Review of Cannes using Dream Tours Part I

Excerpt from 21-day cruise Amazon to Rome April/2004

APRIL 25TH CANNES FRANCE 9AM TO 7PM

Showers in the AM

Sunny in the PM

TEMP 20-22C

Famous for the ‘Cannes Film Festival’ as well as a gateway to St Tropez, Villefrance, Nice and Monaco. Ships that stop in the French Riviera often stop at Villefrance. Both Cannes (Kan) and Villefrance (Vilfronz) are tender stops. Both are excellent for port stops.

We had booked in the weeks prior with Alain from dream tours (E-mail Address: infos@dream-tours.com). I had also read about ‘Sylvie’ who is prominently recommended on the CC boards as well. I had e-mailed them both and usually wait for the first person to respond and usually I end up going with them. Alain responded very promptly and he was so wonderful to correspond with I fell in love with him and his great passion for our tour right away. He seemed as excited about the tour as I was, you gotta love that! I must note that I did send another e-mail to Sylvie requesting information. She responded very promptly as well and mentioned she had never received the first e-mail. Well I found out later, that when I replied using the link from her website it created an error in my MS Outlook (I use AOL) and there was the e-mail never sent! So to her defense she didn’t get a chance to respond to me. When I finally did get in contact with her she was wonderful to deal with as well and I could see how others liked her. I felt bad for saying I already found someone else, but I knew Alain was for us. I told Alain where and what I was interested in and asked him to recommend some other attractions to round our visit. He came back with a great itinerary and I was very excited.

Below I have copied his original plan from an e-mail he sent.

Pick up at the port (Cannes) to direction of Monaco.

First stop on the way in Eze village to visit if you wish one

perfume factory to see the secret of making perfumes and cosmetics.

After that direction of Monaco to visit everything.

Walking 1) The Old town with the Prince Palace Square, the Cathedral

Walking 2) Monte-Carlo and the famous Casino, the Golden Square,

the very nice Hotel de Paris

3) City tour, formule1 race circuit, beach area.

Back to Nice with Panorama, maybe if you wish the chocolate and jam

factory

the Old town with the famous flower market, and maybe a free time there

to have a lunch.

4) Direction of St Paul de Vence,walking in the medieval village

well known for the presence of artists, painters, stars of show

business, and actors.

5) continue direction of Cannes to see the Film

festival Palace, the beaches, and Hotel Palace.

6) Back to your boat.

As I mentioned we had to tender in so all the tours go first, and we made sure we went to the area they give out the tender tickets earlier than posted. The way the ship and the port authority worked the tender process was extremely efficient. We used about four of our own tenders (so there was one always waiting) as well as a huge tender from the port. This tender was even bigger than the large ones I’ve seen used in Grand Cayman and Cancun. It must have held 300 passengers easily. We actually got out and over to Cannes earlier than we hoped for. We got off the tender and walked to the steps and there was Frederic standing there holding a sign with our name on it. He greeted us hello and asked if we were sorry not to be meeting Alain. I said I loved Alain’s correspondence so much I was hoping to meet him. But Frederic quickly surpassed any concerns we may have had.

He told us about how he was born is Cannes (an actual native!) they are called ‘Canois’ but now he lives in Beaulieu sur Mer. We drove around Cannes seeing the Film Festival Palace, Casino, Hotels and the Croisette (the seaside walk). It was so early no one was even on the streets yet. We drove to a vantage point at the Cap de la Croisette, where we could see the ship and a good view of the bay area. Just off the mainland in front of us was the island, where the prison that was made famous from the Leonardo DeCaprio film ‘Man in the Iron Mask’ was. I had forgotten that was a true story.

On towards Monaco, had explained to us we were going to drive down the coast further than the eye could see at this point. He also mentioned right away that the ‘Nice Marathon’ was running that day and it would be very busy so he wanted to go straight to Monaco right away while it was busy in Nice.

