A Visit from Dad

Hotel Dante

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Hotel | "Great Budget Option"

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It was a cold Wednesday evening when I father called me and informed me that he would be coming to visit me in Nice - at rather short notice – and would need somewhere to stay. As my girlfriend and I live in a studio apartment, he couldn't really come to stay with us. So, I needed to find him a hotel. As he is a true Yorkshireman (like myself) he is not keen on over-paying for anything. This presented me something of a problem as I searched accommodation options as value is not something you find readily on the Cote d'Azur.To find the best deal for my dad, I went online and compared the hotels in Nice. As I expected, finding good value was difficult. On IgoUgo (Of course) and Trivago I was succ...Read More

It was a cold Wednesday evening when I father called me and informed me that he would be coming to visit me in Nice - at rather short notice – and would need somewhere to stay. As my girlfriend and I live in a studio apartment, he couldn't really come to stay with us. So, I needed to find him a hotel. As he is a true Yorkshireman (like myself) he is not keen on over-paying for anything. This presented me something of a problem as I searched accommodation options as value is not something you find readily on the Cote d'Azur.
To find the best deal for my dad, I went online and compared the hotels in Nice. As I expected, finding good value was difficult. On IgoUgo (Of course) and Trivago I was successful in finding a few low prices, but I quickly saw that many of the reviews were less than complementary. Additionally, many of the cheaper hotels in Nice are located around the train station which is not the most savoury area of the city in the evening.
Thankfully, there were one or two places that were reasonable and had decent reviews. One of these was the Hotel Dante. Most of the reviews were overwhelmingly positive in terms of the décor and service, the only negative ones seemed to focus on the size of the rooms. Apparently, they were rather small. I decided that as my dad was travelling alone and that Dante seemed to be good value, it was the best choice. My prediction – and all the reviews I found online – proved to be 100 percent correct.
The hotel was nice, albeit unspectacular, the service was friendly and helpful, and the rooms were a little small. My father had a double room, which would have been small for two people. However, it had a spacious bathroom and was well-decorated and comfortable – there just wasn't too much room to walk around. My dad said it was quiet and the bed was very comfortable.
The service also really was excellent. We arrived at just before lunchtime, which meant the room was not ready as check-in time is 14h00. However, the receptionist was very kind and offered to look after the bags whilst we went for lunch. Her English was not fantastic, but it was enough for my father who does not speak French. She also offered tourist maps and suggestions on things we could do in the city. This was all great, but possibly the best piece of service was the breakfast, which was delivered to the room at a time chosen by the guest.
Hotel Dante is a fantastic budget choice for Nice. It is not luxurious and it is small, but it is clean, it is comfortable and the service is excellent. The location is not wonderful as it is not on the Promenade, but it is just a 2 minute walk from the beach and 15 minutes from the Old Town. It cost 31 Euros and night for bed and breakfast for 6 days. If you book for one night the price is 41 Euros. It represents some of the best value in the city.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 3, 2013

Hotel Dante
12 Rue Andrioli
Nice, Provence 06000
866-539-0036

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Snug And Cellar

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Restaurant | "Actually Quite Irish"

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It was a moment of revelation and of wonder. I literally stopped in my tracks and stared in amazement. I had just entered The Snug, an Irish pub in Nice's Old, Town and I was genuinely amazed to find that it was actually Irish. Anyone who has ever read any of my journals will know that 'Irish' pubs that are not particularly Irish and use an Irish moniker just to attract customers is one of my greatest pet peeves. Thus, when I entered The Snug and was enveloped by its atmosphere, I was mightily impressed.The Snug's authenticity worked on all of the senses. However, I will begin with the most direct of these: sight. A large chunk of Irish pubs seem to follow a rather formulaic approach. They opt f...Read More

It was a moment of revelation and of wonder. I literally stopped in my tracks and stared in amazement. I had just entered The Snug, an Irish pub in Nice's Old, Town and I was genuinely amazed to find that it was actually Irish. Anyone who has ever read any of my journals will know that 'Irish' pubs that are not particularly Irish and use an Irish moniker just to attract customers is one of my greatest pet peeves. Thus, when I entered The Snug and was enveloped by its atmosphere, I was mightily impressed.
The Snug's authenticity worked on all of the senses. However, I will begin with the most direct of these: sight. A large chunk of Irish pubs seem to follow a rather formulaic approach. They opt for dark woods at the bar and on the walls, they plaster Guinness logos and paraphernalia everywhere and may even fasten a bicycle to the wall. The Snug, on the other hand, goes for the gentle simplicity you might find in Cork or Kerry. The walls are white and are adorned with only the odd photo, and the gimmmicky decorations are conspicuous by their absence. The only other adornments were chalkboards with beers and food on offer.
The second factor that got me was the smell. It had a very homely aroma. I was not too sure what this was at first. However, when I looked at one of the chalkboards positioned on the bar I saw that on Monday's and Tuesdays there was no chef and that the only food on offer was Irish Stew, which was kept in a giant pressure cooker in the kitchen and was giving off a truly Gaelic smell.
Aside from the Irish Stew, there is a full menu that is served from Wednesday to Sunday. My father had the soup and roll on a Friday lunchtime and it was very good. In fact, it inspired him to go back on the Saturday for more and to take me for a pint of beer on Monday lunchtime. We each had a beer. I had a Guinness, which for French standards was not bad at all. The barman actually new how to pour it – he stopped part way through to let it settle and then topped it up. My father had a Kilkenny, which was also good.
Aside from being an Irish Pub that has a genuine Irish flavour, The Snug is worth a visit for its strong expat feel. There always seem to be lots of people sitting at the bar enjoying a beer and a chat with gives it a great local pub feel. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 3, 2013

