-Richard Nahem

As much as I love living in Paris, I felt the need to get away for some fun and sun. After feeling intense peer pressure from my Parisian friends who could not believe that I wasn’t taking a holiday this year, I succumbed to their wishes and gladly announced that I was taking an 8-day vacation in Nice. With reactions of horror, bewilderment and approval of choosing Nice, they wished me bon vacances and good luck fighting the crowds.
 
I arrived at the Hotel Windsor , a whimsical, old world hotel in an ideal location close to the beach and center of town. The lovely tropical garden and pool area make this hotel a special oasis in the middle of an urban commercial area. A local artist, who painted a tropical mural behind our bed and adorned the wall with a funny,horrifying stuffed animal sculpture, had recently redone our room. The service was outstanding and Katherine and Jeroen at the front desk were immensely helpful and always pleasant and patient with my 2,000 questions about where to go and what to see.
 
Nice is strange combination of worn Belle Époque architecture suggesting a bygone era of elegance and the crass commercialism of a New Jersey boardwalk resort. I loved walking around the quiet back streets discovering the wonderful buildings, and the lush gardens and foliage. As far as the dealing with the over abundance of tourists, I turned it into a fun exercise in people watching. I marveled at everyone, from the over-dressed Euro women wearing enough gold & glitz to make a rap star look demure, to kids sporting the latest in over the top hair treatments and tattoos.
 
As I settled in I discovered excellent restaurants, great culture and swimming in the delicious, my-favorite-color-blue Mediterranean.  
I enjoyed perfect, warm days of sunshine and surf and perfect nights of delicious dinners and breezy moonlight walks on the beach promenade. Nice has been a delight and here are  some highlights of my trip.

Culture
The MAMAC Nice, the modern museum of Nice, is an impressive museum with a first class collection of contemporary works by Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, Robert Rauschenberg, and French born Niki de Saint Phalle. It also focuses on the Nice school of artists including Yves Klein. There was a stunning must see show of Jean Pierre Raynaud’s works from the last 30 years.
 
Villa Kerylos located in the seaside village of Beaulieu sur Mer is a 19th century, gorgeous villa based on the noble Greek villas of the 2nd century. It’s luxurious rooms filled with extraordinary furniture and rich detailed mosaics and murals made this one of the most special experiences of my Nice visit.

MAMAC Nice, Promenade des Arts, Nice 06300
Villa Kerylos, Beaulieu sur Mer
 
 
 
Restaurants
La Petite Maison with extraordinary food, casual fun atmosphere, and 
a chic international crowd made it my favorite restaurant in Nice.
 
Le Tire Bouchon in the old town, is a small, intimate restaurant with 
excellent Nicoisian food, friendly service and a terrific value with 
a 3-course menu for 28 Euros ($36).

Le Petite Maison, 11 rue St. Francois de Paule
 
Le Tire Bouchon, 19 rue de La Perfecture, Old Nice

 
Side trips
I visited the lovely villages of Eze and St. Paul de Vence. These 
charming mountaintop gems are medieval villages with winding mosaic 
paths, white stucco walls, and breathtaking vistas. Although they 
were overrun with tourists and bad art and crafts galleries, I still 
highly recommend them for their beauty and charm.

Shopping
The only worthwhile shops are in the old town, which have Provencal 
and Nicoise products such as hand made soaps, local olives and olive 
oil, herbs, candles, and spices. I stocked up on burlap sacks of fresh 
lavender and Herbs de Provence.
La Maison de Olives, 18 rue Pairoliere, Old Nice
 
Peches Gourmands, 15 place St. Francois, Old Nice
 

 ———————————————————————————————————————————

Richard Nahem is a former New Yorker now living in Paris. He writes the popular blog EyePreferParis and conducts one-of-a-kind Parisian tours through his EyePreferParisTours.