Beleive it or not, it is possible to have a week in Cannes & spend no more than you would anywhere else in the Med! I was in Cannes years ago & did find it terribly expensive (but we were young, on the prowl & in search of nothing but drink & men... but not necessarily in that order).
This time however, we were on a different mission - a secret trip to the Monaco Grand Prix - tickets were a surprise 30th birthday present for my loved one - and boy was he surprised! The GP is great but it was only a small reason why we chose Cannes.
We had lovely accommodation - the Resideal Cannes right behind the Carlton & the Noga Hilton on the Croisette. It had a lovely pool, was 30 seconds from the Croisette & Rue d'Antibes & was gorgeous. The bar however, was a total rip off! We went to the supermarket in search of cheap & we certainly found it in Monoprix (opp the SNCF). 50p for beer, £2 for wine - we were in heaven each night on the balcony. Word of warning - they also have an amazing bakery in-store.
Eating out in Cannes is like at home - same styles of restaurants - ultra posh, medium & downright cheap. Cheap is near the Gare (SNCF) - Le Santorin is a gem - set meal 65ff - about £8 per head. Dinner for 2 incl wine & coffee was £17! Medium is sidestreets - Pizza & Salad for about £10 each - nice pizzas though! Posh in on the Croisette. We were told to go to Le Coquille (behind McDonalds!) - we would have been better chomping on Big Macs - £45 for 2 & it wasn't great... grit in the mussels put me right off.
Bars vary from big touristy joints with cocktails for £6 or small local bars who only speak French (much more fun). Incidentally there is an Irish Bar called Morrisons near the station - only place to get a pint & has live bands if that's what you want.
Shopping...well Cannes is a shopaholics heaven - although I was confined to windowshopping only. All the big names are here - Chanel, Armani, Cartier, Celine, Dior, Moschino - the prices are MAD! IF you like your beauty products - the best shop inthe world has a branch in Cannes - SEPHORA.. a crodd between duty free, Boots & the Body Shop all rolled into one - they sell everything - perfume, make up, their own range of cosmetics - I was in heaven... and it's so cheap... I would love a branch to open near me. I would probably jack in my job to work there.
Nice is only 30 mins away by train - £10 return. Again a wonderful city for sightseeing & shopping. The Boulevard Anglais is long & wide - perfect for an afternoon stroll. The beach in Nice is not nice though - loads of grey stones - no sand in your toes here!
Did I like it? Would I go back?
Hell yes!
P.S. I only spent £450 IEP for a week (incl all meals, presents & a few nice things in Sephora for me!)
Sounds wonderful - not a place that springs to mind because we regards it as expensive, but often as we find the reality is not always the same. We found this out after a last minute deal to Cyprus, we were warned by well meaning friends that it was dear, but in fact it represented very good value for money. Good op.
Sue
Lynda04 18.06.2001 23:15
I passed through Cannes last year en route to Italian Riviera, it looked good, but all of the resorts along that coastline hike up the prices for tourists. You have to shop around, nice op!
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Advantages: Overall it was a fantastic holiday and would not hesitate to go again. Disadvantages: The ship is very very big and felt bit impersonal at times
alexandria112 14.08.2009 (14.08.2009)
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Review of Royal Carribean
Advantages: This is one amazing hotel with everything you want in one of the greatest cities of France Disadvantages: pretty much non-affordable for normal folks
Jun 18th, 2001
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