Fun in France

L'Escale

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Hearty Cuisine"

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To begin this review, let me set the scene a little. My father - who is a fan of hearty eating - and I had met for a light breakfast at some point around 10h30. We had then taken a stroll to the Antiques Market in Nice Old Town before visiting the wonderful St Jean Cap Ferrat. From St Jean we headed to Villefranche. By the time we arrived it was 15h00 and we were hungry. We wanted to eat something there and then, but were hampered by the fact that many places had closed for the afternoon after the lunch time rush. Therefore, we found ourselves walking rather aimlessly around Villefranche until we happened to stumble l'Escale.It proved to be a rather fortuitous piece of stumbling as our mea...Read More

To begin this review, let me set the scene a little. My father - who is a fan of hearty eating - and I had met for a light breakfast at some point around 10h30. We had then taken a stroll to the Antiques Market in Nice Old Town before visiting the wonderful St Jean Cap Ferrat. From St Jean we headed to Villefranche. By the time we arrived it was 15h00 and we were hungry. We wanted to eat something there and then, but were hampered by the fact that many places had closed for the afternoon after the lunch time rush. Therefore, we found ourselves walking rather aimlessly around Villefranche until we happened to stumble l'Escale.

It proved to be a rather fortuitous piece of stumbling as our meal there proved to be absolutely fantastic. When we arrived we were not 100% sure it was actually open as the exterior seemed almost closed-up and the interior was deserted. We were actually about to leave when the manager appeared from a small nook and beckoned us inside before confirming that they were still serving food. There was a minor delay whilst she disappeared in search of the chef who was off somewhere enjoying a post lunch break. Once she was located and installed in the kitchen, we were good to go.

Despite the main being overtly French, the menu was actually far more British/American. This is always a tricky situation in France because many French chefs view British and American food with a certain disdain and male very little effort to cook it well - I have eaten some genuinely awful attempts at burgers in France. I opted for a Cheeseburger and my dad went for Fish and Chips. They were not particularly original choices and were certainly not haute cuisine, but they proved to be delicious options and we left l'Escale feeling delighted at the dining choice we had made.

My burger ticked all the boxes as far as I was concerned. The patty was thick and juicy, and - unusually for France where they tend to leave the meat almost raw at times as they would with steak tartare - the meat was well cooked. It was served with cheese and a good selection of garnish. There was lettuce tomatoes and onions. After adding ketchup and placing the bun on top it all melted together wonderfully. I was also delighted that it did not follow the pattern of 'gourmet' burgers where the salad is often too large and lavish for the bun to sit properly on top. It was served with French fries, which were plentiful enough to leave me satisfied. My father's fish and chips were also apparently excellent. He said the fish tasted fresh and very well cooked.

L'Escale proved to be a fantastic surprise. The food was excellent and also very reasonably priced. Our meal came in at less than 30 Euros for the two dishes and drinks. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 14, 2013

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Antibes Land

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Some Adrenaline on the Riviera"

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Part of me would like to begin this journal entry by stating just how much of an adrenaline junkie I am. However, if I am honest, I am not sure I would be able to truly believe the words I was typing. I certainly do love the odd thrill and spill. For example, whenever I hot the ski slopes I just love whizzing down the piste and am never deterred by taking the odd tumble. In my time, I have also done a fair bit of hiking in some unforgiving climes (Mongolia and Oman) for instance. And, I even once dabbled in a little bit of professional sailing. However, I have never really stuck with any of these for a great length of time. I prefer football and cricket if I am brutally honest.All that not...Read More

Part of me would like to begin this journal entry by stating just how much of an adrenaline junkie I am. However, if I am honest, I am not sure I would be able to truly believe the words I was typing. I certainly do love the odd thrill and spill. For example, whenever I hot the ski slopes I just love whizzing down the piste and am never deterred by taking the odd tumble. In my time, I have also done a fair bit of hiking in some unforgiving climes (Mongolia and Oman) for instance. And, I even once dabbled in a little bit of professional sailing. However, I have never really stuck with any of these for a great length of time. I prefer football and cricket if I am brutally honest.

