Fireworks on the Cote d'Azur

Calling all fireworks fans! Don’t miss this incredible event on the Cote d’Azur
After the fun and excitement of bonfire night in the UK, are you left yearning for more? How about planning a holiday in France in 2011 – the French really know how to do fireworks (although it’s likely you may be tucking into a glass of chilled champagne rather than hot soup as an accompaniment!)

Particularly memorable, our clients on holiday in the Cote d’Azur have told us, is the Festival Pyrotechnique de Cannes – the most sophisticated and up-to-the-minute fireworks are let off from barges moored in the stunning bay of Cannes accompanied by a musical extravaganza - the fireworks are reflected spectacularly in the water and the acoustics are amazing – the overall effect really has to be seen to be believed, and people come from all over the world to do so!

Dates for 2011 are 14th, 21st and 29th July and 7th, 15th and 24th August. See our website www.susanparadise.co.uk for holiday properties to rent on the Cote d’Azur or call us on 01397 597759 to discuss your requirements.

Photo by Felixco.Inc

Winter sunshine on the Côte d'Azur

Winter breaks on the Cote d’Azur

It’s a tradition – the British have been getting their winter sunshine fix on the Cote d’Azur since the 1820s. Clear blue skies and palm-lined promenades give a touch of the exotic, yet you don’t have to spend hours in a plane to get there - the French Riviera is an easy flight from many UK airports, and you even have the option of going by train from St Pancras.

There’s much more to the Cote d’Azur than lounging on a beach; dozens of artists were inspired by the exceptional light and colours of the region and you will be spoilt for choice with art galleries and exhibitions.

Of course France is famous for its gastronomic delights, and restaurants are less crowded than in the summer months – if you thought you would be waiting until 2011 to dine al fresco, think again – today it’s 22°c and sunny on the Cote d’Azur…..

The public transport system along the coast is excellent – several of our clients this year have expressed their delight at the value for money and service on the trains and buses in the region, from St Raphael right across to Monaco and Ventimiglia in Italy. The Victorians may have missed out on the chance of touring Nice in an open top bus to take in all the sights, but there is nothing stopping you… To really blow away some cobwebs and get the sea breeze in your hair, why not borrow a ‘Vèlo Bleu’ from one of the collection points around Nice and explore by bike!

Give your spirits a lift and bring a bit of sparkle into the gloomy winter days with a break in the south of France. Here are some ideas for holiday properties on the Cote d’Azur which are ideal for a winter break - C336A Mandelieu la Napoule (sleeps 2); C115A, Nice (sleeps 5); C59A Pégomas near Grasse (sleeps 2), C381A Le Tignet near Grasse (sleeps 2)

Alternatively, browse our website www.susanparadise.co.uk or call us on 01395 597759 to discuss your requirements.

Time to book your next holiday in France!

The bottle of pastis we brought back with us is now gone, the warm scarf I bought in 30° of blazing sunshine at Aix-en-Provence market is coming into regular use on early morning dog walks and the chirp of cicadas is but a distant memory…. So we thought, it’s time to book our next holiday in France. Last minute booking is all very well, but anyone booking early has a bigger choice of holiday properties – the favourites are always booked well in advance, and, for us, anticipation is all part of the pleasure – now we have put our deposit on our holiday cottage in Provence, we can start to dream and plan. France is such a varied country, and there are always so many things to see and do, no matter how often you visit. Visit the regional information pages on our website for some ideas, or browse through our holiday villas and apartments in France on the website www.susanparadise.co.uk - just the thing to banish those shorter day blues!

A bientôt, Provence!

Back from holiday at beautiful peaceful P108A in the Pays de Forcalqiuer, Alpes de Haute Provence care of Susan Paradise holidays – all I can say is, it was complete bliss! Seven days of sunshine, swimming, walks, food and wine in the most heavenly countryside, is, to me, the key to complete relaxation.



