Access to the villa
The main auto route, the A8, is just 10 minutes away so
Nice, Cannes, Aix en Provence, are all within an hour's
drive. Monaco and Italy are an easy day's outing or you
could take a trip to Corsica by ferry from Nice. Toulon-Hyeres,
also an hour's drive to our villa, is a hassle-free
provincial airport served by Ryanair, or alternatively fly
into Nice with a wide choice of airlines. The SNCF railway
station at Les Arcs, which is 10 minutes from the villa,
provides fast connections to Paris (TGV 5 hours). If you
prefer there is an overnight Motorail service from Calais/Lille
to Nice allowing you to bring your own car and let the train
take the strain!
Local shopping and restaurants shopping:
There are markets at Aups (Wed & Sat), Lorgues
(Tues) & Salernes (Sun) and a very large Sunday Provencal
market at Le Muy by the auto route (A8). The two nearest
Carrefour hypermarkets are at Draguignan & Trans en Provence.
Smaller supermarkets are open on Sunday mornings in Lorgues,
and most of the surrounding villages. Draguignan, the
capital of the Var, with its impressive county hall,
provides a rich variety of individual shops, where you can
buy clothes, handmade chocolates, pastries, and gifts. There
is also a theatre, cinema, ten pin bowling and visiting
funfairs. All the surrounding villages have a number of
restaurants, serving primarily French cuisine. From the
renowned Michelin-starred truffle restaurant Chez Bruno near
Lorgues, to family-run French restaurants all offering 'le
menu' or a la carte. For a change there are Chinese
restaurants and pizza takeaways.
Leisure
activities:
There's a good selection of tourist
information in the villa, but just in case you want to
do further research, or book ahead of your holiday,
local activities include:
The Coast
Renowned for its varied resorts and spectacular
scenery. Nearest beaches are at St Maxime (30 mins) or
Frejus/St Raphael (40 mins). Take the coastal train to
Nice. Walk or cycle in the picturesque Esterel Hills.
Drive the famous "Corniche" road. See the glitz of Monte
Carlo. Head up to the mountains.
Or just relax by the pool. The choice is yours!
Horse Riding
Chev'Alp, Fayence. Tel: 0607 970697.
Les Ecuries de St Paul, St Paul en Foret. Tel: 0494
851961.
Ranch de l'Aubarede Krappa Hue, Mons to St Cezaire road
(in the hills) Tel: 0494 853536.
Gliding
An initiation lesson, or a half-hour trip. Fayence
Gliding Club, just off main road between Intermarche and
Fayence. Tel: 0494 760068
www.aapca.net
Water Sports
Lac St Croix. Windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking or pedalo
(No motorsports)
Coast at Frejus, amongst other places, Jet ski-ing,
parasailing etc.
White Water Rafting & Kayaking
Gorges du Verdon and Castellane. Kayaking, rafting,
canoeing. In Castellane, there are agencies who organise
these activies
Acti-Raft, Route des Gorges du Verdon, Castellane. Tel:
0492 837664
Aqua Verdon, 9 Rue National, Castellane. Tel: 0492
837275
Walking
There are many well-signed walks in the countryside in
the surrounding villages, as well as in the Esterel
Hills, or Maures Mountains (both towards the coast).
More adventurous hiking in the Gorges du Verdon. If you
want to walk on the flat, it's the coastal town
sea-fronts for you: Frejus/St Raphael, La Croisette in
Cannes, Promenade des Anglais, Nice.
Golf
At Vidaubon - 3 courses, including Le Prince de Provence,
tel: 0494 99 73 96 fax: 0494 73 57 24 Le Clos D'Aille,
tel: 0494 99 94 22 fax: 0494 73 14 76 At La Motte
(probably the closest - under 1/2 hour) Tel: 0494 51 89
89 At Roquebrune Golf Quart Planes, tel: 0494 19 60 35.
There are also courses at St Raphael, Grimaud, Ste
Maxime
Boat Trips
From Cannes port to the islands (Iles de Lerins) off the
coast, St Tropez or around the Esterel Coast. From St
Raphael port to St Tropez.
These mainly run in the summer season.
Activity Parks
June, July & August
Aquatica, large water park at Frejus - water flumes etc. Marine Lane,
Antibes - aquarium with dolphins, killer whales etc -
and Aqua Park in summer months.
Caves
Limestone caves (40 metres deep) with stalagmites and
stalactites at St Cezaire. Take a sweater - even in
summer.