All that notwithstanding, I do love to get my adrenal gland working in over-drive every now and again. Because of this, I am a huge fan of theme parks and roller coasters. In fact, one of the most vivid memories of my adolescence is visiting Busch Gardens in Florida to ride some of its imposing coasters. I just could not get enough. Therefore, when my girlfriend suggested we take for family – who were in Nice for a vacation – to Antibes Land, I was very keen.

Unlike places like Busch Gardens or Alton Towers in the UK, Antibes Land works on the same premise as a fun fair in that you do not pay on the door, but instead pay for each ride. In some ways this proved to be rather frustrating as even some of the more docile rides were two and three Euro each, which I did not think was good value at all. This was especially galling when we had an eight year-old with us who wanted to try everything. Even some of the rather tame kids rides were costly enough to make it an expensive trip. The plus side to the system, though, was that because you had to pay each time, there was no great line for any of the rides.

I started by riding the Twister with my girlfriend's nephew. It was, essentially, a giant Chairoplane. Riders sat in pairs on seats that were suspended from a large pylon that rotated at pace sending everyone whizzing round in a circle about 30m above the ground. It proved to be entertaining enough. The kid loved it and it also provided a nice view back down the coast to Nice. However, I was not really super excited.

Things really got fun when we reached the Sky Tower. This is a vertical drop attraction that looked absolutely fearsome. The seating area was circular, so I was hoping that I would be getting an experience similar to one I enjoyed in Korea when I visited the mammoth Lotte World theme park, which housed the Giro drop, a vertical drop attraction that rotated as you fell and did a fantastic job of leaving your stomach in a sound mess. Sadly, the Sky Tower did not quite measure up. It simply dropped about 80m towards the earth. This disappointed me as I was hoping to rotate in order to get a great view of the sea and mountains. Instead I just got a view of the park and the fields rolling inland. The drop though was fun and it got me in the mood for other attractions.

From Sky Tower, I headed to Rolling Stone. Bizarrely this ride was named after the British rock group. Quite why that was the case I really have no idea. Perhaps equally bizarrely it played extremely loud music as it operated, yet nothing by the Stones. Perhaps my stomach was weakened by the earlier drop, but the Rolling Stone wrenched my insides apart. The ride is like a spider on the end of a giant swinging pole. The pole goes around and around tipping everyone upside down whilst the spider-like seating apparatus spin and swivel in different directions. It was extremely fun at first, but after a few minutes I found myself praying for it to end.

Whilst parts of Antibes Land were a little pricey for my tastes, a couple of the rides were top drawer and were worth the journey. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 14, 2013

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A Shady Afternoon in Golfe Juan

Best Of IgoUgo

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I feel the need to begin this journal with a degree of self-analysis. I have to admit that I was in a rather frenzied state for my trip to Golfe Juan. My girlfriend’s family had come to stay with us in Nice and her hyperactive eight-year old nephew was fraying my nerve-endings a little. The drive from Nice to Golfe Juan was rather fraught as he bounced around the back-seat and made focusing on the road a tad difficult. Things got no better when we got to Golfe Juan. As it was a busy Sunday in the height of summer, it was difficult to find a place to park and everyone in the car – my girlfriend, her sister, her brother-in-law and her nephew – made it clear that they were impatient to hit the sand....Read More

I feel the need to begin this journal with a degree of self-analysis. I have to admit that I was in a rather frenzied state for my trip to Golfe Juan. My girlfriend’s family had come to stay with us in Nice and her hyperactive eight-year old nephew was fraying my nerve-endings a little. The drive from Nice to Golfe Juan was rather fraught as he bounced around the back-seat and made focusing on the road a tad difficult. Things got no better when we got to Golfe Juan. As it was a busy Sunday in the height of summer, it was difficult to find a place to park and everyone in the car – my girlfriend, her sister, her brother-in-law and her nephew – made it clear that they were impatient to hit the sand.