Snug And Cellar
22 Rue Droite
Nice, France
09 63 08 02 12

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Cours Saleya Antique Market

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Attraction | "A Great Surprise"

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Even today, I can still recall the emotional pain and boredom I endured for a large part of my formative as I was dragged around countless antique fairs and bric-a-brac stores by parents who were desperately trying to 'unearth a hidden gem'. We seemed to do this almost every weekend when we were at home in England and, as I recall, it also took up a large chunk of time when we took vacations to Normandy and Brittany in Northern France. It still pains me that I lost hours of valuable time to antiquing, when I could have been on the beach or shopping for French football (soccer) shirts.If I am honest, I feel that I need to admit that I no longer have such a vehement dislike of antiquing. In fact, ...Read More

Even today, I can still recall the emotional pain and boredom I endured for a large part of my formative as I was dragged around countless antique fairs and bric-a-brac stores by parents who were desperately trying to 'unearth a hidden gem'. We seemed to do this almost every weekend when we were at home in England and, as I recall, it also took up a large chunk of time when we took vacations to Normandy and Brittany in Northern France. It still pains me that I lost hours of valuable time to antiquing, when I could have been on the beach or shopping for French football (soccer) shirts.
If I am honest, I feel that I need to admit that I no longer have such a vehement dislike of antiquing. In fact, I would even go so far as to claim that I too am now not averse to trying to find a hidden gem somewhere. Therefore, it is not unknown to see my girlfriend and I in Villefranche on a Sunday afternoon browsing the antique market that is held there on a weekly basis. Sadly, the South of France is not an area renowned for the finding of bargains.
Whilst my attitude to antiques has changed my father's has remained the same. He is still an avid enthusiast. Therefore, you would imagine that one of the first places I would have pencilled into his itinerary would have been the antique market in Nice. It wasn't. I am not sure if it was through some kind of repressed and long-standing anger from my childhood, but I completely overlooked it. Thankfully, through pure serendipity, we managed to wander into the market on our way to the Old Town on the final morning of my father's stay.
The market takes place in Cours Saleya on a Monday in the area normally reserved for the flower market. There were plenty of stalls displaying a huge variety of goods. Sadly, none of them were cheap and there was scarcely a bargain to be found. There were, though, plenty of interesting items. In keeping with the image of Nice and the surrounding area, there was plenty of antique clothing and luggage with brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermes dotted everywhere.
As great as the fashion stalls were, both my father and I were drawn to a stall selling military antiques – which is a major interest of my dad's. There were a couple old cavalry sabres, which still maintained their rather intimidating lustre, and also a couple of rather cumbersome looking rifles. However, we both found a display of badges and medals far more interesting. There were a few medale militaire's and the occasional Legion d'Honoure (France's highest military honour) on show, but there was also a lot of stuff from the French Vichy government that ruled the country in collaboration with the Nazis in WWII. They seemed very interesting little pieces and ones that we would not have found in England.
Despite the recurring nightmares from my childhood that it inspired, the antique market in Nice was extremely interesting. It takes place in the Old Town every Monday. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on April 3, 2013

Cours Saleya Antique Market
Cours Saleya
Nice, France

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Enjoying the Weather on St Jean Cap Ferrat

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It was my father's last full day in Nice and, up until that point, we had been hamstrung somewhat by the weather. It had rained for a the few days preceding it, which meant we had not really been able to enjoy some of the outdoor scenery on the Cote d'Azur. Instead, we had been limited to galleries and museums in which we could shelter from the incessant rain. However, on the morning before he left, there seemed to be a chink in the clouds. So, we decided to venture out.Truth be told, we were not hugely optimistic about our chances. We both felt that the clouds would reassert themselves in the afternoon and we would find ourselves drenched. So, we went for the safe option in the morning by visit...Read More