The entire tour was supposed to be approx. 8 hours or a full day tour. We were planning to eat lunch in Monaco, on Frederic’s recommendation. He said ‘you can’t go wrong in Monaco’ it is always nice! However, the day’s plan and where we went essentially was up to us. We always let the guides take the lead, first of all they want us to enjoy it and secondly, they live there and they are the experts. The main thing I was fairly interested in seeing Monaco and the F1 track etc so Frederic focused on showing us a lot of Monaco and Monte Carlo.

We went through all the coastal towns on the way;

Juan Les Pins – a gorgeous little seaside town that had a lot of jazz clubs, cafes, casinos, night clubs and places to stay. Again it was very early morning when we were driving through and it was just before the season started so it was very pretty and sleepy looking. Although I could see how this would just be booming at night and busy during the summer months. This would be the place I would like to stay for a longer visit. Frederic mentioned they had a great Jazz Festival in the summer.

Antibes – again very sleepy at the moment we drove through but extremely picturesque. Picturesque is a word I could to describe all these towns and villages on the French Riviera.

Nice – we approached Nice and you can tell because you come upon this huge complex shaped like an Aztec Pyramid. It is a condo/,marina complex the ‘Marina Baie des Anges’, it looks like it should be in Cancun not on the outskirts of Nice. I knew all about it because my parents had stayed there a few years ago for the month of March. Probably to the locals it is an eyesore. By the time we approached Nice, it started to get very busy and backed up from the Marathon blocking off the access to the shore.

This gave us a good overview of the town because we had to take many detours and navigate all the one-way and narrow streets. I did notice the ‘Sheraton Four Points’ in Nice looked very good and had a great location. I try to note affordable hotels in good locations for future visits. The ‘Comfort Hotel’ also was right in the centre of Nice, excellent location.

We passed the market area, famous for its flowers and food. There looked to be many little places to walk around and browse in shops. Frederic was always asking if we would like to stop but we pressed on. Then we knew when he said ‘we are going to stop here’, that it was a good spot to see.

We drove around many of the streets and it was so interesting because Frederic would say ‘my friend owns this shop’ and knew people that worked here and there. You just don’t get that personal knowledge of your guides on the big tours. Also we had that van going in and around all the little alleyways and streets.

We approached a very panoramic view atop a large hill one side over looked where we had been, Cannes, way in the distance and then Antibes, Nice in the fore ground. It was so populated with the beautiful terra cotta roofed buildings and Villas. We took some great pictures and then we drove to the other side of the hill. On this side we had a view of Villefranche and Beaulieu sur mer. This is a view that is burned into my imagination, what an exquisite coast! The bluest sky with terra cotta rooftops against the Mediterranean Sea. The water is many shades ranging from emerald green to sapphire blue (even the colour of the sea was expensive). Frederic mentioned the water is always more beautiful and clear at the beginning of the season when the numerous people and boats haven’t churned it all up. He lived in Beaulieu sur Mer and beautiful it was. I could see why he was attracted to it. For those cruise passengers that call in Villefranche it is very beautiful. He pointed out a few favorite haunts of famous actors and musicians. Then we were off to Monaco.

Look for Part II to finish this thread. It was too long to post as one thread.

As we were approaching Monaco the clouds had all disappeared and a beautiful day had arrived. Frederic said ‘Yes, of course! It is always sunny in Monaco’.

When got to Monaco we saw Prince Albert’s Mercedes and a motorcade how exciting! But when they passed us it was his car but he wasn’t in it. Frederic told us that Albert was getting ready to take over the duties of the throne.

We went to the area Monte Carlo and its famous casino, the hotel de Paris and the beautiful gardens. This area is jammed from the morning until night. There some rules for the Casino, you must be dressed according to dress code, you have to check your bags at the door (it is very safe to do so) and you must pay a cover regardless if you are gambling or not. The documentation states you need your passports for the casino. Actually you only need it to collect winnings over 750 euros. The ship didn’t give everyone’s passports back out to the passengers but if you wanted it you have it you must remember to get it before you get on the tenders. We didn't feel the need to go into the Casino, one thing I never enjoy are places that are packed with tourists.

