France travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

This  is an eye-catching, sustainably designed building created for festive celebrations, entertainment and leisure. The Sport & Leisure Center’s facade is a burst of pixilated color. I reckon this use of color more as a physical manifestation of color-block video games such as Tetris… which works nicely if you consider the space as intended to draw kids away from electronic devices, allowing them to play inside one instead.

In a most spectacular fashion, the color scheme runs from floor to ceiling creating an interior rainbow spectrum of candy-colored bands or ethereal blocks. The color scheme here on the outside of the building correlates to the interior spaces as a means for developing spatial awareness for young children.

There was one color that proved important in conceptualizing this project — green. Throughout the building there are various exciting ecological concepts that make it sustainable in construction and maintenance, featuring roof openings that illuminate the building with natural light (reducing the need for filament or fluorescent bulbs), prefab concrete slabs that reduce waste, pigment infused concrete to reduce paint use, and the installation of a solar heated hot water system. The centre is located in n Saint-Cloud, France.

 

Lavender is the mark of Provence Region, France. This region slightly inland from the coast, has a great diversity and also great general views that are very characteristic of the typical France village: houses with red roofs, narrow streets and their exposure to the sun. The lavender of Provence blooms from the end of June through July and August, and when is the festival season in Avignon. True lavender is native to the Southern Alps with huge diversity sorts – different varieties grow in the dry mountainous areas from 600 to 2000 m.

Between July 20 and late August, under a scorching sun, the locals live according to lavender time. After it is cut and dried, the flowers in bulk or in bunches are stuffed into the beaker of still which is used to extract lavender’s essential oils.

Côte d’Azur is also popular in English as the French Riviera – it is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italian border on the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west. The Côte d’Azur was once one of the first resort areas in the world. It began as a health resort for ailing British tourists at the end of the 18th century, after that in the mid-19th century, when the railroad arrived, it became the playground and vacation spot of British, Russian, and other aristocrats, such as Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales.

In the first half of the 20th century it was visited by artists and writers such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Edith Wharton and Somerset Maugham, as well as wealthy Americans and Europeans. After World War II it became a popular destination for mass tourism and conventions, as well as a summer home and meeting place for celebrities from Brigitte Bardot to Elton John.

Officially, the Côte d’Azur is home to 163 nationalities with 83,962 foreign residents, although unofficial and semi-official estimates of the number of non-French nationals living in the area are often much higher. The French Riviera also contains the seaside resorts of Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Cap d’Ail, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, and Saint-Tropez, and surrounds the principality of Monaco, with a total population of over 2m.

Monaco

This unique hotel is located in the heart of the old quarter of Lyon, France which has been classed World Heritage site by UNESCO. The apartments,  symbolize all by themselves the magical spirit of a unique place in Europe. The hotel contains 4 floors  accessible with 3 lifts.

A beautiful jewel, Cour des Loges is a stunning contrast of modern and old. Some rooms have impressive carved stone fireplaces; others open onto gardens; still others boast exposed original stone walls hung with modern art. While all are spacious, the duplex suites are particularly open and airy and have the feel.

Amenities: Heating , Bathroom, Satellite TV , Heating , Bathroom , Toilet , Bathroom Amenities , Air Conditioning , Telephone, Pay TV , Safety Deposit Box , Bath , Shower , Minibar.

The hotel’s refurbished spa features a fitness room, a hammam, thermal baths and a heated counter-current swimming pool.

The town in the North West of the Alps, Chamonix, Mont-Blank is famous as a skiing resort. Mont Blanc became famous in 1924 with the organisation of the First Winter Olympics Games. The Chamonix Mont Blanc ski region covers 4 major ski resorts; Brevent/Flegere, Grands Montets, Domaine du Balme and Les Houches.

In twenty minutes, two cable-cars will take you from the valley floor in Chamonix up to the arrival station perched on a rocky spur at an altitude of 3842 m, in the heart of some of the highest peaks in Europe.

Fancy a bit of skiing, snowboarding, telemarking, cross-country skiing, ski-touring, mountaineering, ice climbing or snowshoeing.

Or if you prefer something a little more sedate then just enjoy the beautiful scenery and fresh Alpine air.

Chamonix, the cradle of alpines, remains the meeting of nature and mountain lovers.

