French Riviera-- where to stay with kids?

[Anonymous]

My husband has family in Nice, France. We're planning a trip with our 2 and 5 year olds-- where on earth should we stay? I am worried about renting an apartment with a messy active toddler. Are there any family friendly resorts? Other ideas? Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

I remember a wonderful vacation to the South of France when I was little -- we rented a villa (a small cottagy style house) on a hillside among the lavender. It was wonderful! We played outside, had fresh cheese and baguette from the local stores and rented a car to see all the sights -- the Mediterranean, St. Tropez, Vence, Monaco, Cannes, etc. We stayed in a town called Frejus and I don't recall being frustrated that it was too far from anything. There are resorts in the area (check out the Four Season's new one on their website), but I think a villa is lovelier and easier with kids. HTH

[Anonymous]

I'm another fan of renting a villa or flat. Generally very affordable, and provide the most flexibility. What time of year are you going? Do you plan to keep a car while there? Nice, Antibes, Villefranche and the less touristed towns towards Cannes all have potential. Towards Menton it is a much older crowd (like, geriatric) from my recollection. If you don't need to be near the water everyday, Vence and St. Paul are so pretty, some of the smaller towns can be really dead in winter...Nice in winter is great for kids because the Promenade is empty and wide open for running and pebble throwing while adults enjoy a stroll.

I also second an earlier poster's rosy recollection of Frejus: from what I recall, in addition to the lovely South-of-France-ness, I believe there are some Roman ruins in the town as well, so you get the Roman stuff along with cool medieval stuff. I will also put in a plug for a trip to Carcassone...it's a long drive from Nice but the walled city is truly a wonder.

If you haven't checked it out already, there is a great book called "Take the Kids--South of France" by Rosie Whitehouse, published by the Cadogan travel guides folks. Lots of tips on where the playgrounds and kid friendly restaurants are, as well as the brands of snacks, etc that are geared towards kids.

Have a great time!