Toes in the sand, blue, blue waters, and quiet beaches. Yes, they do exist on the French Riviera you just need to know when and where to visit! Katy, our oldest visited this area a few years ago and recommended the town of La Ciotat on the Riviera just 40 minutes south along the coast from the airport. The title for this apartment was spot β on.
I arranged for key exchange with Albane and everything was all set. We decided to hop a ferry boat to investigate this little island. The boat captain told us they typically go out more often to the island during the summer months. Our beautiful weather beckoned us to be on the water and made it easy to hop on the boat. During the 17th century two forts were built to help provide protection from the English and after World War II both forts were destroyed.
However, I loved walking on and around the ruins of what was left and my imagination went wild. The stories this little island could tell! If you visit the island you will have good eats too, a brand new restaurant is right on the harbor with gorgeous outdoor seating. We ordered fish and salads that were delicious and the service was professional. Would definitely come back just for the food! Another successful discovery. This little harbor town has such a personality.
We found the quaintness and charm to be just the ticket for our weekend of rest and relaxation. As we strolled through the town and stores were just opening up we noticed several store front closures were painted in different mural designs leading to very interesting conversations.
I did say we were at the beach, right! Well, I have to say this has been one of my favorites so far. Quiet, not crowded, lovely sand and light breezes. Did I mention it was April! Well, the weather was fantastic while Germany were still battling snow, wind and rain we were enjoying the great Vitamin D and sunshine. The boardwalk and promenade are quite long in La Ciotat and the city has been working hard on bringing tourism into the city. There is an outdoor gym, a gorgeous boat harbor, restaurants that line the promenade without clogging up the traffic right on the beach.