It was King Charles of Monaco that started the Casino and it is such as cash cow that no one in Monaco has to pay tax, it foots the bill for the entire principality. (I’m glad I saved my money). So back to Charles…the Casino is on a mountain…get it…Monte Carlo!?!

After taking our pictures of the rich and richer and their Bentley’s and drivers. We moved on towards the Cathedral and Palace area. Frederic told us he was going to drop us off in front of the Cathedral and go look for parking. Parking as you could imagine can be a real problem, so he told us to wait for about 5 minutes or so and he would be back. If he didn’t come back he told us to go walk around the area and meet him back in 40 minutes because he would have to stay with the car. We barely changed our film and there he was all ready to go for a walk. We went to the Cathedral first, very regal but your basic cathedral in style. I guess it’s the grave sites and thoughts of Princess Grace Marrying Prince Rainier that gives you a feeling of nostalgia. After the Cathedral we walked along the narrow streets of Monaco. Many cafes and shops nestled among pastel buildings. Monaco is so clean you could eat off the sidewalks it seems. We walked through a large café area behind the Cathedral and we saw a lot of fellow passengers and friends from the Royal Princess. I asked Frederic if we would be eating lunch here and he said ‘no’ it was too expensive here (so keep that in mind). We walked along and I got some souvenirs from the Formula 1 Grand Prix that was going to be taking place in a month. If you are interested in F1 don’t worry about finding souvenirs and items. Everything is F1 in Monaco at this time of year. Frederic also mentioned the Prince’s official souvenir shop was good for F1 souvenirs. I thought ‘is he crazy they’re going to cost a fortune there’. Well I learned my lesson not to doubt my dear Frederic, he was right. At the prince’s shop right across from the palace, they had official F1 and Ferrari souvenirs a really good selection for a good price. They weren’t cheap by any means, but nothing concerning F1 ever is.

We missed the changing of the guard at the palace and Frederic also told us that this is a time when the Prince chooses to come into the palace. Apparently, he drives right in while the hoards are watching the guards. He just drives in right behind everyone. So watch for this in future, you may just catch a glimpse. Prince Rainier was in residence the day we were there. You can see the flag, which denotes he’s in. In the summer, you can take tours of the Palace when they are not around.

We walked around the top of the hill overlooking the many condos and yachts surrounding the seaside then we went back to the van. He had excellent parking right there, he said only locals seem to know about it because it’s hidden away. Sometimes you get lucky and find a spot.

We were ready to move onto the Grand Prix circuit that was one of my personal requests. We drive the track which is one of the only the ones that is comprised of the city streets. There is one hairpin turn over towards the casino that they must slow down to navigate during the race. Now here I was being driven around it after watching for many years on TV, I love it! Monaco is certainly the playground of the rich and privileged. If you don’t want a view looking over the principality, or the Grand Prix track, you can have a condo overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, what decisions!?!

We parked again right near the ‘poll positions’ at the starting line for the race and Frederic told us he wanted to go to an Italian restaurant he knows for lunch. I guess because it was Sunday it was closed. So we headed for another just along further down the street, along the marina. It was a nice outdoor café and they had a good selection of pizzas and pastas. We had a personal pizza each, a drink and a coffee (espresso) after lunch and it came to less than $50 Euro plus tip. I thought it was very comparable to similar places in any city and what a location! In fact, I could have shared my pizza with Lisa, half each would be plenty, neither of us finished ours. I ordered a bunch of seafood on mine that she wasn’t interested in, so we each got our own. We always invite the tour guide to eat with us, it is nice to share their company and it’s nice to be in the company with locals, it makes me feel like less of a tourist.

