South of France - Nice
/
By now should’ve have read about my time my first stop in the South of France, Cannes. I could not get out of there fast enough. My time there made me very eager to get to Nice (pronounced ‘niece’) and hopefully have a better experience.
In Nice, I stayed at the Sheraton Nice Airport solely for proximity to the airport. I knew that my departing flight was leaving at an ungodly hour and this hotel is literally right across the street from the airport. It was inexpensive, modern with great amenities, and the staff was extremely courteous. It was also perfectly situated near the bus and tram lines.
When I wasn’t hibernating, I took the train to explore. The train was clean, affordable, and easy to navigate. The first place I stopped was ‘Old Nice’ which was very charming. It’s the perfect place to move at a slower pace with less crowds than other places. I walked around one of the many art districts of the area before settling down at Posto 17 restaurant near the pier. The pizza was fresh and the fanta was refreshing. It held me for the rest of my time exploring.
After lunch, I headed back to the more touristy part of Nice for shopping and more exploration. I had a terrible visit at the Louis Vuitton in Cannes but the Nice location provided the most AMAZING experience I have ever had in one of their stores. The security guard was cool, and my SA was so patient with me. Not only did she help me shop but she also helped me with an improptu French lesson while wrapping up my purchase. This boutique didn’t have the agenda that I was looking for but it did have a limited edition red epi leather Alma BB with gold hardware that I snagged for $600 cheaper than what I would have paid in the states!
With my bag in hand, I decided to treat myself to some gelato at Amorino. I sat there for an hour and enjoyed my mango gelato while people watching. Once done there, I decided to trek to the beach which was beautiful. However, whoever came up with the concept of rock beaches should be stoned - no pun intended. I actually cannot believe people were laying out on the rocks in that heat roasting like rotisserie chickens. Talk about madness.
After leaving the beach, I wandered a while longer on foot before catching a bus back to my hotel and having dinner there. Usually the time difference in Europe doesn’t bother me and I acclimate pretty quickly. This was not the case this time around. I spent most of this trip dining in the hotel, at the rooftop pool, and sleeping. I was extremely burnt out from work and preparing to have a major surgery the following week. All I wanted to do was REST. If I were younger, I probably would have been disappointed about “wasting” my days. But at my big age, I wasn’t.
This trip taught me the importance of listening to my body and resting. In the vlog for this trip (will be up on YouTube soon), I mentioned I am fortunate enough to travel often and don’t mind visiting locations more than once. I can always come back to Nice and do all the things I didn’t do this time. And I plan to. Having more disposable income removed a scarcity mindset and changed the way I look at my circumstances. But that’s a blog for another day. I hope you enjoyed this short read and will stick around for the last post in this series - my day trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Thank you for reading - Ciao!
Nice recap
- Pros: Friendly people, lots of places to shop, inexpensive public transportation, good food
- Cons: None
- Hotel Costs: €767.70 for 3 days, 3 nights – King, Deluxe room