What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's France

November 2004 - Heading to France? Read on to discover what's just opened, what's closed and more.

Paris

To read our most recent coverage of Paris, click here: www.frommers.com/destinations/article.cfm?destid=62&articleid=2230.

The Camargue

In the deep southwest of Provence, in an area known for its black bulls and colonies of pink flamingos, Le Mas de la Chassagnette, Rte. De Sambuc, outside Arles (tel. 04-90-97-26-96) is becoming one of the most sought after places for dining. In a former sheepfold that has been dramatically converted, you can today sample the superb viands of chef/owner Jean-Luc Rabenel. A parterre of chest-high organic garden beds border a cane-shaded dining terrace for lunch. At night the scene moves inside where a grill is wood fired turning out delightful specialties on the rotisserie, including milk-fed veal and the most savory lamb in the area. The restaurant is easily spotted on the D36 running between Arles in the direction of Le Sambuc.

Cannes

Called a hotel within a hotel, the penthouse floor of the chic Hotel Martinez, 73 bd. Croisette (tel. 92-98-73-00), has become the choice place to stay at the resort, featuring 11 suites, the most sought after in town following a massive restyling and renovation. Opening onto panoramic views of the Mediterranean, this series of accommodations represent some of the grandest living arrangements on the Riviera for lottery winners and other fortunate souls. The architect, Gilles Leborgne, has given every room a private landscaped terrace, as well as Jacuzzis. The Art Deco style fashionable when the Martinez first opened in 1929 lives again in the décor, with its soothing gray, ivory, and camel colors as well as original lithographs by such artists as Picasso. And just wait until you try the herbal body wrap at the state-of-the-art Givenchy Spa on site.

Carcassone

Motorists from Carcassone are driving 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) north to sample the superb cuisine served at Le Puits de Tresor, Route des 4 Châteaux (tel. 04-68-75-50-24) at Lastours. In charming provincial surroundings you can sample some of the finest specialties in the area, including market-fresh dishes turned into specialties from the land, sea, and air. The roasted pigeon served with foie gras is worth the trip here.

Disneyland Paris

At Marne-La-Vallée, the 12-year old amusement complex east of Paris is the most widely visited attraction in Europe. But that doesn't mean it's making a profit. Declining ticket sales and towering debt of $3 billion keep Euro Disney in the red. To make a profit, the amusement park needs 17 million visitors a year. Currently, it draws 12 million. Fighting bankruptcy, Disney is pinning its hope on new attractions currently under construction. Officials, however, won't say exactly what these dazzling new attractions will be. André Lacroix, Disney executive, said, "It will come as a surprise when it opens -- like magic."

The French Alps

Is it Zermatt? Or is it Disneyland? A faux alpine ski village has opened high in the Savoy region of southeastern France. Only a two-hour drive west from the nearest airport at Geneva, it is Arc 1950: Le Village, Les Arcs, Bourg St-Maurice (tel. 04-79-04-19-50). The location is also 25 miles (40.2 km) west of towering Mont Blanc. The streets of the village are like a mirage; they look old but they're actually new. The wooden shutters look like they've been beaten by many a bad winter. The effect is like an alpine stage set. Les Arts resort, a year-round destination, offers skiing through April.

Gordes

In the colorful village of Gordes, 35 km (22 miles) east of Avignon, Le Mas de Garrigon à Gordes, Route de St. Saturnin dApt (tel. 04-90-05-63-22) is a new hotel offering bedrooms of charm, style, and comfort opening onto a view of the Luberon. Each room is dedicated to a different artist or writer who had close links with Provence. In winter guests check in here to enjoy the crackling fires and classical music, taking advantage of the surrounding outdoors in summer, including canoeing, mountain biking, or horseback riding. The excellent on-site restaurant is a year-round attraction.

Honfleur

In one of the most beautiful Norman coastal towns, Les Maisons de Lea, Place Sainte Catherine (tel. 02-31-14-49-49), has opened to acclaim after half a year of major refurbishment. The new establishment gained fame as the Hostellerie Lechat. Guests select the preferred style of décor for their beautifully furnished bedrooms, decorations ranging from "romance" to "navy." The former restaurant has been turned into a lovely library lounge where afternoon tea is served with homemade cakes. For lunch or dinner, guests enjoy a light meal in one of the inn's lounges, or else select one of the many fine restaurants lying nearby.