After lunch we stopped by the Dream Tour office. They have an office right in Monaco on Rue Grimaldi (nice address). Since we wanted to pay in visa Frederic asked if we could take a moment to stop in and process the Visa payments on their machine. No problem! In fact I wanted to go see their office. Of course there was no one else there, it was locked up tight, being Sunday and all. We picked up some brochures and once again we were off. If we were to return to the French Riviera again, we would definitely use their services again.

Once we were back in the van we drove all through the streets of Monaco, he showed us hotels we could stay at, expensive condos, the beach area and the new convention centre. After we saw all we wanted to see in Monaco we were off towards other locals.

The next stop was Eze, we had planned to see a French perfume factory which would have been of interest to us, but at this point looking at our watches we didn’t want to spend the time. We drove right up to the base of the Medieval town of Eze. I remembered my mother saying they walked up from the train station, she said by the time they made it up the trail she could barely navigate Eze. It was up a mountainside and you must take this into consideration. However, there is a shuttle-type bus that runs very seldom, but it’s an option or you can take a cab. In fact, my mom said it was steep to walk back down that they wanted for the bus a long time but they didn’t want to walk back down. We were very glad to have the services of Frederic he told us where to walk and what to look for within the town. Eze was gorgeous I would have liked to have had more time here, however, I couldn’t have spent the day here. I would have tired of all the stores with items I can’t afford or have no room for in my luggage. A couple of hours here would have been perfect. Eze had many shops selling paintings, French perfumes, chocolates, spices, herbs, anything that you think of when you think French provincial. I bought some vintage postcards and Lisa bought some watercolours. Then we went to look for Frederic at the meeting place.

The next stop was St Paul de Vence. We drive towards there on the autoroute so we couold get there faster. This was another Medieval Artisan town. It was so gracious looking sitting a top the mountain as we approached. Very similar to Eze, it is made up of tiny alley ways and small pedestrian streets. These streets are lines with shops, cafes, chocolate or ice cream shops. We sat for a spell and looked over the French countryside and marveled at the beauty of this area. We took a number of pictures and then went back to the van.

Part III to follow

At this time I was realizing our day in the French Riviera was coming to a close. As I looked at my watch it was coming to a close very fast! The ship sailed at 7pm with the last tender being at 6:30pm. It was now 5:30 and we were still at least 40 min from Cannes. At this point, I start to become a worry wart. I never want to be one of those people to have to catch up to the next port so I usually like to be back at least half hour to forty minutes before the sail away time. This was even a tender port so you couldn’t just run up to the ship. Frederic was putting pedal to the metal. He was assuring us we would not miss the ship, but if we did he could get us to the next port of Livorno, because Monaco is right at the Italian border. He also assured us it would only be a three hour drive (well it was nice to know we had options). Then Frederic says that he wants to make one more stop and then show us around Cannes. ‘I don’t think we have time!?!’ we replied and he said ‘I still want to show you more!’ Well we made him go straight back to the tender dock. We made it back safely and with a lot of time to spare. Once again, we could have listened to Frederic. After all, he is the expert! The worry wart is my mother coming out in me.

We kissed goodbye and thanked him for the wonderful day and the great memories. Back on the ship we sat out on our favorite haunt (the balcony) for a rest and to watch the ship get ready to sail away towards Italy. That night I will never forget, there was the reddest volcano over Cannes I have ever seen! The colour was oozing between the mountains and the clouds like lava erupting from a volcano.

I could have stayed and watched the sail away for another few hours it was beautiful to see all the bays and areas we had been all day from the sea. However, it was formal night and I had to go take a shower and select an outfit.

After dinner we took pictures of our table mates and waiters along with all the other favorite waiters (Roberto and Rico) from the weeks past.

The last formal night is the night Princess has the champagne waterfall. After dinner we went to the trivia meet and then watched the placing of the glasses and the pouring of the champagne for the waterfall. After that, I dropped into bed. We had a big day ahead of us touring Florence.

