Where do I start!! I guess I’ll start by saying I wish I was back there right now! He He. Ok so the first time I visited France it was suggested to stay in Airbnb’s so, I decided to book a Airbnb in Nice for five nights $348.14. (Looks like nice but it is pronounced niece). I arrived around 9pm from my British Airline flight from London so I was not up to figuring out the train ride to my Airbnb and opted for a very expensive uber ride for convenience. Since I was back in France better believe there were lots of stairs and my place was at the very top floor of the building. In my head I thought I better not drink too much wine any evening since I have to walk up seven flights of stairs. That definitely didn’t stop me LOL *wink*. 

My first full day in Nice consisted of walking around town, checking out the local shops and restaurants. I tried socca at Chez Pipo a popular sweet dish in Nice; it was pretty decent but a bit bland in my opinion. That afternoon I stopped at Ballanger and had the best chocolate covered waffles with strawberries on top and of course an espresso. Mind you, expresso is literally everywhere and super cheap so it’s easy to have one everyday even if you barely drink them at home. That night I had dinner at Babbo (beneath Hotel Geneve) and y’all my rigatoni was so bomb I went back the next day for dinner as well. 

Now for some town hopping, on day three I booked a full day wine tour in Provence through Airbnb experiences for $135. The wine tour included tastings at three different local wineries and round trip transportation. It was a group of I believe six which was perfect size and our guide was friendly and funny. Our first stop was Domaine de Canta Rainette, I really loved their Roses’ most but their reds were also tasty. The second stop was Chateau Font du Broc, the cellar was impeccable and I loved their signature white wine. So of course a bottle came home with me to the states! The last stop was Chateau de Saint-Martin, passed down for 11 generations ran by women on the mother’s side of the family. Just based on the history I was in love with the location but the wines were very tasty, my favorite was their grande reserve 2018 Cotes de Provence. The wineries in Provence do not export their wines so if you want them in your house or store you have to buy them in person. 

Antibe, another beautiful town in the South of France was only one train stop away so I made time to spend a day there for some fun in the sun and more wine tasting. I grabbed some gelato and sparkling water with lime to cool down some from the heat at a beach side restaurant. I booked a private wine tasting for one in Antibe via Airbnb for $23 where I learned about short maceration, bleeding and direct pressing when it comes to making wines. I felt like I learned more in my one on one sit down as it was an intimate setting. 

Before leaving I had to make dinner reservations at Le Plongeoir. The view was to die for, overlooking the water after the sun comes down and it’s cool outside. I opted for the risotto with grilled prawns which I had never eaten, it was okay to me but I don’t have another to compare it to. For dessert I ordered one of their popular dishes the strawberry cake. Overall I had a nice time and the view was nice, but it was not my best meal in the South of France. 

Xoxo

Diamondsharelle

~MeandMyPassport~