Here is a small selection of the high points:

Star gazing at the Centre d’Astronomie, Saint Michel l’Observatoire, which is reputed to have the clearest sky in Europe. During the summer various events are held, including evening picnics and film nights. We listened to an introductory talk about the constellations, to give us an idea of what goes where, then it was outside to look at the real thing, which was quite stunning, especially the Milky Way. I’ve never used a telescope before, and I am captivated by it….

Forcalquier market – We loved the stall with kitchen implements. We did think that some of the more specialist produce was very expensive (but treated ourselves to some wonderful berger cheese and tapenade anyway…)

L’Auberge des Coupoles, Saint Michel l’Observatoire. We went twice, we enjoyed it so much! Friendly service, lovely food, beautifully presented – my favourite was the delicious gambas.



The breathtaking view from the citadel at Forcalquier, a steep walk in the blistering sun, but well worth it….



The Prieure de Salagon – the gardens are a paradise for plant enthusiasts, especially the contemporary garden with plants from all over the world with relevant uses to our modern lives, like tea and coffee… I didn’t realise that tapioca grew on trees!

The walks – especially through the Foret Dominiale behind Volx with views over the Durance valley to the mountains. Sturdy walking boots essential, and take plenty of water.



Le Bleuet bookshop at Banon; loads of little rooms all full of books and book lovers – I’ve never seen such a wide selection of recipe books.

I can’t wait for my next holiday in Provence – there is so much to see and do in the area. I miss the lovely morning view of the countryside from my bedroom window ...



and I bought a map with 14 walks from the tourist office, and there are still 13 walks that I haven’t done yet…. A la prochaine fois, Provence, je t'aime …..

It seems such a long time since we last blogged…. Things have been very busy with a visit to look at properties in Brittany back in June, followed by a flood of last minute bookings, as the pound rallied against the euro, and the volcanic ash cloud became a distant memory.

June was unbelievably hot in Brittany, perfect for beach holidays, and for eating al fresco; maybe the temperatures were a little too high for car journeys around the region inspecting properties, but we can’t complain – you’re never far from a magnificent coastal landscape in Brittany, and the views were, as ever, superb with deep blue skies and clear, tropical-looking seas.



We have a particular passion for the area around the Pointe de Trevignon; it is so peaceful, and the beaches are breathtakingly beautiful, so we were delighted to take on two new properties there, both within easy walking distance of the sea. See B762A and B765A for more details.

After an especially busy morning around Concarneau and Benodet we stopped for lunch at the creperie Quartier d’été at La Forêt Fouesnant, at the side of the estuary with views across to the marina – what a lovely spot! A friendly welcome, delicious crepes and a great atmosphere – couldn’t ask for more.




More and more people are taking their pets on holiday to France with them (see our section on pet-friendly accommodation in France) and we enjoy seeing dogs happily accompanying their owners eating out at French restaurants. This little terrier sat so quietly on his owner’s lap at a restaurant in the Ville Close, Concarneau, that you would hardly have noticed he was there!


Régine has been as busy as ever on the Côte d’Azur, as you can see, the work never lets up in the summer season, even on a romantic stroll with Pat through the pretty little streets of Mougins, she is taking enquiries on the phone!



Now the peak holiday time is drawing to a close, and at the end of August it will be my turn! Winding down in Provence, relaxing by the pool, catching up with some reading, walking in the Luberon hills – I can hardly wait! I will report back on any new discoveries in the Pays de Forcalquier on my return. A bientôt…

Cannes film festival

This morning Régine and Pat have been out soaking up the atmosphere of the Cannes film festival. They strolled along the length of the Croisette where preparations were well under way for some truly gourmand lunches, if the delicious aromas of fresh fish being grilled were anything to go by! The sea was calm in the warm May sunshine, boats were bobbing on the sparkling water in the harbour and everyone was full of bonhomie. After the hustle and bustle of Cannes in full celebration mode, back to the peace of Pégomas for lunch - a ‘pain bagnat’ from the wonderful Chez Ernest in Cannes, accompanied by a a glass of crisp chilled rosé – santé!
If you'd like to bask in the sun, fun and glamour of Cannes for a while, look at our holiday properties C75A (sleeps 5)which is just 2km from the centre of Cannes, yet has its own private pool and garden, or C385A, (sleeps 4) a lovely air conditioned apartment right at the centre of the action, just 150m from the beach. Or view our whole selection of self catering holiday accommodation in France at http://www.susanparadise.co.uk/index.htm

