There comes a time when one city, even a multi-cultural one, is not enough to satiate a girl’s all-consuming appetite. That time is now – in blustery, chilly London in mid-May – when a girl knows just a short plane hop away in Cannes all that glitters is Palme D’Or…
You can eat France in London pretty easily – from Paul and Le Pain Quotien bakeries and affordable brasseries (Zedel is the Paris in London; Cafe Rouge is so out) to expensive Michelin stars. But for a taste of the South of France, you need sun – lots of it, continually (no chance in London) – for the fruit and veg to ripen to perfection, to eat outdoors, to chargrill the meat and fish, and you need their rose wine – the good stuff you rarely find in London.
So my advice is go there – you can fly to Nice pretty cheaply with Easyjet – at any time of the year, as they have 300 days of sunshine a year. My first trip to the South of France in mid-May, 25 years ago, made quite an impression on me. Since then I have summered there, wintered there, witnessed 9/11 there on French TV, honeymooned there, even conceived somewhere between Nice and St Tropez (ok, too much information). Yes, and I intend to die there. At least have my ashes strewn in the moon-lit sea opposite Chateau Grimaldi in Antibes (to Debussy’s Clair de Lune).
I recommend the South of France any month of the year, but mid-May is when it hits the spotlight as the film world gathers in Cannes, immediately followed by the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. You don’t have to be a superstar or super rich to go there. Prices for accommodation are hiked up and flights can be expensive, but you can get reasonably priced flights and cheaper lodgings outside Cannes. It’s the best time to stroll down La Croisette and people-watch. Just don a smart jacket and you won’t feel out of place. If you like celeb-spotting, standing by the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals under the warm azur sky is far preferable to drowning in Leicester Square at a damp film premiere. You may even get into a film premier or you could gatecrash an after-party if you’re in the mood. Or just sit and soak up the atmosphere at sunset on the terrace of the Belle Epoque bar at the Carlton, which has a perfect view of the sea and pretty people walking their miniature dogs on the Croissette, and sip – very slowly – their 24-euro cocktails.
When Cannes is in the can, take the spectacular coastal drive to Monte Carlo and mingle with seasoned Grand Prix goers who will tell you exactly where to stand to watch fast cars whizz past without paying for grandstand tickets.
But the South of France isn’t just about fast cars, glitz and glamour. There’s art and beauty in abundance. From stylish shop front displays and street lamps to immaculate roadside gardens and pavements studded with pretty pebbles, you don’t have to go to a museum to see art – though there are plenty of them. Or simply dine at La Colombe d’Or in St Paul de Vence and oggle in awe at Picasso, Miro, Leger, Braque, Calder on its walls. It also has the prettiest outdoor restaurant in the world.
The Azur sunlight is what attracted the artists, and it is also what makes you happy, as does the warmth in your bones. By June, the seas are warm, clear and sparkly, and the beaches are immaculately combed and sieved. The sandy beaches in Juan les Pins are the ones to head for. Grab a beach umbrella and mat and pitch up on a public beach or splash out on a private beach (20-30 euros a day) and relax on a sunbed by the water. Take a dip, order drinks from handsome waiters, sleep, read, and when you get hungry, step five metres behind you and grab a healthy salad at the beach club restaurant.
In July when it really hots up – temperature and crowd-wise – Juan les Pins becomes Paris-on-sea for the Bastille day fireworks on 14 July, when all along the coast disgruntled locals (and grateful tourists) watch a bulk of their taxes go up in flames – elaborate fireworks in the shape of golden palm trees explode all along the coast from a fleet of barges. Once you’ve experienced this magnificent display on a warm, balmy night sitting in a restaurant or on a beach sipping champagne, you’ll never be tempted out to a fireworks night in the freezing fog in London!
July also means jazz – Jazz a Juan, in Nice, and all along the Cote, which attract the world’s best musicians. Like art, music is everywhere, in the streets, restaurants, parks and beaches, not just confined to the stages. But buskers they are not. You can listen to professional bands from around the world sitting in a restaurant in Antibes square or just walking along the seafront. The prettiest stage is set amongst the pines in Juan les Pins (where ‘My Lovely’ goes in Peter Sarstedt’s song ‘Where Do You Go To…’). Sipping champagne, listening to Melody Gardot, watching the sun set over the sea behind the pine-fringed stage is my ambition this summer!
If you don’t have tickets for the concerts, just hang out at the bar at the Garden Beach hotel nearby. That’s where all the musicians stay, and the best improvised jam sessions are often heard there, after hours.
In August, avoid the coast. It’s too hot and too crowded, and you’ll spend half your holiday in traffic jams. Instead, go inland and tour the medieval hill top villages and the Mercantour National Park with its rivers and waterfalls. Look up the lovely Anglo-Australian-married-to-Frenchman Phoebe who runs the charming http://www.loumessugo.com holiday apartment for all the local ins and outs. Also http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/franceb/FR19733.htm for a perfect little apartment to rent at a reasonable price in Mougins.
Go on! What’s stopping you? Looks like the crap weather’s here to stay so pack up and go! I’ll meet you My Lovelies in the bar at the Garden Beach Hotel!
PS You can also ski in the sun in the south of France but that’s another story.
worldivore 
What a lovely evocative piece. You describe it so well, I feel like I’m in the south of France. Oh wait, I am!!! Yes I know how lucky I am to live here and thank you so much for mentioning my little giîte, Lou Messugo.