Beaches of the Côte d’Azur
Provençe, a golden, sun drenched, grape laden land that is bountiful and beautiful. This enchanted place features stretches of Hollywood-esque sand beaches and petit nooks of paradise, a peninsula that is majestic, rugged and breath taking, the Côte du Azur runs from the Italian Ligurian coast, to the beaches of St Tropez.
Here are a few highlights:
Eze:
Èze beach, featuring the turquoise hued Anjuna beach club, this white pebbled beach has a relaxed and authentic vibe. Colourful cabana houses dot the shoreline. Locals appear with Le Figaro under their arm early morning for an invigorating dip, as the day warms up the beach hums and the sun loungers fill with families en vacance.
Paloma:
Paloma beach, named after Paloma Picasso who frequented this beach with her father Pablo during the 50’s, was recently featured in Emily in Paris as ‘St Tropez’, this beach is shaded by emerald foliage of St Cap Ferrat, villas loom over the crescent moon bay, the white umbrellas shade the international crowd, the beach is super busy in the summer, parking can be a nightmare, however, the Provençal fare from the kitchen is well worth the effort.
Garoupe / Plage Keller:
Situated in Antibes, these tiny beaches are quintessentially French, jetties filled with sun loungers and languishing bodies - rosé, ham and melon is produced in ample fashion and a low key vibe ensues. This was perhaps the birth place of sunbathing in the 1920’s, as F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed here for several summers, swimming regularly with his wife Zelda.
Pampelonne:
A golden stretch of sand, more like a beach in Australia than one found in the South of France. Long and dramatic this is home to the ubiquitous beach club 55 - cinq en cinq, amongst others, there is something for everyone here, from super glam instagram style Nikki beach to the more low key old school names such as Tahiti and the new comer Indie beach, for a more boutique experience head to the smaller beaches and dine at Les Graniers and Plage des Salines close by.
Cap Taillat:
The quiet cousin of St Tropez, rocky inlets and natural coves, not a paid for bed in sight, BYO brollies and towels are the name of the game of the au naturel side of St Tropez. Rustic days with towels in the sand, picnics by the sea shore - is what life is all about on this side of the headland.
Mala:
A turquoise crescent moon shaped, that can be dramatically viewed from above in Cap-d'Ail, a pebbly cove of paradise, with a couple of simple restaurants, this beach is beautiful- the parking is a total headache but worth the trouble and the steep descent down - hint the smaller the car the easier your life will be in this part of the world.
La Spiaggetta dei Balzi Rossi:
Technically, on the Italian side of the French border, this beach club close to the French town Menton, gives Talented Mr Ripley vibes, as bowls of pomodoro are passed around and ‘Americano’ is blasted onto the beach, this is such a fun little spot and well worth a visit for a day well spent.