When we finally managed to find a place to leave the car I was in need of some relaxation. This was not caused just by the drive – although it had cranked up my stress levels – but it was a result of the cumulative impact of a week of dealing with work and a screaming kid when I got home. I had in mind beautiful golden sands and a relaxing dip in the water. Sadly, this was not to be. The beach was so crowded that you could barely pick out the sand beneath the towels and parasols. So, I decided that it would be better if I took a stroll around the port. It proved to be a fantastic decision.

After leaving my girlfriend and her family, I walked along the beach and into town; Straight away this proved to be something of a blessed relief as the the area bordering the beach was open to the sunshine and was frighteningly hot. I could literally feel my head – I am completely bald - burning as I walked. Once I neared the port, thought, things changed. There was considerably more shade and the temperature seemed to be a good ten degrees lower. Taking advantage of what felt like an oasis, I sat in the shade of a tree and rested for a few moments.

From my position, it was possible to look out across a good section of the port. The majority of what I could see was actually refreshingly different from the rest of the Cote d’Azur. There were no super-yachts such as those that you might find in Nice, Cannes and Antibes. And, there were no giant cruise-liners. Instead, the western part of the port was made-up almost exclusively of small fishing vessels. This gave it a wonderfully authentic feel. I was rather disappointed that it was a Sunday and most of the fishermen seemed to be sitting on the beach. I would have very much enjoyed watching them work.

After my little period of relaxation, I decided to brave the sun again and wandered out into the port area. The Eastern areas of it were less interesting than what I had seen before. They seemed to be a rather watered down version of Antibes with plenty of plastic yachts and shiny Perspex sun-decks. The only bright-spot was a beautiful wooden yacht that would have not looked out of place in the 1920s and certainly captured my attention for a few minutes before I decided to head back to the protection of the shade.

Golfe Juan has a fine beach and is a lovely place to spend the day, but I would certainly recommend taking an hour or so to enjoy the shade around the port and take a nice stroll.
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Le Tour Comes to Town

Best Of IgoUgo

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The Tour de France arrived in Nice at one of the least opportune moments in the history of competitive cycling. Lance Armstrong had rocked the sporting world by admitting to taking performance enhancing drugs and that bombshell was quickly followed by other famous top performers and past winners making similar confessions. Because of this, I was expecting the arrival in Nice of Le Tour to be something of a low-key affair. Not a bit of it. The arrival of the yellow jersey and all the accompanying trappings proved to be headline news and the city was abuzz for a four-day period.The race came to Nice from Corsica where it had begun a few days before. With it came a huge cavalcade of sponsors,...Read More

The Tour de France arrived in Nice at one of the least opportune moments in the history of competitive cycling. Lance Armstrong had rocked the sporting world by admitting to taking performance enhancing drugs and that bombshell was quickly followed by other famous top performers and past winners making similar confessions. Because of this, I was expecting the arrival in Nice of Le Tour to be something of a low-key affair. Not a bit of it. The arrival of the yellow jersey and all the accompanying trappings proved to be headline news and the city was abuzz for a four-day period.

The race came to Nice from Corsica where it had begun a few days before. With it came a huge cavalcade of sponsors, concession stands and hangers-on. For a two-week period, every souvenir stall added yellow t-shirts to their usual offerings of sea-side tat. The Promenade des Anglais was also taken up with huge marquees for sponsors and media outlets. There games for kids and free give-aways for passers-by. There was a stall with fixed racing bikes that you could try in order to see things from the perspective of Chris Froome and Co. There was nothing of great substance, but it was an interesting enough little area. It all certainly managed to raise interest levels.

