Help us honeymoon!
February 11, 2015 8:04 PM Subscribe
Where should be vacation near Nice/Sanremo - and other lovely questions after the jump -
We have been racking our brains for the last few days trying to figure out where to go and stay for our honeymoon. We are getting married in May and would love to take our honeymoon right after (depart M 4 May and return a week or two after) but can't get a straight answer if this is a good time to visit that area, weather wise. Will it be warm enough for us to enjoy the area? We aren't expecting to be beach bums but do want to take advantage of the beach at some point. Should we push this vacation our to June or July to make it worth our while?
We have been wanting to visit Sanremo, Italy, should we actually stay there or is it too expensive? Are there other smaller towns you recommend close by? We would love to take some day trips to Marseilles, Nice and other places close by as well.
Thanks for all your help!
We have been racking our brains for the last few days trying to figure out where to go and stay for our honeymoon. We are getting married in May and would love to take our honeymoon right after (depart M 4 May and return a week or two after) but can't get a straight answer if this is a good time to visit that area, weather wise. Will it be warm enough for us to enjoy the area? We aren't expecting to be beach bums but do want to take advantage of the beach at some point. Should we push this vacation our to June or July to make it worth our while?
We have been wanting to visit Sanremo, Italy, should we actually stay there or is it too expensive? Are there other smaller towns you recommend close by? We would love to take some day trips to Marseilles, Nice and other places close by as well.
Thanks for all your help!
San Remo is beautiful, the whole coast from Genoa to Marseille is breathtaking.
May will be fine, even April is beautiful! Much better to go in May than June/July. It gets very muggy in the summer.
Do be aware that Marseille is not a "day trip" away from San Remo. Marseille is the third-largest city in France, and is a 3-hour drive from that part of Italy (one way). The TGV does not go any faster, due to all the mountains. In your shoes, I'd spend a few days in Toulon, which is not far from Marseille and Aix, is smaller, quieter, cheaper, and is beautiful in its own right. Very Provençal still.
If you could swing it, honestly, visit Firenze!! My favorite city EVER. Art, architecture, history, good food, beautiful views, hill climbs...
I lived in Nice for 14 years.
posted by fraula at 11:53 PM on February 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
May will be fine, even April is beautiful! Much better to go in May than June/July. It gets very muggy in the summer.
Do be aware that Marseille is not a "day trip" away from San Remo. Marseille is the third-largest city in France, and is a 3-hour drive from that part of Italy (one way). The TGV does not go any faster, due to all the mountains. In your shoes, I'd spend a few days in Toulon, which is not far from Marseille and Aix, is smaller, quieter, cheaper, and is beautiful in its own right. Very Provençal still.
If you could swing it, honestly, visit Firenze!! My favorite city EVER. Art, architecture, history, good food, beautiful views, hill climbs...
I lived in Nice for 14 years.
posted by fraula at 11:53 PM on February 11, 2015 [2 favorites]
I can recommend some wonderful little villages between Nice and San Remo I've visited. 15 mins north of Ventimiglia (not a place to honeymoon) is charming Dolceacqua, a medieval village with a castle lit up at night that's one of the most romantic places I've ever seen. It's small and really friendly. What's nice about staying here, other than the amazing food and people (best pizza is La Rampa), is that you're right between the mountains and the sea for day trips by car, bike, motorbike. You're near an equestrian center where I think you can even rent horses and ride into the mountains. Nearby is Rocchetta, which is an even smaller village known for the stunning crystal clear river that runs through it for swimming and canoeing.
If you prefer to stay on the beach, Bordighera is a charming town on the Italian Riviera. Monet painted there, trying to catch the Mediterranean light. It would be smaller, less touristy than San Remo and possibly cheaper.
I can't recommend where to stay as I took day trips and stayed with friends, but tripadvisor should have some great tips. This place looks like it has great sea and mountain views. Here are some more.
posted by lillian.elmtree at 4:53 AM on February 12, 2015
If you prefer to stay on the beach, Bordighera is a charming town on the Italian Riviera. Monet painted there, trying to catch the Mediterranean light. It would be smaller, less touristy than San Remo and possibly cheaper.
I can't recommend where to stay as I took day trips and stayed with friends, but tripadvisor should have some great tips. This place looks like it has great sea and mountain views. Here are some more.
posted by lillian.elmtree at 4:53 AM on February 12, 2015
Eze is gorgeous. It's on the coast between Nice and Italy.
posted by mareli at 5:39 AM on February 12, 2015
posted by mareli at 5:39 AM on February 12, 2015
Mazel-Tov!
Should be glorious! I love the Riviera, the bougainvillea, the food, it's just gorgeous.
Cannes Film Festival is May 13 through May 24, so that area's hotels will be astronomically expensive. But the further away from Cannes, the cheaper things will get. You want to avoid summer and the influx of kids on vacation.
Nice has museums for Chagall and Monet. Grasse is known for perfume, head over there and have a custom scent made to commemorate your honeymoon. Check out Monte Carlo. Everything there costs a fortune, but it's really a stunning city.
Find a lovely hotel as your base and then use the regions transit to get from place to place. there are little trains that are convenient for this. Here's the list of Italian Riviera hotels on Trip Advisor.
Have a total blast!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:40 AM on February 12, 2015
Should be glorious! I love the Riviera, the bougainvillea, the food, it's just gorgeous.
Cannes Film Festival is May 13 through May 24, so that area's hotels will be astronomically expensive. But the further away from Cannes, the cheaper things will get. You want to avoid summer and the influx of kids on vacation.
Nice has museums for Chagall and Monet. Grasse is known for perfume, head over there and have a custom scent made to commemorate your honeymoon. Check out Monte Carlo. Everything there costs a fortune, but it's really a stunning city.
Find a lovely hotel as your base and then use the regions transit to get from place to place. there are little trains that are convenient for this. Here's the list of Italian Riviera hotels on Trip Advisor.
Have a total blast!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:40 AM on February 12, 2015
Seconding the loveliness that is Eze. When we're there, we love to eat at Le Mas Provençal, where in addition to all the delicious food and ridiculously amazing flowers, there is a risotto served in a giant hollowed-out wheel of Parmesan that makes me want to follow it wherever it goes.
In Monte Carlo, Bouchon (no relation to the Thomas Keller joint) do a great prix fixe lunch of salad, steak frites, and a glass of wine for €20. Afterwards, take a stroll through the Japanese Garden just down the street.
posted by evoque at 8:39 AM on February 12, 2015
In Monte Carlo, Bouchon (no relation to the Thomas Keller joint) do a great prix fixe lunch of salad, steak frites, and a glass of wine for €20. Afterwards, take a stroll through the Japanese Garden just down the street.
posted by evoque at 8:39 AM on February 12, 2015
Our honeymoon was the first week of June in Antibes, halfway between Cannes and Nice, and it was hot! We were both wishing the hotel had air conditioning. It's a cute little town, lots of seaside restaurants, a Picasso museum, F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed there, lovely historic walls, etc. Your choice of small, relatively uncrowded public beaches or resorts with umbrellas and drink service. Some of the restaurants and hotels are $$$$ but there were plenty of affordable options. It was convenient to take the train for day trips to Monaco and Nice, too. Overall a lovely honeymoon.
posted by wnissen at 10:34 AM on February 12, 2015
posted by wnissen at 10:34 AM on February 12, 2015
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posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:46 PM on February 11, 2015