LIVING THE HIGH LIFE AVEC UN PETIT PEU D’ARGENT. London and The Cote D’azur are not normally places associated with budget vacations, unless you are traveling with the penny aware allowance associated with students and backpackers. There is a delightful middle ground where you can stay in superb accommodation, enjoy gourmet food, main attractions and local festivals. The best time to visit London, (its when I go, and I’m originally a Londoner), is September, the airfares have dropped considerably, the kids are back at school, and as has been the case in recent years London has enjoyed a wonderful Indian summer, warm t-shirt weather during the days, with only a light cover up for the slightly fresher evenings. The most reasonably priced direct flights are with Virgin Airways from most major US hubs, taking a nod from the corporate world you can stay in three star serviced apartments in the heart of Kensington or Canary Wharf, London’s newest financial centre for an average £120.00 per night. Fraser Suites one of the leading providers of serviced apartments across the globe has recently added these three star properties to their four and five star portfolios. You can enjoy beautifully appointed apartments with equipped kitchens, maid service, cable TV, L’Occitane toiletries, and friendly and knowledgeable staff. The major savings over a hotel are immense, you can order food in, and you have your own fridge to stock with your own purchases, no more £3.00 miniature bottles of water. There are no horrendous charges on to phone bills, and the suites are on average two to three times larger than most hotel rooms. There is a plethora of free things to do in London. You could easily spend a whole day visiting the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert which are all next to each other on Cromwell road. The main museum is free with only a small charge for special exhibitions. The second week in September enjoys the Mayors Thames Festival, which celebrates life along the river from Westminster to Tower Bridge, with open air performances, music, dancing, sailing along the Thames, and an un-mmisable fireworks display. Here you get to experience life as a Londoner. A must buy is the London Pass which gives you access to over 50 attractions, at an incredible saving over paying for each one individually. In two days we managed to see the Tower of London, walk over the Tower Bridge Museum Experience, see the sharks up and close in the London Aquarium, Visit London Zoo, Hampton Court Palace, take a riverboat cruise down the Thames to Greenwich, Visit the HMS Belfast and St Paul’s Cathedral. Plump for the pass with Travel, as this also brings amazing savings and the ability to jump on an off all London Transport at will. The London Pass also offers great discounts on restaurants, Theatre Tickets and shopping. The London Pass doesn't include two of London’s most famous attractions, but you can buy joint tickets for Madame Tussuad’s (highly recommended) and The London Eye, the best time to fly in the sky is around 8pm, you may be lucky to get a pod all to yourself, to watch London’s twinkling skyline.
For those with a hankering for the theatre, the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square offers on the day tickets from 10am. There are 700 standing tickets at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for every performance from only £5.00. If you book in advance tickets for dance and opera at the Royal Opera House can be had for £5.00 with unsold tickets offered at half price four hours before a performance. Thankfully the reputation of British Cuisine has much improved of late, with over 40 Michelin starred restaurants in London alone. An affordable lunch may be enjoyed at one of the one star eateries, try Locanda Locatelli, home-style Italian food, where you can still find chef/owner Giorgio Locatelli in the kitchen. It’s also quite a celeb hang out. For great food at fairly reasonable prices try out a London Gastro Pub. This fairly recent phenomena has seen a lot of run down London Boozers, turned on their heads with a full makeover of interior, menus, wine and designer beers and ales. There are numerous markets to visit in London, one of the most diverse is Portobello Road which on Saturday has an antique market that leads into a produce market, interspersed with one of kind boutique shops selling everything from funky home items to a whole store devoted to cookbooks. Other good ones to visit are Borough Market, Spitalfields, and of course Covent Garden Market.
The most affordable way to the South of France from London is with Easy Jet from three London Airports where if you can book in advance for prices from as low as £28.00 to Nice, the gateway to the Cote D’Azur. This is the perfect city to base oneself to take advantage of all that this dazzling region has to offer. Once again, for luxury at a small price a serviced apartment is the frugal traveler's friend. Mid season price E450 per week. Just a stone’s throw from Place Massena and the Promenade Des Anglais we found the most uniquely designed and welcoming one and two bed apartments called Interieur cour. The interiors of Nature, Kenya, Tribal and Siam, were welcoming and lived up to their names, some have Jacuzzis and even a beautiful sun terrace, which in the heart of Nice is a rare find indeed. Rue Massena is ideally situated about ten minutes walk to the train station which is the ideal way to travel up and down the coast with frequent trains to Monaco in one direction and to Cannes in the other. Take a boat trip to the Illes de Lerin just off Cannes, Wander the quaint streets and the Picasso Museum of
Antibes. Then stop for lunch with the locals at Le Brulot where all the fare is cooked in the wood fired oven, and served with much ‘joie de vivre’.
Nice itself has a very cosmopolitan feel, with a superb offering of museums, The Chagall, The Matisse and the Picasso are the main ones. The sweeping Baie des Anges offers miles of sandy beaches and the incredible blue sea that reflects the clarity of light that Provence is so famous for. A hike around the parc at Mont Boron offers stunning views and a pleasant way to pass the afternoon. In the evening the many superb and reasonably priced restaurants along Rue Massena, offer a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisine. La Maison de Marie, is possibly one of the most romantic, dining under candlelit bougainvillea, chef Alain prepares delicious Provencal cuisine, served by genuinely friendly and charming staff. On the way to Monaco, take a visit to the Sunday antique market at Villefranche-sur-mer. Equally Beaulieu sur mer, which is a quaint seaside town is worth a stop, the walk around to St Jean de Cap Ferrat takes you past villas of the rich and famous as well as a visit to the Villa Kerylos . The well preserved medieval village of Eze, perched 675m above sea level, offers unparalleled views from St Tropez to Italy and Corsica. A charming place to spend the afternoon, wandering around the cobbled streets, transportation here is by foot or donkey. Whilst Eze is known as being relatively expensive, you can enjoy home inn cooked food at Le Nid d’Ai gle from 10E, and of course the views are free. A South of France vacation wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the tiny but world re-known Principality of Monaco. The sheer romance and class associated with this tax haven, is built upon an era of nostalgia and decadence. Take a coffee in La Condamine Market and watch the Monegasques go about their daily routines. If you are here in late September the Monaco Yacht Show is a sight to behold, with some of the most sophisticated floating gin palaces on show in the gleaming harbor. There are numerous walks that take in each quarter of Monaco, and a visit to watch the changing of the Guard at 11.55am daily at the Place de Palais is a wonderful reminder of Monaco’s history. For a more relaxed and secluded vacation the dream of renting a villa, is also possible with a stunning villa in the village of Speracedes, about half an hour drive from Nice airport, and close to the famous perfume capital of Grasse, rates are around $1,750 per week in September, the property sleeps eight and has an enormous swimming pool, various terraces fragranced with pine and fruit trees and the most amazing views across the valleys down to the coast.
For further information: www.thelondonpass.com www.virginatlantic.com www.frasersuites.com www.squaremeal.co.uk ( a very good site for honest restaurant reviews) South of France: www.interieurscour.com www.villazure.co.uk Christina Bridge. Š Originally published in Travelworld Magazine 2009. NAJTA.