Festival de la Transhumance, Saint Rémy de Provence

There was much excitement outside our office here in Devon yesterday, as a flock of sheep appeared, having escaped from a nearby field. Helping to round them up and return them to their rightful home gave us an excellent excuse to go out and enjoy the spring sunshine, and put us in mind of the upcoming Fête de la Transhumance in Saint Rémy de Provence. On May 24th, between 3000 and 4000 sheep will parade around the streets of this picturesque town, accompanied by goats, donkeys, sheepdogs and shepherds, before leaving for the high mountain pastures. In times gone by, this would mean a 10 day journey on foot, nowadays the sheep travel in a truck, but the moment is still celebrated in style at Saint Rémy, with music, dancing, feasting and lively street markets. It’s a lovely place to go at any time, with a choice of restaurants and individual shops, fascinating artistic and historical connections and lots of interesting things to see and do. We have several apartments with shared swimming pool within easy walking distance of Saint Rémy town centre, see P349A, P339A, P339B, P339C and P339D.
For the whole range of our holiday properties in Brittany, Provence and the Côte d'Azur, look at our website http://www.susanparadise.co.uk/
If you have experienced the Fête de la Transhumance, or if you have any recommendations of places to eat out in and around Saint Rémy de Provence, we would love to hear from you!

Special spring offer for the south of France

As winter seems to be reappearing across Britain, and we hear that our colleagues in the south of France are lunching out of doors in just their shirt sleeves, we'd like to announce a very special offer for April and May.

The price of the delightful Maison Bleue at Pégomas near Grasse is now reduced from EUR 575 to EUR 475 per week in April, and from EUR 650 to EUR 575 per week in May. This is even lower than the prices way back in 2006, so it's a real bargain! You can walk to shops, bars, restaurants and the superb farmers' market from the property, stroll along the famous seafront - la Croisette - in Cannes, which is just 9km away, or catch a train along the coast for a day out in Italy!

Here is what some tenants have said about La Maison Bleue -
"Everything was absolutely perfect, a warm welcome, very convenient for Grasse, Cannes, Nice, it was heaven! Thank you for a most wonderfully relaxed holiday."


"The house was beautifully decorated and had everything practical to make it comfortable without too much stuff...Village within easy walking distance with all necessary shops and places to eat. Half an hour's drive from the sea. On good bus route to Cannes. Lots of other interesting villages and towns to explore nearby and fantastic scenery."

Call us on 01395 597759 to find out more, or visit our website http://www.susanparadise.co.uk/ to look at our full range of holiday properties in France

New - fabulous villa close to the beach on the Cote d'Azur!

Last week Régine went to visit a beautiful villa close to the beach that we have recently taken on at La Napoule – see top photo - C393A (sleeps 8) has everything you could wish for in a holiday rental home; a private pool, a balcony with sea views, an enclosed garden, and in addition it’s in a peaceful position yet only 500m to the beach and 300m from shops, restaurants and bars.

The villa is right next to the beautiful Parc Départmental de San Peyre, so Régine took the opportunity to enjoy the lovely countryside, taking some photos along the way. The footpath ‘sentier botanique’ is just 100m from the villa, and zig zags gently up the hill. You can pause to read the story of the little church of Saint Pierre, which is now in ruins. At the top, at an altitude of 131m, you are rewarded by truly spectacular views across the sparkling blue Mediterranean, as you can see from the photos.

Take a look at our website www.susanparadise.co.uk/ for details of all our holiday villas in the south of France and Brittany, or phone us on 01395 597759 to chat about your particular requirements.

Two new holiday gites close to the beach in Brittany

We have just taken on two superb family friendly gites in Brittany, which are available now to book for the summer holidays. Both have large gardens, fantastic for children (and grown-ups!) to play in, and both are a short walk from fabulous beaches.

