Vacationing with the Kids

On By Suzanne@PictureRetirementIn Europe, Food, travel

There is a big difference between traveling and vacationing as travel implies total immersion, while vacationing is more about relaxation and indulgence. I am not sure what prompted a change in us from the former to the latter, but for the past couple of years, our travels have become vacations. That is not a bad thing, since both approaches have exposed us to some wonderful destinations and experiences. It’s just different.

Malcolm and I have just returned from ‘vacationing’ in the South of France with a hefty dose of London, tacked on at the end. It was essentially a repeat of a trip that our daughter and her husband took a few years ago. Since they were traveling with us, we were happy to acquiesce to their itinerary, but will willingly admit to being overcome by their pace on more than one occasion. So much for vacationing…

The impetus for this trip was to celebrate their shared birthday with a visit to the lavender fields in Provence. Most fields are in full bloom in the Provence region of France during late June and early July, and we managed to arrive at their peak. This was an incredibly scenic trip, filled with playful activities and gastronomic delights, so I’ll save the history lessons for another time. I cannot possibly recount every day, (nor would you be interested) so I will do my best to hit the highlights with as few words as possible while you enjoy the photographs.

Eze, France

Our first destination was Chateau Chevre d’Or in Eze, France. Located just a thirty-minute car ride from Nice, the hotel sits high on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The structure dates back to the 1300s and became a hotel in 1953. The hotel, which is a collection of small homes that have been converted into rooms and suites has 43 altogether. The property includes a two-star Michelin restaurant, a casual dining room, and a pizza restaurant. There are two pools and a large terrace below the hotel rooms.

The hotel encompasses much of the town of Eze and is undeniably unique. Our room had two levels, with the bathroom and dressing area downstairs and the bedroom and patio upstairs. The overlook from our room was our favorite place for morning coffee and the steady climb of winding pathways throughout the village provided additional daily exercise along with a plethora of beautiful doors. It is an easy place to just be, but with so many interesting villages nearby, of course, we found much to do.

View from our room
Shooting up from the green terrace in the left photo for perspective
Terrace Dining

Pathways and Doors

Exploring Eze, a boating day in Villefranche, a walk around the quaint village of Menton and a visit to Villa de Rothschild was enough to whet our appetite for future exploration.

Boat Day

We took a 4-hour boat charter from the harbor at Villefranche-sur-mer, which was just a fifteen-minute taxi ride from our hotel. With just the four of us and our captain, we discussed our itinerary for the day and set off. Our intentions were to see a few points of interest along the shoreline, stop for playtime in the water and enjoy a picnic of locally sourced (Eze village shop) cheese, bread, fruit, and wine before returning back to shore. The seas were quiet, the breeze was light, the company was delightful, and the day could not have been more perfect.

Along the way, our captain pointed out the famed Four Seasons hotel, the house where the Rolling Stones wrote an album, and the entrance to a wonderful coastal walk to St. Jean Cap Ferrat. I have filed the last one away for future reference as it looked intriguing.

Menton

Wandering through colorful streets, shopping for lavender bouquets and soaps, and eating lavender ice cream were highlights here.

Villa d’ Rothschild

The villa was built in 1907 by a French socialite and Baroness. We toured the house, and while beautiful, it is the gardens and the view of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat that is the real attraction here. The beautiful cove in the last photo is where our boat captain dropped anchor just the day before, giving us time to play in those healing waters.

Menerbes, France

Our destination in Menerbes was the Bastide d’ Marie, which was equally as romantic as Chevre d’Or, but rather than clinging to a cliff, this hotel sits in the heart of Provence, surrounded by vineyards and lavender. Its casual charm and elegance set the tone for relaxation and there are plenty of places throughout the estate to do just that.

Our room was located in the main house, just above the library. It was spacious and very comfortable, in spite of not having a shower (surprise). Morgan picked the room for us and failed to mention that little detail. I know French baths are a coveted ritual, but to us, it was a bit of an inconvenience. Oh well, when in Provence.

