Buzz: La Cote d’Azur
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To escape August heat and dust, to sit on a gorgeous beach
overlooking the Bay of Angels and tuck into a genuine salade Niçoise,
drizzled with local olive oil. Welcome to the big olive. Protected on
three sides by hills and mountains, Nice first found fame with Brits,
including Queen Victoria, as a warm winter hideaway. The city’s
favourite ex-pat, Sir Elton John, parties on from his pink palace on
Mont Boron!
BEAM DOWN BUZZ
During August you should be part of the 8 million annual
passengers to check in at the state-of-the-art Nice Airport. It’s
only 5 azur-blue kms from the town centre, so you can sun-bus it;
take a taxi for about 15€, or hire a car from Century for about
272€ per week T: 04 92 27 0510 www.century-location.fr. For travel
outside Nice, take a helicopter to, say, Monaco or St-Tropez (from
250€). www.niceaéroport.fr : Tourist Office 5 Promenade des Anglais : www.coteazur.org
CHECK IN BUZZ
Michael Jackson always stays at The Negresco, a Belle Epoque listed
wedding cake of a building. But, in spite of this, it’s well worth a
visit for the Louis X1V artwork and the liveried footmen. The stained
glass cupola in the salon was designed by Eiffel, the Baccarat
chandelier, with 16,000 crystals, was created for Tsar Nicholas. The
outsize rotating sculpture is by Niki de Saint Phalle (T:04 93 16
64 00) Ask about the two-night “Escapade,” including multi-perks such
as breakfast in bed, 10% reduction in Galeries Lafayette!
Prince
Alexei Lobanov Rostowsky’s former home, Château des Ollières (04 92 15
77 99) is the closest you can get to the life of a Russian aristocrat.
Rooms from about 170€.
Room 65 at Hotel
Windsor has wacky decor by local artist/philosopher BEN, other rooms by
other artists from 100€. 11, rue Dalpozzo -e-mail windsoracrobatwebstore.fr. Or
try the achingly chic state of the art Hi-Hotel, where you need a
degree in engineering to figure where to find the light switches. 3 avenue des Fleurs. 04 97 07 26 26
GET YOUR BEARINGS BUZZ
A bird’s eye view of the city is from the Colline du Château, at
the eastern end of Quai des Etats-Unis (prolongation of Promenade des
Anglais). Climb the 400 rocky steps (wimps take the lift: 8am-6pm at
the Tour Bellanda, by the Musée Naval). At the summit, explore the
pretty park with magic roundabouts, ice cream stalls—it’s an ideal
picnic spot. The coastline spreads out beneath you, as do terracotta
rooftops, the blue Mediterranean, and the hillside vineyards of Bellet
(the best wine of Nice). Pick up a copy of Nice Matin, the local rag. www.nicematin.fr –
TAKE A RIDE BUZZ
Discover Haute-Provence on the Train de Pignes, which chugs up the
lower Var Valley to Digne-les-Bains via Puget-Theniers and Annot . Get
off at Entrevaux to admire the fortified village, once a frontier town,
upstream from the border between France and Italian Savoy. Or take the
train+visit+repas ticket: trains are modern, but steam trains may run
(if there are no strikes!). Sundays between May-October. Leave from
Gare de Provence, 4 bis rue Alfred Binet. (E-mail: [email protected]:
T:04 97 03 80 80 ) It’s a five- minute walk north of the main Nice SNCF
station.
CULTURAL MORNING BUZZ
Find a friendly local to teach you the rudiments of “Le Nissart,”
Nice’s quintessential local language. Or buy (at FNAC, Nice Etoile,
avenue Jean Médecin) a CD of local hip band Nux Vomica. The Musée d’Art
Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Promenade des Arts (04 93 62 61 62),
showcases the greats (Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein) and also
local boys who made good: Yves Klein, Arman, César, Sosno and Ben’s
Fantasy House. On top, the minimalist roof garden has 360º views of
Nice. The Musée Matisse is a hommage to the artist who lived in the
nearby Hôtel Régina and died with a paintbrush in his hand. The
magnificent ochre-coloured villa, in olive grove setting, is at the
summit of Cimiez, Nice’s snob suburb. Permanent exhibitions showcase
his possessions, and there are concerts and lectures. Take a stroll
around the cemetery; Matisse lies in lonely splendour in an olive
grove. (164 Ave des Arènes de Cimiez – T:04 93 88 11 34)
LUNCH ON THE RUN BUZZ
The daily Marché aux Fleurs at Cours Saleya, in the old town, exudes
the heady aroma of spices. Old women in coloured aprons sell
morning-picked organic vegetables and cook socca (egg-pancakes);
weather-beaten old men offer local and Corsican cheeses. It’s a
film-set. Terres de Truffes, 11 rue St.- François de Paule (04 93 62 07
68) is truffle heaven by the King of Truffles, Clement Bruno. Plat du
jour, glass of wine and dessert about 20€. Or try truffle socca or
truffle pasta; to finish: truffle ice cream, washed down with a truffle
marc. Then pause in the shadow of St.-Reparate cathedral and choose
from 72 + exotic ice-cream sensations Try sorbet a la bière,
violet, basil-tomato, rhubarb, thyme and lavender. Fennocchio, 2 place
Rossetti.