Luberon

Gone are the familiar rush-seated furniture and Van Gogh sunflower prints found throughout the Provençal region. A new rural hotel, Domaine des Andéols, Les Andéols, St-Saturnin-Les-Apt (tel. 04-90-75-50-63), blossoms with a chic modern, including Mies van der Rohe leather lounges and Andy Warhol serigraphs. To reach the place, you drive from Avignon going through vineyards until you reach the stunning Luberon region. The Provençal hamlet, the setting for the hotel, lies in a district of lakes, gardens, and orchards. The owners, Olivier and Patrizia Massart, have gathered paintings, furniture, and sculptures from their world travels to decorate their exotic accommodations. Rented out are nine stone buildings, containing one to three elegant bedrooms and kitchenettes. French critics have hailed this hotel as the most progressive in southern France.

St Jean Cap Ferrat

The 1904 grande dame, Hotel Royal Riviera, a palace dating from 1904, has a new grace note. The famed designer, Grace Leo-Andrieu, has opened the 16-room L'Orangerie, 3 Av. Jean Monnet (tel. 04-93-76-31-00), in the center of its lush gardens. The two-story annex in the midst of all this Belle Époque grandeur is one of the secret hideaways along the Cote d'Azur. The place is a stylish oeuvre, its rooms overlooking the garden or the pool. Colors might be as trendy as a palette of lavender and orange sorbet. Everything is deluxe, including the white Calacatta marble in the bathrooms with their oversized tub.

St-Tropez

Savvy visitors to St-Tropez are sneaking outside this fabled resort to the little town of Ramatuelle, away from the teeming masses. Here they can check into the new Villa Marie, Rte. Des Plages, Chemin Val de Rian, Ramatuelle (tel. 04-97-40-22), the latest offering of the boutique hotelier, Jocelyne Sibuet. In the heart of St-Tropez Peninsula, the tiled roof villa, evoking an elegant Provençal manse, stands in the midst of an umbrella tree forest, overlooking the vineyards of the Baie de Pampelone. Touches of Mediterranean refinement include wrought-iron balusters, a magnificent swimming pool, old tiles, Florentine antiques, a state-of-the-art spa, and a meandering turquoise pool, plus a grand restaurant serving one delightful dish after another. It's a pocket of posh.

Salieu

Deep in the heart of Burgundy, in the small town of Saulieu, which was praised by Rabelais, La Côte d'Or (tel. 03-80-90-53-53), won dubious world attention upon the suicide death of its famous chef, Bernard Loiseau in 2003. He was rumored to be despondent at losing a Michelin star. Lying just north of the Charollais region, La Côte d'Or has bounced back. It's arguable whether it still enjoys the culinary heights it reached under its former chef. But the new chefs here still make an incredible côte de boeuf rôti. This is a standing rib roast seared in a frying pan, then oven-roasted and served with a red wine and oxtail reduction, the jus flavored with fresh shallors and marrow.

Toulouse

In the historic capital of Toulouse, on the banks of the River Garonne, the 14-room Hotel des Capitouls, 22 Descente de la Halle aux Poissons (tel. 05-34-32-61-63), has opened. It's what the French call a hotel de charme. The décor is refined and elegant, and bedrooms are beautifully and comfortably furnished. Directly opposite the hotel is its restaurant housed in a 16th-century vaulted cellar of red brick, so typical of the area.

Uzès

More and more visitors are discovering the scenically beautiful village of Uzès, lying 24 miles (39 km) west of Avignon deep in the heart of Provence. Outside this town, an 18th-century maison de village, La Maison, Place de l'Eglise, has opened at Blauzac (tel. 04-66-81-25-15). Its walled swimming pool, fringed with oleander and olive trees, won our hearts. The French country bedrooms are studies in charm and comfort. Your hosts are Pierre Berringer and his partner, Christian Vaurie, who welcome you to what might be your most idyllic night spent in the countryside of Provence.