St. Raphael is a lovely, tidy seaside resort that lacks the fame of other communities on the French Riviera. That’s good because it means it hasn’t become too pretentious like Cannes or St. Tropez, or too sprawling like Nice or just too outrageously expensive like Cap Ferrat which makes Monaco look like a lower class neighbourhood by comparison. It’s a resort that attracts average French folks who like the idea of sandy beaches, sun-washed cafes and easygoing family fun.
Our RCI was two kilometres from the bustling, attractive downtown. A nice sprawling affair with individual townhouse-style buildings, the resort was in an average middle-class area. Across the street was an endlessly busy artisan bakery. Up another block were a service station and a superb Moroccan restaurant. Best of all, there was a pathway that led to one of those special little coves that dot the entire Cote d’Azur.
Our little and secluded cove
Just a 10-minute walk from our digs, the horseshoe-shaped beach was rocky and maybe 75 metres long with reddish, jagged cliffs on three sides. The water was astonishingly clear. The only people there, day after day, seemed to be locals who had probably enjoyed its cloistered beauty for decades.
So, here’s a suggestion if you ever get a chance to visit the Riviera: Take some time to find those wonderful little hidden coves that will fill your dreams for decades after. Even when winter is harshest and I’m thousands of kilometres away, I know I can still feel that warm, clear water and see gnarled trees growing out of red rock. In fact, I think I’m out there in the sea right now, bobbing and drifting and . . . .
Highlights: The marina a short walk from our RCI. The grocery store with the resident dog. The bake shop across from the RCI. The Moroccan restaurant that fed us energy food (and several bottles of wine) after we’d cycled over the mountains
Didn’t like: Getting there from Nice on a bike (we had to cycle up some really, really tough mountains!)
Organized Tours: Just one to a shopping mall. We didn’t go
Would you return to the resort: For sure
Tags: cycling France, D'Arcy Kavanagh, France, Lynda Kavanagh, RCI by bicycle, St. Raphael France, WOW Tours
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Sorry we don’t camp we do the RCI Time Share. There are 1000s of things to do in France depending where you are going. If it is to the Riviera, the supermarkets have great “take out” food, and then just go sit on the beach. They have lots of festivals throughout France in the summer