WINDOW SHOPPING BUZZ
Most of the designer stores close between 12.30 & 3 pm. All
shopping roads lead off Place Masséna. Galeries Lafayette, open all
day, is a sprawling department store, useful to stock up on French
cosmetics. Retail nirvana begins on the corner of rue Paradis, with the
renovated Louis Vuitton store www.vuitton.com.
At the other end Nereides has the hippest, sexiest jewelry; think the
souk comes to Nice. Walk avenue de Suède, rue Paradis, rue de France
and rue de la Liberté, where the outdoor cafés are perfect for fashion
and people watching. Your basic Morgan, Kookai, Longchamp can be found
at 24 Avenue Jean Médecin, Centre Commercial de Nice Etoile.
THE ICING ON THE CAKE BUZZ
Friday morning, take a train from Nice Ville Station to Ventigmilia (in
Italy), eat a pasta lunch at Marco Polo, passeggiata Cavalotti 2, (0184
352678) and bring back fabulous fakes from the market. Shhhh….don’t
tell anyone.
TAKE A HIKE
To Eze (www.eze.riviera.com).
A 15-minute drive from Nice along the magnificent Moyenne
Corniche, Eze is a cluster of medieval stone buildings
perched on a mountainous rocky peak, overlooking Cap Ferrat. Allow 1½
hours to hike the steep mule-path from the panel marked
“bord-de-mer.” Nietzsche’s Walk is named after the German
philosopher who lived in Eze, where he wrote Thus Spake
Zarathustra. Once you get to Eze-village, boutiques, galleries,
and studios line the steep labyrinth of cobble-and-tile passageways.
This leads to the Exotic Gardens, 429 meters above sea level. After
dining on local specialities by chef Christophel l’Hospitalier, flop
into a four-poster bed in the former home of the Swedish Royals. Château Eza (04 93 41 12 24) www.slh.com/chatueza
Or fancy some sexe, sexe, sexe? That’s the summer exhibition at Galerie Beaubourg, a 30-minute scenic drive from Nice.www.galeriebeaubourg.com . “La sexualité dévenue objet d’une investigation”…hmmm
APERITIF BUZZ
You may need a stiff drink after all the sexe, sexe, sexe: Le Club (rue
Halevy) for red wine and cassis, Pimms and frozen
margaritas. Prefer Cuban-Latino? La Bodeguita del Havana,
14 rue Chauvain (04 93 92 67 24) Delhi Belhi (04 93 92 51
87) is always packed with celebs who love a good curry (Liz Hurley, Sir
Elton, etc.) after sexe. And early evening is a great time to hang
about outside La Meranda, 4 rue de la Terrasse (near Cours Saléya) no
reservations, no telephone, no credit cards. Chef is Dominique LeStanc,
who quit the Negresco’s kitchens to run hees leetle bistro. Just go!
SPLASH OUT BUZZ
The
Chantecler will not disappoint. Alain Llorca’s is still
creating “the 11 dish dance of the tapas” and his brother
Jean-Michel still makes a mean tomato tatin with olive ice cream. The
setting may be baccarat crystal, but the cooking is based on
simplicity, fresh seasonal products, natural flavours. Let
Patrick Millerau guide your choice of wine. From 80€. 37 Promenade des Anglais (04 93 16 64 00) e-mail: negresco@nice matin.fr
SUNDAY MORNING BUZZ
Roller blade, jog, scooter or VTT along the Promenade des Anglais
to burn the calories, meet new best friends. Head for the Russian
Orthodox Church (av. Nicholas-11 & boulevard du Tzarewitch) 04 93 96 88 02. Red
Square comes to Nice with the largest Russian church outside the
Motherland. The onion-domed edifice sparkles in the sunlight and is
crammed with icons, frescoes and chic well…Russians of course.
Get a more zen aspect at the Kenzo Tange-designed, high-tech Musée des
Art Asiatiques. (24) The 13th century tea-pavilion, under the gingko
trees, will awaken the real spirit of Japanese culture. Take part in a
tea ceremony given by a Master of tea, if he’s not on holiday. 405 promenade des Anglais: 04 92 29 37 00.
BRACING BRUNCH BUZZ
Immediate boarding on the terrace at chic Coco Beach 2 av Jean
Lorrain (04 93 89 39 26. Cocteau, Picasso, Pagnol, Guitry ate here.
Jagger, Naomi Campbell & Co. love the bouillabaisse. Vegetarians
head straight for La Zucca Magica, 4 bis, quai Papacino (26) (04 93 56
25 27), where Rossella and Marco cook regional Italian dishes that
change daily at lunch (16-25€) and dinner (book ahead, no credit
cards).
It really is so much nicer in Nice.