This summer I was lucky enough to spend a good bit of time touring the South Of France. It was a voyage of discovery and wonderment and I am going to share with you my experiences of Cannes. If you want historical facts about the place, or a list of hotels...you will not find it here.... but enjoy nonetheless.
Funzo's Fantastical French Follying Adventures (the catchy name I gave my trip) had to take in Cannes. Driving along the south coast after a dissapointed day in the overcrowded, far too English resort of Nice, Cannes seemed an ideal box to tick and the 40ft Motorhome trundled laboriously along the picturesque if not scary coastal
road that can take you from Monaco to Marseille with the sea never leaving your eyeline.
The traffc to and from Cannes was about as busy as we had seen over the few weeks and the glaring neon of the place can be seen for miles. Parking proved to be a pain and just about all car parks had barriers on preventing motorhomes and campers from parking up. No quiet ports or car parks for us to hide in that night.
We found a space conveniantly at the far end of the famous promenade which enabled us to have a good stroll the length of the promenade in true english fashion, just clutching a good crepe instead of a bag of fish and chips.
The promenade itself is everything you expect it to be...Bright, crowded and people watchers will be in heaven as there is no shortage of sights to gawp at. everything, and i mean everything draws a crowd. street performers of varied ability and various ways to draw people in could not and did not fail to attract a crowd of people. One very limited and average musician must've had a crowd of 200 people hear him butchering "Dont worry be happy" and people suprisingly were more than happy to give him money thus encouraging him to massacre more songs...very profitably it has to be said. At one point, I kid you not, On trying to work out a difficult camera someone had passed to me to take a picture... my 1 min fumbling with buttons drew a crowd of 15 or so people, all gathered round me watching with cameras poised..... i shouldve passed round a hat.
Next to the promenade is the Carlton hotel, made famous for being the first location for all the stars to stay in at the internationally known Cannes Film Festival. At this point, my crepe was about to live up its name so I took the opportunity to powder my nose in the very plush toilets of this very luxurious hotel. I share spare you the details of the experience but will tell you that in humble hertfordshire ways I have never come accross such a wonder...... it only just stops short of wiping your derrierre.
Refreshed, i continued along the promenade with its curious mx of leathery old gucci clad locals stereotypically clutching their lap/rat dogs and the slitghter redder tourists from every corner of the globe. Passing many bars with similar 'be seen or see' mentalities witnessed in Monte Carlo, but without the glamour.
Cannes has seems to be the seedier part to the Cote D'Azure. There were more gentleman establishments there being openly advertised, and there seemed to be more of an edge to the darker streets of Cannes once you turned off the neon. But stroll a further 15 mns north of the monsterous cinema where the palm d'or films are shown and you find very quiet and interesting ruins of a roman fort, indeed fort and castle lovers will not be disappointed by the number along the french coast.
The walk back to the motorhome saw Bobby Macfarlane still being blashpemed, the badly painted "statues" still struggling to be statuesque, but all taking fortunes. We decided to move further west to st rapahel and leave the automated toilets, the gliz, the leather skinned oaps and the 20 euros sun loungers (thats only hire...at that price you expect to take the bloomin' thing home with you) all behind and although it was another box ticked and would recommend either an expense paid visit or just a short visit, the place for me felt more than a little without soul..... and not least from its street performers!.
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Advantages: Glamorous, no mosquitos, cultural, beautiful, an experience Disadvantages: Full of silly little poodles & their equally silly owners - can be expensive if you don't watch the prices
Aoife 18.06.2001 ·
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Review of Cannes (France)
Advantages: Glamorous, no mosquitos, cultural, beautiful, an experience Disadvantages: Full of silly little poodles & their equally silly owners - can be expensive if you don't watch the prices
Aoife 18.06.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cannes (France)
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
Nov 12th, 2008
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