Mediterranean winds, ravines, snow-capped mountain ranges, crescent-shaped sandy beaches and pastel-hued port towns give the island its modern nickname – Corsica or the Isle of Beauty.

 

 The fabulous Octopussy beach club in Calvi.

 

Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, located west of Italy. Corsica is considered one of the 26 regions of France.

 

Palombaggia, one of the area’s Tahitiesque beaches.

 

View of the Vallée del Restonica from the citadel in the inland town of Corte.

 

Tourists at the Musée de la Cors in Corte listen to samples of the island’s Old World polyphonic singing style in sound-proof cabins.

 

There’re many streets of the citadel in Porto-Vecchio buzz with bars and restaurants that stay open until midnight. In Corsica, you have none of the artificiality of the Côte d’Azur, Arend, proprietor A lot of famous people go there, but they come so that they can be incognito. The combination of how close the mountains are to the sea, and how clear the water is — is really magical!

The Seeko’o Hotel is located on Bordeaux’s waterfront in a neighbourhood between the Chartrons and Bacalan, to the north of the city.

Upstream, the waterfront façade built in the 18th century and looking out over the river is one of the main germs of the heritage of the city. The neighbourhood with its recent plans for Bacalan, the stunning marina, the future bridge are developing fast. It is one of the major urban challenges for the development in Bordeaux (port city in southwest France with one million inhabitants).

The architecture of the hotel emphasizes the total lack of decoration and the pure, clean lines of its design. Certain windows dressed in silk-screen printed panels are reminiscent of the past activity of the waterfront.

The rooms overlook the floating decks and the suspension of the bridge to the north, over the river and the hillsides to the east. All rooms outwards over the streets and are served by a corridor with natural lighting.

Each spacious bedroom offers a sober and graphic unity.

On the ground floor, guests will be welcomed in a vast minimal open space with white bays opening on to the exterior. The first floor houses the bar and the dining room with sophisticated music and menu. A hammam, sauna and conference room are also in the 1st floor list.

Nantes is a beautiful city in the western France sitted just on the Loire River and 50km by car from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France. Nowadays Nantes has made a series of architectural conceptual and cosmetic changes that have transformed this city into amazing clean magnet for locals and visitors.

There’re some best places to explore this city. The first one is the newly polished Chateau des Hucs de Bretagne. A few steps away is the bridge, which reopened in February and contains a museum, a restaurant and an exhibition space. As well as Le Lieu Unique, a former bisuit factory is now home to an art exhibition space, a bar/cafe, a restaurant and shops.

For example this image displays an exhibition at Estuaire 2007. The event features contemporary art installations in Nantes and all the way down the Loire to the seaside town of St. Nazaire, about 40 miles away.

The downtown of Nantes, is filled with lovely French bars and cafes in the area called Le Bouffay. Nantes is the most important city of the historic province of Brittany, and culturally still remains strongly identified with it. The city’s name derives from the Nemnètes, a Gallic tribe who had settled there before the Romans conquered Gaul.

Going to St.Barts is not so easy, not even with your private plane if you have one of course:)))Saint Barts is an overseas ownership of France. The island is also known as Saint Barts, Saint Barths or St. Bart’s and has a unique history.

The island is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean and is the only one, which has been a Swedish colony.

The right location of the island is approximately 250 km east of Puerto Rico and there’re 20 spectacular beaches all over it. So visitors can enjoyed the sunset panoramical or to visit Do Brazil, which is a bistro and bar, owned by Ynnick Noah, famed tennis star.

Stroll along the quay in Gustaria, the island’s main town travellers can examine the gigantic yachts, where Russian billionaires, East Coast rappers throw parties and backed playboys occupy young ladies on the aft decks:))))

As well as daredevils wind and kite surfers fly across the air and water on the Grand cul de Sac. Shell Beach can be taken on foot from Gustavia, which is perhaps the island’s best beach for serious swimming. Enjoy

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Artus is a cosy-mini hostel sitted just in the very heart of the oldest neighborhoods of Paris nearby to many art cafes and galleries.

The Artus Hostel has an unique modern character with artworks all over inside which catch the eye of the guests. The hostel has very spacious and luxurious rooms furnished by only natural materials such as stucco, marble and Murano glass. The amenities are Wifi, air-conditioning, minibar, private digital safe, flat-screen TV, satellite, telephone, concierge service, room-service, storage.