There is no doubt that the tour was fantastically exciting and it caused great excitement in the South of France. But, I am not 100% sure the investment of time and energy coupled with the huge inconvenience it caused was totally worth it. Le Tour is not a spectacle you can enjoy in great detail like a football or rugby match. Rather like F1, because of the speeds involved it is only possiible to get a fleeting glimpse of each competitor. I was lucky enough for my office to be just 30m from the course. Therefore, I was able to watch several of the teams fly by in the sprint section of the race. However, I was less than enthused at this as it felt rather like standing on a platform at a small train station and watching an express train whizz past. I think I enjoyed it more for a visual than sporting spectacle. As I saw each rider for such a brief interval it was not really possible to create an emotional link to the competitors. However, the sheer speeds involved were exhilarating and the symmetry of seeing the riders in formation was stunning.

I managed to watch a few teams zip along Rue Buffa before I decided I could tick Le Tour off my list of major sporting events witnessed. It was only as I tried to go for lunch that I realised the upheaval the event had caused. I walked in all four directions - North, East, South and West - but found my route barred. Rather shockingly part of the city had been put on lock-down for a two-hour period. It stuck me as a huge breach of civil liberties as it stopped people moving freely to appointments and to their jobs. The school at which I work had to cancel several classes because the students simply could not puncture the blockade. I imagined that if Francois Hollande had done something similar there would have been outcry. Worst of all it stopped me from getting my lunch!

It was fun to see the Tour in Nice. I enjoyed the spectacle and the buzz it caused. However, I cannot say the sporting element was grand enough to really capture my imagination and the inconvenience caused was truly immense. Read Less

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Hotel Mas d'Artigny & Spa

Best Of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Nice, but a little unkempt"

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The trip my girlfriend and I made to the spa at the hotel Mas d'Artigny has something of a back-story. For our first anniversary. My girlfriend bought me a gift-box that offered a one-night stay at a Chateau somewhere in rural France. It was a wonderful and romantic gift. However, there was a minor problem with it. The majority of the venues on the list were a significant distance from our home in Nice. This meant that it would have cost us more in gas and tolls than the gift was actually worth. My frugal streak meant that I was not keen on paying over 100 Euros to be able to actually enjoy the chateau experience. So, we took the gift-bow back to the store and exchanged it for a spa experience. Thankf...Read More

The trip my girlfriend and I made to the spa at the hotel Mas d'Artigny has something of a back-story. For our first anniversary. My girlfriend bought me a gift-box that offered a one-night stay at a Chateau somewhere in rural France. It was a wonderful and romantic gift. However, there was a minor problem with it. The majority of the venues on the list were a significant distance from our home in Nice. This meant that it would have cost us more in gas and tolls than the gift was actually worth. My frugal streak meant that I was not keen on paying over 100 Euros to be able to actually enjoy the chateau experience. So, we took the gift-bow back to the store and exchanged it for a spa experience. Thankfully, this contained several options located close to Nice. One of which was Mas d'Artigny.

The first thing I would have to say about Mas d'Artigny was that it was unbelievably difficult to find. Not only was it located on a quiet secluded lane between the towns of La Colle Sur Loup and St Paul de Vence, but it was also very poorly signposted. As we passed La Colle Sur Loup we were sent in completely the wrong direction by a sign at an intersection. By the time we had called the hotel for directions and rectified the mistake we were over 15 minutes late for our appointment. Thankfully, the receptionist was nice enough to rearrange a couple of later appointments so that we could still have the two hours that we reserved.

When we arrived at Mas d'Artigny, the spa was easy to locate as the door glowed with a deep blue light that shone from within. We passed through this and into a reception area bathed in soft blue light that seemed as though it were designed to look like the ocean. From there we were shown to a private dressing room. Considering the hotel is four-star and the spa is marketed as a luxury service, we were quite disappointed here. There were lots of rough edges to the dressing room. One of the lights above the sink was missing a fitting, there was a hole in the work surface on which the sinks stood and one of the towels we were given had a large hole in it.