When we weren’t relaxing in the pool, lounging under centuries-old olive trees while listening to the rhythmic sound of cicadas, or having an elegant dinner on the terrace, we explored the countryside.

Highlights here included dinner at l’Orangerie in Gordes, a boat ride to see the Calanques in Cassis, a wine-tasting tour at Chateau Fortia in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, and the lavender fields in Valensole.

Gordes – l’Orangerie

Our dinner was beyond exquisite here and the restaurant was a #1 pick for each of us. That is high praise considering the food we had in London.

Gordes from a scenic overlook

Cassis – Calanques National Park

There are many ways to access the Calanques National Park, including bike tours, kayak and paddle board tours, and boat tours, both group and private. Hiking the park is also an option if you are inclined. We had not originally planned to take the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Cassis to see the cliffs, but after reading that boat tours are readily available without a reservation, we decided it shouldn’t be missed. Unfortunately, our two-hour tour did not include a swim, but it was truly magical nevertheless.

The tour was guided in French, but we were handed a pamphlet printed in English that described each of the eight ‘creeks’ in detail and it was easy to keep up. My photos do not do this place justice, and if it isn’t already on your bucket list, it should be. Next time I will plan ahead and do a combination boat/bike/hike tour to see it from all vantage points. It is definitely worth the effort.

Chateau Fortia Wine tasting Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Most establishments here require a reservation to tour and taste, but we took a chance and walked in. We already knew we liked the wine, but it was a treat to taste vintages we can’t get at home. For 12eu we received an excellent tour and tasting at this facility.

Valensole – lavender fields

The obvious reason to travel to the South of France in late June or early July is the lavender fields. Akin to tulip season in Holland, or Cherry Blossom time in Japan, it is a much-celebrated event throughout the region.

Our eight days in Provence came to an end all too soon and it was time to board our flight from Marseille to London.

London

Our kids have a fondness for this city that borders on obsession, so our time here was fast-paced and overly indulgent. They had a list of must-see/must-eat/must-drink that spun our heads around. Our days began around 10 a.m. and typically ended around midnight when we all waddled out of a taxi. Having seen most of the historical sites on previous trips, we skipped that effort and instead spent our days walking (an average of 10 miles per day) while enjoying neighborhood markets, parks, pubs, and restaurants.

Highlights here included dinner at Bob Bob Ricard, strawberries with chocolate at Borough Market, Dinner by Heston, pub chips and beer all over the city, a walk through Kensington Gardens, and cocktails at the Connaught Bar. Yes, it’s all about the food!

There is nothing ordinary about London and everything here is done with passion and a flair for the dramatic. Umbrellas hang from the sky, flowers adorn entries, and because it’s Wimbledon week, everyone gives a nod to the game.

From mixing a cocktail with panache, drizzling chocolate over strawberries, and handing out meat cleavers to dinner patrons, everything is a production. At Bob Bob Ricard, they even take ordering champagne to a whole new level. The theatrics are obviously in demand as I have never witnessed more tourists converging on one city. Whew…I’m exhausted, so I’ll let the photos finish the story.

Just because…
Really, really, really good chips
I’m not sharing!
A complimentary round just because our server decided we waited too long for our drinks
The Martini Cart
Handmade Icecream at our table
Just in case you didn’t get it from the other photos that we were in London
The food of Malcolm’s People – Armenian food at Lusin
Yes, I’ll have the beef wellington with a side of triple-fried chips please! Bob Bob Ricard
Chicken Liver Pate disguised as an orange!! Dinner by Heston
Yes, we did
Chocolate made to look like Caviar Dinner by Heston
They even make the butter look amazing!
Yep, I had to pose beneath the giant tennis racquet

Thanks for reading/scrolling to the end. I know it’s a lot. Please let me know if you had issues loading this post. It helps me to know how much is too much regarding photographs.