Fot the food lovers the Artus offers a generous buffet breakfast, which is served from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. At the bar visitors will find a large selection of waters, Bordeaux wines and Champagne. There is also fitness room with sauna, shower and sport machines.

The Department of Islamic Art is the youngest of the museum’s eight departments created in France. The latter opened a first room devoted to the Islamic collection in 1893. A small group of works was subsequently exhibited in two rooms at the end of the installation of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities.

The Richelieu wing, formerly occupied by the Ministry of Finance, was transformed into a new exhibition area, inaugurated in 1993, making it possible to exhibit a larger number of works from the Islamic collection. The display was situated on the lower ground floor. In late 2007, a new exhibition space in the Cour Visconti will be opened, which means that the Department of Islamic Art will be based near the rooms devoted to late Antiquity in the Mediterranean region.

The Department of Islamic Art shows over a thousand of works. Most of them were intended for the court or a wealthy elite. They span thirteen hundred years of history and three continents, reflecting the creativity and diversity of inspiration in Islamic countries.

Domaine de Rochebois is located between Bordeaux and Toulouse in the center of the Perigord Noir which is also famous with its humanity, gastronomic heartland. The castle overlooking into the splendid green valley of the Dordogne.

Domaine de Rochebois is an elegant 19 century residence, which nowadays has turned into a superb luxury hotel. The castle is a magical place with beautifully cypresse, yaws and laurels gardens.

The residence includes 40 rooms with high luxury comfort. Visitors can enjoy their drinks & snacks by the poolside at lovely weather.

For the gourments, the restaurant is listed in tourist guide with its delicious cooked regional products. For sportsmen, the 9-hole golf course proposes an attractive course to you, fully in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

This is a small attractive hotel located on the river in a really calm french area, surrounded by mountains and hills.It is perfect destination for walks through the forests and 50 minutes drive to the outstanding beaches, Biarritz and close to Spain.

Hotel Arce is an institution, where people like to spend time with their family.The river which runs near the hotel is called Nive. The residence offers 23 own suite bedrooms, all of them with beautiful views the river below, where a skilled fisherman might catch trout from the balcony.

The other bedrooms are a little bit more spacious and face the mountains. Whether in the shade of the plane trees teased by the whisper of the river below, or if the weather doesn’t permit, in the dining room, guests will experience and enjoy the culinary delights prepared by our Chef Pascal Arcé. Most dishes are made in the purest Basque tradition, from recipes passed on by his father and grandfather.

Bayeux is a small town in northwestern France with a warm and sunny weather. If you planning to visit this ‘petit’ wonderful place, for sure its recommended to stay even for one night at the 18^th century La Cheneviere Chateau.

The beautiful castle is located between Omaha Beach and stands in its own greenery parkland, comprising the refined mannerisms of a bygone era. The chateau offers intimate and informal atmosphere.

There is a 2 hectare walled garden and 12 hectare of parkland beyond emphasising the serenity and seclusion of the estate and the relaxed indulgence that is Château La Chenevière. There are 29 luxury rooms, each with a garden view and all individually decorated in a harmony of vegetative designs. Relaxed indulgence is assured.

The dining room with its picture windows overlooking the park, has a certain intimate scale. The cuisine is classic with all the distinctive flavours of Normandy accompanied by many fine wines. There are 2 ha walled garden and an outdoor heated swimming pool. A door leads out to the tennis court and the 12 ha parkland beyond emphasising the sense of seclusion and serenity of the estate.

Villa Florentine is a ”Historical Monument‘ sitted in Lyon. This splendid villa-museum offers extraordinary panorama view of Lyon. Lyon is a city in east central France. It is the third largest French city situated between Paris and Marseilles, and has a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and a significant role in the history of cinema.

The Florentine villa has a charming contemporary design with lovely terrace gardens, marvelously interwine with scluptures.

The Villa offers 28 stylish decorated rooms with tastefully vibrant colours, where period piece furnishings and contemporary pieces thrive together in utmost harmony. The Standard Room, has a personalised charm: mezzanine, individual terrace, and living room area. The Villa also has fitness room at its guests’ disposal, as well as a hammam, an exterior pool, and a body-care room. Each rooms comes equipped with a marble or tiled bathroom, air-conditioning or heating, a mini-bar, a direct telephone line, television set, and a hi-fi stereo system.