Winter in Provence: Hyeres, Porquerolles, St Tropez, Marseille.. Trip to France

content:
photos:
Vote this travel review

Travel by car from Milan, with my wife and Emma (dog 2 years), duration 7 days (6notti) period: 12/29/2009 to 01/10/2004
Hotel: IBIS CENTRE - Av J. Moulin ang Voie Olbia, N98 Hyeres (Var) France, Provence - Expenditure: approx. EUR 1000.00 all inclusive.

I wanted to try this year's winter in Provence.
After having been there several times in all other seasons, with full and satisfying feeling, I just wanted to put under the magnifying lens of this beautiful area of France, accompanied also by my inseparable Emma, mainly to verify the relationship of the French (and restaurateur hotellieur ) with passenger-with-animal-to-follow.
Then refer to all the other reports about the usual and traditional tourism news (places to visit, communications costs, highways, etc.. Etc..) Pausing only a few key points.
First Hotel: I have chosen as a base fixed to the lush and lovely Provencal town of Hyeres Les Palmiers, where the name itself suggests the capital of the Mediterranean palm trees, with a mild temperature in winter (or I've been really lucky with an average of 12-15 ° C!) and very central location to visit within 50-80km (ie very short-haul road transport) very well known places such as Toulon, Marseille, St Tropez, Cassis and the Calanques, THORONET.
I usually play it safe in France (but also in Europe) by choosing the French multinational hotel group Accor (Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, etc..) Offer accommodations for every taste and every budget in an optimal value for location money. At Hyeres are "dropped" at the Ibis Centre (http://www.ibishotel.com/it/hotel-1172-ibis-hyeres-centre/index.shtm): in fact there are two Ibis Hyeres, the 'Another is on the road (Area Capt, after the international airport of Toulon-Hyeres) for the port of La Tour Fondue (Giens Peninsula), the embarkation point for Porquerolles and found a Thalassoterapique Hotel with swimming pool and spa, perhaps more suitable for a summer holiday, a bit 'more expensive and logistically well located especially not good for the movement as the one chosen by us, which has a big advantage: it is indeed in the center (near the corner with the beautiful course "Palmieri" Avenue Gambetta leading to the medieval city), but at the same time is on the director "Voie Olbia (the N98 road) that leads to very easily and quickly from one side to Toulon, Marseille and Cassis and dal'altra (east) towards the Lavandou, St Tropez, St Maxime and the Abbey of Thoronet with comfortable expressways and highways, some toll road system other no.Parentesi: good roads and highways and tolls are not so exorbitant (as some tourists-travelers who shoot to zero on the cost of French motorways), and neither more nor less than our "péage" (think that a 30km stretch of the Milan-Como sull'autolaghi little beauty costs of 3.80 euros!) and payment systems are not so difficult to understand (money "on the fly" into the trash - with well-advertised cost of trafficking in km before the toll and certainly should not be wimps in the launch ... -, European or toll normal credit cards or debit cards). I'll be back at the hotel Ibis. Excellent hospitality, impeccable cleanliness and spacious room with twin-plan (ie, two double beds), balcony, satellite TV (including the Italian RAI 1 is seen only, though), but without cassafortina and mini bar, soprattuttto (big point in favor in view World) free wi-fi in room and lobby! The dogs like ours Emma (but also those of large tonnage, and other animals) are well accepted and can go anywhere (strange!) Even to restaurant and breakfast room, of course, if their bosses are always polite, because here is the problem and the gist! Cost: 59 euros per night per room with 2 people 5 euros per night, the little animal. Breakfast option and part 8euro, but good and plentiful, with no limits: it must be good for the Italians "arraffatutto," but you can take even a cup of coffee to 1.8 euros. The hotel is a nice restaurant with prices to suit all budgets. In addition, outside the times of the restaurant, there is always the possibility 24H on 24 to have something hot to eat (of course, like "Four jumps paddle Findus, nothing pretentious) at reasonable prices. The director seemed of Italian heritage - and in fact was the only one to extricate easily with our language - and the other in charge of the concierge (on all outstanding kindness to a young woman expecting a baby, named Emmanuelle) talked about the 'English quite fluently and always with the pronunciation of French wishes! Free parking in a garage, which is no small thing! But my car I always left out in the parking outside. Only a 5 minute walk along the Avenue Gambetta Palmiero (with live music and Christmas lights among the branches of large effect) was in the old town of Hyeres, stroll in his "narrow alleys and streets of shops and fullest life (bearing in mind that high season is summer). To visit the Romanesque churches of St Paul and St Louis, Casino, Castle, Place de La Republique, rue Massillon and lots of other stuff. The food is good-no doubt-Hyeres (as in all of France) and prices all in all more than fair, certainly lower than those of Milan (the most expensive in Italy) where I live. Also because there is always the trick of traditional French menus at different prices to suit all tastes, as well as a la carte ". Of course the wine in one of the two countries enovinicole world, should cost much less, unless they arrange with the usual pichet of local wine (bottle or cardboard: all the world over!).
Of course in all the local animals are allowed, including restaurants: big plus, unlike Italy, where many managers will invent imaginary local health ordinances, prohibiting entry to our little furry friends, when the law places only discretion of the operator to accept or not the animal! Moreover, usually the owner takes care to bring the French pet water bowl and ad hoc (it happened to us) even ask for food, provided that the diet does not impose certain obligations on the dog.
We were really good and we managed to Hyeres in max an hour by car to reach our planned goals (see above).
Report a beautiful St Tropez in winter time, well lit with pastel effects on the famous "Quai du port, a Place de Lice fairytale (with an ice skating rink well integrated architecturally with the square) and petanque players (like bowling nostrane) Provencal under the streetlights, by night, on clay (typical Provencal square). Be ', do not miss at least a cup of coffee with cream (expensive but like everything in StTropez, 2 x 7Euro) from "Senecqueir" on the harbor, seated in red chairs, outdoor stress with 15 ° C and without horrendous mushroom heaters gas, in front of mega yachts (half Italian, sic ... that if we could come here GdF would a collapse). Toulon and Marseille did not need any introduction, especially in Marseille! And then omit. Cassis is a pearl provenzalmarinara as St Tropez, and even bigger! With its Calanques (visited in winter with trips boatman, defying a bit 'of the sea breeze.