B762A (sleeps 6) is on the Pointe de Trévignon, our favourite part of southern Brittany. This attractive holiday cottage is only 200m from the nearest white sandy beach, and an easy walk to a good creperie and café bar with sea views. More restaurants and shops are within a 7km drive at Trégunc, and Concarneau, with its famous old walled town in the harbour, is about 10km.

B763A (sleeps 12) is a spacious holiday villa at the southern entrance to the exceptionally beautiful Crozon Peninsula, just a 30 minute drive from Brest airport. It’s just 500m from Pentrez Plage; a great beach for all the family, with surf, shallows for paddling, rock pools to explore and huge stretches of sand perfect for beach games. The nearest shops and restaurants are just 2.5km away at Plomodiern, which also has a weekly market and one of the best folk festivals in Brittany every August.

Don’t delay – book now, we have availability at the moment because these two lovely holiday properties in Brittany are new to our collection, but they will soon be snapped up! Look at our website http://www.susanparadise.co.uk/ for more information, or call us on 01395 597759

Snow sensation on the Cote d'Azur!

Now here's a sight you don't see very often! Those of you who have happy memories of baking sun on the pool terrace and refreshing dips in the lovely pool when on holiday at La Maison Bleue at Pégomas will hardly recognise the place from these photos taken last week showing several centimetres of snow on the Cote d'Azur - brrr!

For novelty value it was fun while it lasted - and we've never seen Régine wearing a hat and gloves before - but luckily things soon returned to normal; the sun came out, the mimosas are flowering and everyone is getting in the festive mood ready for Nice Carnival. Summer will be here before you know it - book your holiday villa in France now at http://www.susanparadise.co.uk/

Self catering walking holidays in Provence / Côte d'Azur

Forget Paris in the springtime; you can’t beat the Provençal countryside as the season bursts into bloom and peace still reigns supreme on the French Riviera. Many visitors to the glamorous, buzzing resorts of the Côte d’Azur are unaware that just a short distance inland are hundreds of kilometres of waymarked footpaths with stunning mountain views and panoramic seascapes. Spring is the ideal time to slip on your walking boots and head for the clear blue skies and warm spring sunshine of south-eastern France. Nature is at its finest at this time of year, the wildflowers are opening to welcome the lengthening days, and the pace of life in the south of France is at its most restful.

A self-catering holiday villa in Provence / Côte d’Azur will give you the freedom to come and go as you choose, and a well equipped and comfortable base to return to after an energetic day’s walking.
For the really adventurous, the Mercantour National Park offers landscapes to rival the most rugged British wilderness, and you may get to see wild chamonix , marmots and ibex if you’re lucky! The highest point is Mont Gélas at 3,143m, but there are trails to suit all ages and abilities.
C70A (sleeps 3, pool shared with owner) has amazing views along the valley of the river Var, and several appealing walks right on the doorstep. From here it’s a short drive to the rugged Mercantour National Park, with 600km of superb hiking trails.


P348A (sleeps 6, private pool) is an ideal base for walkers keen to explore two of France’s regional natural parks; it is situated just north east of the beautiful Lubéron hills and within easy driving distance of the spectacular Gorges du Verdon, Europe’s answer to the Grand Canyon.. It’s also an easy walk to shops, bars and restaurants in the unspoilt local village of Reillanne.

For a bigger selection of rental villas and apartments perfect for a walking holiday in France, see our section Walking Holidays in France on the Susan Paradise website or call us on 01395 597759 to talk about your individual requirements.

Shopping in Cannes

Cannes is well known as a shoppers’ paradise, and if you go even slightly off the beaten track, the prices are often very reasonable; who knows, you may even find a real bargain!

Régine, as a local, is in the know about these things, and she loves the small food shops that line the pedestrianised rue Meynadier (off the rue d’Antibes) in Cannes, which are well known for their delicious array of French and Provençal specialities. As you will see from her photos, they are a visual treat even before you start shopping…..