OTHER SHIP TOURS: This port mainly offered some big full day tours; Monaco & Monte Carlo $150+ takes you to all the sights but I think it is a lot of money to spend to be on a bus with 80+ people. There was also a Monaco on your own for $65+ where the ship takes you to Monaco dumps you off to do what you want and then takes you back. This may be a good option to those who don’t want to try the train, however, you don’t get the narration of a guide to explain the sights.

For those interested in the other side of Cannes a tour to St Tropez for $140 is offered. There were also tours offered to each of St Paul, Nice, St Raphael & Antibes. These tours were ranging from $45-100. I still think the tour booked independently was worth it because we saw all these places and more.

Thank you so much, Stingraynz! I so want to take a tour like yours. Was it just two of you and what type of vehicle (car, van)? I am trying to find at least one other couple. Our ship docks in Monaco so I was thinking we could do that on our own (although it sounds like Frederick gave you a great tour there) and then maybe take one of their half-day tours to St-Paul-de-Vence and Eze. But what a glorious description you have written!

thanks for the info. We'll be in Cannes in September. Hope we can find a few other couples willing to go this route. (One CC told me they could rent a car cheaper. However, I feel like NONE of us should be responsible for driving in a foreign country and it's worth the added $$$ to have a guide tell you what you're looking at.) Did you go to the chocolate factory? If so, was it a choc. factory or a candy factory? Was it worth going to?

what kind of reasonable-priced souvenirs would you recommend considering as gifts for co-workers (<$20 ea)?

thanks again!

We just used Frederic from Dream Tours last week, and reading your review really brought me back!

He was a wonderful guide! He told us he was Alain's cousin, so the great personality must run in the family.

You can also do 1/2 day tours with dream_tours.com

We did the full day and found them to be the very best! Thanks for the great report Stingraynz!

P.S. they use Mercedes van

We used Dream Tours last year and did the half day tour which was great. We went to Eze and St. Paul de Vence. We had been to Monaco and Nice before so didn't need that part of the tour. We had a wonderful guide Jean-Marc and he was very personable. He dropped us off at the end of the tour at the Palace. After we said goodbye to him we did the Palace Tour which was a highlight and then had lunch not far from the Palace in a lovely restaurant. We then walked down the hill to where the ship was tendered. My husband felt that day was the highlight of the cruise.

We were the only couple and we were again in a Mercedes Van.

Jennie

Do you have the website address for Dream Tours? Your tour sounds awesome!

ERINH1

It was just the two of us in the van. My mother and aunt wanted to go at the last minute (the night before), but we were worried he might have a car. As it turned out he did have a van, so they could have gone too.

I would think the ideal number would be four pax. Another couple to share the expense. When you start getting into six people, someone will not have a window so even though it is still a small group, I know I wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle.

USAVVY2

We didn't go to the chocolate factory. They would probably have good gifts to buy there. Regarding other souvenirs; nothing was inexpensive, however, they did have some cool vintage postcards. These were found anywhere they sold postcards. I mostly bought F1 souvenirs from the 'Monaco Grand Prix' for my friends that love that stuff, they had everything imaginable. Hats were about $10 euro, Keychains, fridge magnets, just the regular tourist stuff.

Hope that helps.

I'm happy to hear you liked the review. I have a huge review for the entire 21-day cruise, but I don't know where to post it since they removed the 'review' section from the boards. I didn't want to have to chop it into sections to post to the relevant boards.

We just used Frederic from Dream Tours last week, and reading your review really brought me back!

 

He was a wonderful guide! He told us he was Alain's cousin, so the great personality must run in the family.

We are going next week and hooked up with a group from our ship the Westerdam. We too have been to Monte Carlo before but want to see the outside ares, Nice, St Paul de Vence. Hopefully we can somewhat design our tour so we end up in Monaco so we can wander around and head back to the ship on our own. The group I "met" on the boards from our ship-we even chatted-soo exciting!

jennifoof

We just got back from our cruise on the Westerdam. We were in port until 11pm. We had a wonderful tour with Frederic. I would highly reccommend him and Dream tours. This was the second time we used them while in port. I feel as if we saw and did just about everything!!!