When we were ready, the assistant showed us to a large room which came with a pool, a relaxation room and a spa. I am not sure whether this was private or public. However, during our two hours there were no other customers, so it felt rather intimate. The pool was supposedly the height of relaxation technology with the water containing a variety of metallic minerals and a series of lights changing the colour of the water for maximum relaxation effect. I could tell no difference to a normal swimming pool. Even though it was less than overtly remarkable the pool was very relaxing as above was a large window that bathed it in natural light. We spent a good hour lolling in the water and letting our stresses drift away.

The relaxation room was the largest disappointment of the day. In the brochure it looked lavish and dark, yet when we entered it was little more than a couple of poolside loungers located in a darkened room that was lit by a couple of cheap candles. Neither of us saw much benefit and we spent less than two minutes there. The highlight for me was the hammam. It was a beautifully tiled room that had a great Middle-Eastern feel. When sprayed with water and pumped full of heat it was wonderfully steamy and found myself sweating away my troubles quite emphatically. It was only possible to enjoy it for a few minutes, but it was wonderful.

The spa at Mas d'Artigny was a great afternoon out. I really enjoyed the pool and hamman. However, when you consider a two-hour session can cost up to 100 Euros, I thought there were a few rough edges that should have been smoothed out. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 27, 2013

Hotel Mas d'Artigny & Spa
Chemin Des Salettes
Saint-Paul-de-Vence 06570
04 93 32 84 54

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Art Beach

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Artistically Bad"

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Living in Nice with the plethora of dining options it has available, I do not often drift to the smaller town of Cagnes Sur Mer just a couple of miles down the coast. This is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the restaurants in the town, rather it is simply because there is nothing in Cagnes that cannot be found closer and easier in Nice. Therefore, when a friend of hers from university invited us for a birthday dinner in Cagnes I was not hugely enthused. Firstly, it was not likely to be anything special. And, secondly, as Cagnes is 8km away, I would have to drive and be unable to drink. My negative starting point my have prejudiced me against Art Beach, but if I am honest this was probab...Read More

Living in Nice with the plethora of dining options it has available, I do not often drift to the smaller town of Cagnes Sur Mer just a couple of miles down the coast. This is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the restaurants in the town, rather it is simply because there is nothing in Cagnes that cannot be found closer and easier in Nice. Therefore, when a friend of hers from university invited us for a birthday dinner in Cagnes I was not hugely enthused. Firstly, it was not likely to be anything special. And, secondly, as Cagnes is 8km away, I would have to drive and be unable to drink. My negative starting point my have prejudiced me against Art Beach, but if I am honest this was probably only a minor factor in the dislike I began to develop for Art Beach.

Dinner at Art Beach was a major disappointment. However, it did not start on th worst note. The location is actually quite impressive as it is set of Cagnes' pebble beach. When we arrived the sea was billiard table calm and had taken a shade that seemed to blend grey and blue to look wonderfully electric. The view was also great and it also gave a great look at the planes arriving at Nice Aeroport, which I found oddly interesting. As we took our seats I thought we could have been in for a surprising treat. However, the seat I rested my buttocks on was made of cheap plastic, which proved to be a far more telling precursor for the meal ahead than the wonderful view.

The meal was based around a set menu. For starters there was a choice of Fish Soup, Beef Carpaccio and Mozarrella Salad. I opted for the Carpaccio. It was pretty good - by far the best part of the meal in fact - but the serving was pitiful in size. I had ploughed through it in less than two minutes. My girlfriend opted for the salad, which was a little bigger (It couldn't have been smaller). It was ok, but completely lacked any spark or originality. When our plates were cleared we were hoping the chef would ramp things up with the main course. Sadly, we would be massively disappointed.

Both my girlfriend and I decided on Chicken Kebabs and French Fries. I cannot begin to describe how bad this was. Let me start with the French Fries. These contained almost no potatoes. The chef had clearly done something to inflate them so they looked bigger, but actually contained very little filling. The chicken was served warm rather than either hot or cold. The temperature led me to deduce that our meals had been standing a while before they were served. The chicken was completely bereft in flavour. It was bland that I found myself emptying ketchup sachets and a small jar of mustard just to try and find some flavour.