Rue Meynadier is close to the wonderful Forville market, which is open every morning except Monday. It is also very well placed, just behind the port, for a great selection of restaurants, which are open until late in the evening.

A self-catering holiday in France allows you the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy your food shopping, and the smaller specialist food shops ensure a truly cultural experience not to be missed. Don’t just take our word for it - to take full advantage of the best of Cannes shopping, we recommend staying at C385A (sleeps 2, right in the heart of Cannes) or C75A (sleeps 5, private pool, 2km Cannes centre).

Bon appetit!

Eco-friendly holidays in France

France is a great choice for environmentally aware holidaymakers; an overseas destination you can reach by train if you wish, plenty of opportunity to support local events and buy regional produce, and you can hike and cycle (or even recycle!) to your heart’s content.

We are very keen to promote environmentally responsible living, both in our day-to-day work at the Susan Paradise office and in the holidays we offer. Here are some of the reasons why a Susan Paradise holiday in France is an eco-friendly choice:

· We supply information to help our clients support local concerns - small shops, markets, craftspeople, festivals etc - when on holiday in France.

· We give guidelines to our property owners to help our clients enjoy an environmentally friendly stay, for example by recycling, or using regional public transport where possible.

· France is a fantastic country for cycling and hiking; Brittany, Provence & Cote d’Azur – are home to numerous nature reserves and areas of natural beauty.

· Our office is in a redundant agricultural building which we rebuilt using reclaimed traditional materials. There are lots of nesting boxes and feeders for the birds all over the office grounds.

· No water cooler needed! Our office water supply comes from a deliciously cool spring, and is pumped by a water powered ram.

· We do not produce a brochure; our bookings and enquiries are handled by email wherever possible. Office paper, stamps, cartridges etc are recycled. Shredded documents go on our compost heap.

· We regularly support a number of charities – more information on the website.


Click through to the website to view our top eco-friendly self catering accommodation in France.

France - cheaper than you think!

France – cheaper than you think!
Did you know that France is officially the most visited tourist destination in the world – and 79 million people can’t be wrong! You may have seen Fred Mawes’ article in the Telegraph this Sunday, where he points out that France probably works out to be the cheapest overseas country you can go to on holiday, as it’s inexpensive to get to, and many self-catering properties are the same price or even cheaper than last year. He particularly referred to Susan Paradise Ltd, and highlighted the Best Budget Buys section on our website. Above you will see photos of three of our favourite great value properties in this section, C174A (Grasse, sleeps 5), C166A (Antibes, sleeps 2) and C361A (Tourrettes sur Loup, sleeps 4).
Have you booked yet? Remember, the earlier you book, the better choice you will have of our superb range of holiday properties in France. Call us to discuss your individual requirements, fill in our Quick Enquiry form or take a look at our website www.susanparadise.co.uk. We look forward to talking to you.

Family friendly holidays in France

If you are starting to plan your family holiday for 2010, don't forget that France is a great country in which to travel with children.
· It's right on our doorstep! Flight times are relatively short; well-planned train and ferry journeys can be a special treat and great fun for children.
· They are generally welcome everywhere, and young children and babies in particular are always made a fuss of.
· Despite being close, France has a whole different culture - a stimulating and educational experience for children.
· There are numerous family orientated theme parks with excellent facilities.
· Any tourist information office will have plenty of ideas for children's activities locally.
· It's a great chance for them to try out the French they've learnt at school, and find new friends.
· Children under 4 travel free on public transport in France and those aged between 4 and 12 pay half price.
· Museums, galleries etc are usually free to under 12s, and half price for children aged 12 - 18.
· Most restaurants have a children's menu.
· several of the seaside towns have received awards for their child-friendly facilities and attitude.


A self-catering holiday in France is a perfect option for families; more freedom, space and privacy than a hotel, a choice of travel options and plenty of opportunity to experience French culture and meet French people. Look at a selection of our family friendly properties on our website, or call us on 01395 597759 to discuss your individual requirements.