South of France- help! Does my dream destination exist?

[SLAW70s]

Hello everyone, we recently had an amazing holiday on the west coast of France and are looking to recreate the experience further south but have never been to the south of France.

We splashed out £3k on a beachfront cottage with little pool as it was a big anniversary so am now obsessed with seeing and hearing the sea from my bedroom!

Our wish list:
Waterfront (essential)
Ability to cycle (flat, easy safe route) from the door to local shops and restaurants
Beautiful scenery
Not glitzy/ glam / mega expensive location
Prefer rustic village charm/ small town feel
Beautiful coastal scenery
Villa/ cottage/house/ gite ( not camping or apartment block)
Dds will be 17&19 so somewhere without much/any nightlife (it’s a chill out holiday- they can do that with their friends- I don’t want to be up late worrying about them!)
Budget £3k for a week max in school summer holidays ( I’m looking for waterfront location not luxury)

Can anyone recommend a stretch of coastline that might fit the bill, to help me narrow my search? I know I’m asking for a lot!

Tia :)

I should also add that I’m terrified (almost phobic) of narrow mountain roads so would also need to take that into account!!

I can't help but sounds idyllic so am following. I'm more of northern France/Spain girl. But would love to visit the South.

And hopefully this comment bumps the post for you. X

en.riviera-villages.com/Kon-Tiki

I went here op and it was fabulous.

Have a look at Sanorey

Villefranche sur mer is beautiful

Welcome fagey!

I heart, that looks really fabulous but it looks quite a ‘communal’ set up. I think we want a more ‘private house’ feel.

Ooh x posts! Thanks fruity and mdh. I’ll take a look.

Sanary, mdh?

Menton is fabulous but may be a bit bigger/busier than you’re looking for - just down the road Roquebrune cap Martin is smaller and gorgeous.

Big lake rather than sea but you can drive to Atlantic beaches in 15-30 mins too. Loads of flat cycle paths abnb.me/KruxNGI8Pdb

Languedoc is beautiful. Unspoilt. We didn’t see another English person the whole time we were there.

Have a look on gites de France website; we booked with them last year and it was great.

www.france-voyage.com/tourism/gruissan-2112.htm

Gruissan is beautiful, just on the edge of Narbonne so convenient to the airport. lovely beach, chalets on stilts, a lagoon with cycle paths around, local seafood restaurants, a lovely spa (where you can bathe in wine, gotta admire the French!) . Convenient to lots of great places - Perpignan has a cool French-Bristol vibe if your DDs want a city day trip.

Wow! Such useful suggestions. I’m feeling spoiled for choice now. Mention area looks great.

I’m wondering if I slightly favour the idea of Provence.

I think I need to do a bit more research on the wider regions as I’m not sure which areas tally with my ‘vision’ of the South of France.

Can I ask if the reputation of the south of France as expensive is warranted? Or is that only in more glamorous city locations ( I’m think eating out in mid range restaurants, cafes and supermarket prices etc). For comparison, we were in a small resort near Rochelle last year and it was a bit more expensive than back home but not much.

I love the house on stilts idea and it’s definitely on my shortlist but I’m wondering if I’m visualising a rocky rugged coastline with little bays!

Is port Grimaud nice?

Don’t want much, do I?!

We have spent quite a bit of time down there in summers past. Port Grimaud is lovely OP! Very cute. We like Ramatuelle in that area as well, though both are very pricey for something like an Airbnb with a pool. Ste Maxime is very cute (other side of the bay from St Tropez) with lots of cafes and little shops and a market. Decent beach too. In terms of beaches, Pampelonne is really fab for light sand and turquoise water, but our favourite is actually further along at Escalet. There are some gorgeous beachfront villas there. I will say that I don’t personally find the prices too bad as long as you go for restaurants off the most busy/touristy waterfront streets. Even in St Tropez there are lots of little independent shops with decent prices. I got a pair of wedges there last year for 20 euro. 🤷‍♀️

St Jean Cap Ferrat could be a good choice, though you may struggle to find something in your budget. I also agree that Menton is nice. Mougins is a neighborhood outside of Cannes where you might find a good deal, but the beach in Cannes won’t be as nice as the St Tropez ones.

Linguaphile, thanks so much for your suggestions. I will definitely look at accommodation options in those areas. Exciting!

I found a great Airbnb but sadly the cancellation for Airbnb’s are not Covid friendly enough so I think I need to avoid them.

St tropez is gorgeous and not half as ritzy as you'd think

La Rochelle, Royan, St Georges de Didonne. The Charente-Maritime. My parents live about an hour inland, so I spent a LOT of my childhood on these lovely quiet beaches. La Rochelle is obviously an actual city, and is beautiful, the others are smaller. Or go down onto the Gironde estuary - you get a bit more of the surfer vibe down there. I am missing my part of the world SO much.

Wonderful thread. I’m now dreaming of visiting these lovely towns.

You won't hear the sea on the Med side of France. Check the North of Spain and Portugal for better value, better scenery etc.

We went to Argeles Sur Mer which is towards the Spain side of the south coast. Argeles itself is busier than you're after but there are some smaller towns nearby. It's not glam or particularly expensive like I believe the Cannes side of the coast to be. There's also the Euro bus to Perpignan which trundles along the coast (at the cost of €1 each)!

Collioure. Catalan region of the south of france. Very picturesque with great restaurants. Easy to drive along the coast road into Spain.

Port Grimaud is very touristy and a nightmare during the summer. The same with St Trop. It gets overrun with day trippers during peak season. The surrounding villages and towns are also affected by all the traffic on the roads. Ot is not unheard of to spend HOURS in traffic during the end of July/August. It is far more pleasant towards the beginning and end of the season.

Menton is beautiful and is often overlooked. In terms of price, it really depends. If you are going to have a drink in a cafe on the beachfront if Cannes prepare to spend a lot, but if you go off the beaten track the prices aren't terrible.

Interested too in this.