Sharing with Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share

Tell Us About Travel – Once Upon A Time

Note: we picked up a rental car at the Nice airport upon arrival and dropped it in Marseille when we flew back to London. Having our own transportation enabled us to cover a lot of territory, but parking was an issue in some locations. It is possible to see a lot of the region by using local transportation and tour companies.

52 thoughts on “Vacationing with the Kids”

    1. Wow, you packed so much into this trip that I reckon you could justifiably call it travelling, despite the rather lovely and relaxing accommodation choices. The Chateau Chevre d’Or sounds especially appealing 😀 I’m so pleased you enjoyed the food here in London! It sometimes gets unfair criticism but I think we have wonderful and varied eating options! But please, if you’re here again and have space in a busy schedule do let me know as I always enjoy meeting up with visiting blogging friends 😊

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      1. Hi Sarah, the thought of you crossed my mind a couple of times and I almost reached out, but I didn’t want to be a disruption. Looking back, I wish I’d made the effort to carve out some time. Next time, for sure. It has been many years since we spent time in London (although the kids have visited annually for several years), and we were pleasantly surprised by the food. My, how things have changed. We had several exceptional meals there, and a few fun ones. Thankfully, we had mild temperatures and very little rain while visiting and managed to get to a lot of our/their favorite places.

        The Chevre d’Or is an outstanding hotel and we fell in love with Eze. It has an ideal location for daily sightseeing outings. My favorite hotel was the Bastide de Marie, as it had a country setting with peaceful surroundings. Both hotels were accommodating and relaxing.

        Thanks for stopping by.

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    1. Hi Denny, welcome to Picture Retirement. Provence is worth looking into and is such an easy place to travel to. We flew from Florida to London, then took a short flight to Nice, followed by a two-hour car ride to the countryside. Plan at least one week, or more if possible to explore the area. It gets really hot in the later part of July and continues well into late August, so be careful with your dates. I’ll pop over to see what you’ve been up to later this morning.

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  3. Wow…. just wow Suzanne – a fabulous vacation indeed – and even more fabulous because you were invited by your kids (that shows parent/child relationship at its finest!) My daughter and SIL are currently camping on a beach somewhere – and no we didn’t offer to join them! But your version of a family holiday certainly ticked a lot of boxes. Loved all the photos and it all loaded easily.

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    1. Hi Leanne, thanks for letting me know about the photographs. Most are low resolution and some are even cell pics, but, there are a LOT of them, so I was concerned.

      We enjoyed participating in their ‘ideal vacaton’ but it was a bit overwhelming for us at times. We are glad we did it though. We are already thinking of ways to slow the pace for us without restricting them in the future. Of course, that’s considering they will ask us again! 🙂

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  4. Hi Judy, you would have loved the lavender fields. There were miles and miles of them and most were open to the public. Of course, we weren’t allowed to pick, but they didn’t mind how long we stayed to play. I tried to record the sound of the little bees buzzing all around the flowers, but it didn’t translate well. Remarkably, the bees didn’t bother us at all. The ‘in fine fashion’ part is credit to Morgan and our SIL. They travel/vacation a little differently than we do. I could get used to it though!

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  5. Suzanne, your photos are stunning. Looks like you had a fabulous time with your family. It is wonderful when the kids still like to go on holidays with the parents. Very special memories together.
    London is an amazing city, one can never get enough of such a fascinating place.

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  6. What a marvelous adventure. One location looks and sounds like it was better than the next. Which of course can’t be because they were all great. I’m soooo glad you pushed that button for champagne. I need something like that in my daily life! 🥂

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  7. What a phenomenal trip you had! I’m so glad you got to see so many beautiful places and build such gorgeous memories. I have never travelled “across the pond” but intend to make it a priority in the years to come. Thank you for sharing glimpses of your trip with us here!

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  9. Oh MY!! What a wonderful vacation, trip and/or travel! Such beautiful places…such gorgeous images you got! The lavender fields! OH OH OH! This is simply magnificent. I’m so glad you shared!

