bouillabaisse for lunch in Cassis

outdoor café in Cassis, France (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

One of the coolest things about a cruise is that you can go to sleep in Italy and wake up in France. Our first stop, after leaving Rome aboard the Seabourn Ovation, was in the port of Bastia (on the north coast of Corsica). The next morning, we awoke in Toulon, a small town in Provence on the Cote d'Azur.

Did you know that we can arrange private shore excursions? You're not limited to the group tours that cruise lines offer. Our visit was designed by Virtuoso onsite We Travel France. It included a wine tasting experience at the E. Bodin winery in Cassis, followed by a visit to the Port de Cassis. My highlight of the day was the utterly fabulous lunch I enjoyed at Chez César. Right on the water, their bouillabaisse was utterly authentic (and unlike what passes for bouillabaisse in the US).

Cassis is a cute town with at least a dozen open-air restaurants overlooking its small harbor. I captured the image above in our free time following lunch. I recommend a visit!

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

luxury hotel reviews on the French Riviera

sea view in Nice (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I've written reviews of fifteen hotels on the French Riviera (also known as the Cote d'Azur) and posted them on FlyerTalk. If you followed my live blog during my trip, you'll remember that we had a fabulous time. Early October is a great time to visit southern France. The crowds are thinned out, meaning an easier time finding parking and better experiences both in cities like Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo but also cute villages like Eze and Saint-Paul du Vence.

We were hosted during our trip by two hotels — four nights at the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, a Four Seasons Resort ... and Le Saint Paul, a quaint hotel with lots of character right on the main pedestrian path through the middle of town.

But the best part? Just like the four visitors to Nice in the picture above, nothing beats spending some time sitting on a bench, soaking in the sun, and taking in uninterrupted views of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.