It was my father's last full day in Nice and, up until that point, we had been hamstrung somewhat by the weather. It had rained for a the few days preceding it, which meant we had not really been able to enjoy some of the outdoor scenery on the Cote d'Azur. Instead, we had been limited to galleries and museums in which we could shelter from the incessant rain. However, on the morning before he left, there seemed to be a chink in the clouds. So, we decided to venture out.
Truth be told, we were not hugely optimistic about our chances. We both felt that the clouds would reassert themselves in the afternoon and we would find ourselves drenched. So, we went for the safe option in the morning by visiting the antiques market in Nice's Old Town and by going to the viewing point at Le Chateau. Even as we climbed to the point, we could tell two things about the day. First, the weather was definitely clearing up as the clouds were breaking and the sun pushing through. Second, the effect that the changeable weather was having on Nice was quite impressive. At the chateau, the sun burning down onto the wet ground caused lots of little rainbows to spring up and for a thin haze of steam to come up from the ground. We thought this was impressive, but it was nothing compared to what we would encounter later.
Having enjoyed the antiques and the Chateau, we decided to head to Villefranche and then St Jean Cap Ferrat. Villefranche was nice enough. We had a nice lunch and a wander around the citadel before departing for the Cap. As we drove the three or four kilometres to the Cap, the weather began to change. Since we had left it had been remarkably tranquil and even rather sunny. However, as we drove the lighthouse at the end of the Cap the wind began pick up and the scenery started to get spectacular.
We parked the car and walked down to the lighthouse. As we did so, the view was beautiful, but nothing too outrageous. There was quite a bit of wind, so the palm trees were bending to a sharp angle and the waves were crashing against the sharp rocks at the very tip of the Cap. As we stood admiring this, though, things began to change. As we looked west towards Nice, large dark clouds began to form on the horizon over the airport. However, beneath these there was some of the brightest and most delicate sunlight I had ever seen. The contrast of the darkened clouds and wonderful light seemed to be almost biblical in style. Yet as wonderful as it looked, it was just the beginning.
The clouds did not stay close to the airport. Instead, they began to work their way along the Promenade des Anglais towards us. It was literally possible to watch them rolling in the direction of Villefranche and St Jean. They also seemed to be taking a slight detour north so that their edge began to envelope the mountains to the north of Nice in a giant shroud. It all looked magnificent. However, as much as we would have liked to stand and admire the scenery, we could see the inclement weather coming our way, so we made our way back to the car post-haste.
Trips to St Jean Cap Ferrat are normally defined by a pleasant stroll along the path around the Cap and admiring the statuesque villas dotted around. Rarely do we view the area as a natural wonder. For this reason, I feel immensely grateful that I was able to see the natural wonders so briefly on show. Read Less

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Parfumerie Molinard

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Attraction | "Good smell, but little substance"

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It is often common in the UK to talk about a town being built on the industry for which it is most renowned. There are several great examples of this. My hometown of Sheffield is often described as being built on the steel industry – although, sadly, little remains nowadays. Stoke, which is famed for its ceramics is even often labelled the Potteries. There is also, of course, Newcastle which is heralded for its coal and created the phrase 'Coals to Newcastle' (A common phrase used in the UK at least)The town of Grasse, which is located at the foot of the French Alps is also built on one particular area. However, its main sector is far less traditionally industrial. Instead, it focuses on perfume...Read More

It is often common in the UK to talk about a town being built on the industry for which it is most renowned. There are several great examples of this. My hometown of Sheffield is often described as being built on the steel industry – although, sadly, little remains nowadays. Stoke, which is famed for its ceramics is even often labelled the Potteries. There is also, of course, Newcastle which is heralded for its coal and created the phrase 'Coals to Newcastle' (A common phrase used in the UK at least)
The town of Grasse, which is located at the foot of the French Alps is also built on one particular area. However, its main sector is far less traditionally industrial. Instead, it focuses on perfume. It is home to the International Perfume Museum and at least three major perfume 'factories' (Although I am not sure something so sweet-smelling could really be described as a factory). The most famous of these is the Fragonnard factory. However, there is also the Molinard and Galimard parfumeries within the confines of the town.
We visited Parfumerie Molinard after already having visited the modern Fragonnard factory just outside the town and the older Fragonnard Parfumerie in the centre of the town. Therefore, we found Molinard just that little bit disappointing as it failed to live up to its significantly more famous competitor.
The high point of a visit to Molinard is the building in which it is housed. It is much older than the modern Fragonnard facility and is a lot more quaint than the larger and older Fragonnard parfumerie in the centre. It is a very nice one storey building that is set back from the road in a rather nice garden through which we walked to reach the main building. The interior is also beautiful. It is ornately decorated with wonderful ceilings and some magnificent dark woods.
Sadly, aside from the aesthetics of the building, I found Molinard lacked any real substance. The Fragonnard facilities have displays about the histories of the company and about how perfume is made. Molinard had none of this. It had just one room with a few old bottles of perfume and old advertising materials. There were no explanations and no historical analysis of the company. Instead, it felt much more like it was a perfume store dressed up as a museum – there was a huge supply of perfume and soaps for sale.
A visit to the Molinard Parfumerie is free – if you do not buy any of the perfume on sale, obviously. It is close to the centre of town, so it is worth a visit just for the building itself. However, I would budget less than 10 minutes.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on April 3, 2013

Parfumerie Molinard
60 bd. Victor-Hugo
Provence, France

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