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  12. It’s wonderful when you return from travel (or vacation) and have a hard time choosing a favorite place or experience. I loved the photos and the descriptions of your choices and activities.

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  13. Thank you for sharing your splendid trip. Those lavender fields are gorgeous! I’ve never been to London but it was a favorite destination of my parents too. I guess I need to add it to my must-see list. They had the reputation for serving boring food for so long, but it appears that they’ve moved way beyond that.

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    1. Janis, I remember the first time we went to London (about 20 years ago), we were hard-pressed to find anything good to eat. It is a very different place today. Having seen all the historic sights before, this trip was definitely focused on the food. We were there for four days and never had a bad meal. I hope you will take London to the top of your ‘must-see list.’

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  14. Hi, Suzanne – What an amazing vacation. And as others have mentioned, being invited by your children makes it even more special.
    Your pics looked great and loaded instantly. No problem at all!
    Thank you for sharing this with us.

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  16. What a fabulous trip! And how fun to share it with your daughter and son-in-law. The lavender fields and the national park in France are absolutely gorgeous…and of course, the food looked delicious. I was in Provence years ago during lavender season and I’ve never forgotten it. That’s one of the reasons I moved to the Pacific Northwest—the lavender fields in Sequim reminded me of France! I’ve never been to London primarily because the food always seemed so unappealing. You can tell where my priorities lie, LOL. London has obviously upped its culinary game, though! (Oh, and you did not post too many photos at all! Loved seeing all of them.)

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    1. Hi Laurel, I have been seeing a lot of lavender field photos on Instagram posted from Washington. I had no idea they grew in that region. Hmmm…I see a trip to Sequim in the future. Food is always a priority for us when we travel, so London was not appealing for that reason also. The city has definitely changed. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts about the number of photos. I do get carried away sometimes.

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  17. Oh man, your “vacation” looks amazing, Suzanne! We have lavender fields very close to home but I would rather see them in France any day. How nice to spend time with your kids, but I know my own also keep a fast pace. Thank you for the wonderful summer tour!

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  18. What an amazing vacation, Suzanne. No problem loading your post and photos. I’d love to visit the Calanques National Park. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.

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  20. This reminded me of why I loved visiting France so much, and why I still want to spend some times in England and London! Thanks for sharing the pics..and they loaded just fine on my computer.

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  22. Hi Suzanne, this was a fabulous trip with your family, how much fun you had! You must have been in the UK at a similar time to us. Your photos all loaded easily and your smiles tell the story. Thanks for joining us for Tell Us About…Travel by sharing your trip.

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  23. Hi Deb, I think we were in London a few days apart and based on the temperatures there now, I’d say we got the last of good weather. I just discovered the Tell Us About group and was surprised to see you there. It looks like a fun bunch with lots of stories to tell. Thanks for hosting.

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  24. Our style of travel has changed over the years as well. For many of our trips to France and Italy we would be in a different city almost every day and have experienced a lot. But the last ten years we have extended our stay to three weeks and stay in each place a minimum of three days so that we are as you say “vacationing”. Lovely trip, wonderful adventures and great food…you did it up right. BTW, where did you stay in London?

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    1. Hi Karen, we stayed in the Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair. We like the location a lot, but the hotel rooms are definitely showing their age and need to be updated. The common areas are still beautiful, and the service is first-rate.

      Yes, we find that we need a little more ‘recovery’ time between destinations in order to really enjoy and not overwhelm. Our four nights at Bastid d’ Marie were the most relaxing even though we managed a lot of sightseeing. Credit to ‘coming home’ to completely luxurious surroundings.

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      1. Thanks Suzanne, Regent cruise line booked us into the May Fair in London and we were underwhelmed by the rooms and the service staff. I’d love to go back to London but would definitely stay in another hotel. It might be rated 5 stars but it was very disappointing.

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