaco offers many kinds of restaurants and good food however prices are very high. We were impressed by the number and the variety of luxury cars... everything looks luxurious. After night walking into town we really wanted to experience the Casino of Monaco in which we entered for about one hour. Money games weren't the purpose of our visit but we are glad we entered this amazing building!