We finished with with chocolate tart and tiramisu. My girlfriend's tiramisu was pretty good. It was certainly the best part of her meal. Sadly, my chocolate tart was immensely dry and proved hard work. It rounded off a pretty awful. Things were made far worse when I was handed a bill of 70 Euros for the two of us. I certainly will not be heading back to Cagnes any time soon. Read Less

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on July 27, 2013

Art Beach
Rue de la Plage, Cagnes-sur-Mer
Provence

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Le Noori's

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Disappointing and Bland"

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Usually, I begin any review of an Indian restaurant located outside the UK by affirming how much I love my curry and just how important I believe the level of spice to be. I am often overtly critical of the bland fare you find on offer in France. However, for the sake of variety, I will begin this review differently and talk about the rather unusual back-drop to my girlfriend and I eating there. It was late May and Fete de la Musique was in full swing in Nice. Fete de la Musique is an evening in which local goverment's across the country hire musicians to play in the streets and public places for the enjoyment of their constituents. To ensure they do not lose custom, many bars and restaurants follow s...Read More

Usually, I begin any review of an Indian restaurant located outside the UK by affirming how much I love my curry and just how important I believe the level of spice to be. I am often overtly critical of the bland fare you find on offer in France. However, for the sake of variety, I will begin this review differently and talk about the rather unusual back-drop to my girlfriend and I eating there. It was late May and Fete de la Musique was in full swing in Nice. Fete de la Musique is an evening in which local goverment's across the country hire musicians to play in the streets and public places for the enjoyment of their constituents. To ensure they do not lose custom, many bars and restaurants follow suit. We decided to eat at Nooris because it was advertising an evening of Flamenco music and an all you can eat buffet.

Before we go any further, let me acknowledge that I know what you are thinking: Flamenco music and Indian food does not sound the most obvious of combinations. This was very much the case. The guitarist and the dancers were rather good - including a teenage girl who was absolutely fantastic. However, there was a definite incongruity between the dancing and the Indian decor within the restaurant. It just didn't seem right. It would have been far better had the music been of Indian or Pakistani origin. I am guessing that, sadly, there were no authentically southern-Asian musical acts available. Or, if there were, other Indian restaurants had snapped them up before Nooris got the chance.

As disjointed as the entertainment was, it was not the main reason we visited Nooris. That, of course, was the food. In many of my other food related journals I have made it clear just how much I love 'an all you can eat' menu. Sadly, Nooris's version did not live up to the billing. There was plenty of fare on offer, but the quality was rather limited. There were three curry dishes. On was your everyday Korma. This was not bad and was popular with the local diners as it was not too spicey and didn't offend their slightly more conservative palates. However, it was rather bland and unadventurous. There was also a potato curry that was a tad more exciting. Had it featured meat it would have been very good. The third was a meatball curry that was, quite frankly, an abomination. I have never encountered meatballs in Indian food and why Nooris thought it was a good idea.

I was not overly impressed with the main curry dishes. They really did not justify the 30 Euro price tag. However, there were a couple of saving graces. The first was the tandoori chicken, which was excellent. It was a deep red and nicely spicey. For my many return trips to the buffet I found it to be my main object of desire. It was also supported well by very light and delicate Naan bread and well as some very good fluffy Pilau rice. The meal also came with dessert. However, this was rather meagre. There was some chocolate mousse that was poorly presented and not particularly nice and also a few slices of watermelon.

As you can tell from my write-up, I was not hugely impressed with Nooris on the food front. I was equally disappointed with the service. Not only were we in the restaurant for well in excess of one hour before we could access the buffet - it was advertised from 21h00 but only started serving at 22h15 - but also the drinks were all lukewarm. The first beer I had was straight from a box and we had to wait for the others to chill in a bucket of ice. All-in-all it was not worth 30 Euros. Read Less

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on July 27, 2013

Le Noori's
1 Place Grimaldi
Nice
04 93 82 28 33

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