Turns out whiling away the summer in a big villa in the south of France is a good as it sounds.
The place that inspired Travellur
In truth, perhaps the trip was a desire to revisit the follies of my youth. A heady cocktail of summer memories slinking around the Cote d'Azur and a few Bridgette Bardot films lead to a vision of a lazy summer doing nothing with agreeable persons. My vision was all lengthy shaded lunches breaking up languid days and sultry nights spent shuffling along the quayside. So I gathered my peeps, found a charming villa in a hillside town above St. Tropez and settled in for a summer long lounge.
Was it completely decadent? Yes, and highly recommended. In fact, it was so good, this vision eventually became Travellur as I realized that every one should find the sweetness of life and surrender to this dissipated pleasure. Nowadays it's called slow travel, and the Cote d'Azur is a fine place for it.
do, see, taste
When spending quality time with loved ones at the top of the to-do list, mundane tasks are elevated to special moments. We gathered our necessaries at the weekly market in our medieval village and blazed righteous barbecues on the wood fire back home. Wine was dispensed at a roadside drive through pump where folks would fill jerrycans with local rosé. In the afternoon we'd take our siesta on the beach or explore the uber quaintvillages that dotted the surrounding countryside. Although we made our case at the requisite beach clubs, my favorite beach was Escalet, a so-called "plage sauvage" or wild beach. There were no yachts or champagne showers, but the water was impossibly clear and there were high rocks from which to jump. That's all I'm really asking for in a beach; high rocks and clear water.
I can't say that I was disappointed in any way with doing nothing all summer. In fact, I think we should all do it.
Thank you Lauda, Susie, Lulu, Hicham, Dawn, Jan, Jackie, Manuela, Joyce, Barbara, Jean-pierre, and Mehdi for helping me visualize my dream.
When to go
The Cote d'Azur can be very very crowded in July and August, and there are whole areas that should be avoided at all costs, talk to Travellur about high season strategy. June and September are the best times to go if you want to swim in the sea. May and October are wonderfully quiet and great for photos and exploring but swims are limited to heated pools.
make this your next trip
Travellur can find the perfect villa for you and design a custom vacation itinerary for you and your family/friends with a personalized location report so you know exactly where to go and what to avoid. Contact us for a free consultation.
