The U.S. State Department is alerting visitors about security concerns in France. Demonstrations, sometimes involving violence, have occurred in Paris and other large cities, often targeting areas frequented by tourists. Some demonstrations are spontaneous, and police use tear gas. Caution is advised, particularly during the evening and nighttime hours.
Antibes
In the former residence of the German-born abstract artist and his painter wife, the Hans Hartung and Anna-Eva Bergman Foundation, 173 Chemin du Valbosquet (tel. 04-93-33-45-92; www.fondationhartungbergman.fr), has opened. The stark white villa was designed by Hartung himself, and he lived here until his death in 1989. Open to guided tours, the villa hosts mini-exhibitions of the couple's work, which are culled from some 16,000 paintings, photographs, and engravings.
Arles
New owners have taken over the Hotel de L'Amphitheatre, 5-7 rue Diderot (tel. 04-90-96-10-30), and turned it into a hotel of style and comfort. The antique atmosphere, including 17th-century wood-beam ceilings, has been maintained in the renovations. Bright fabrics balance the dark wall colors. However, note that not all the hotel has been renovated. The cheapest -- and, naturally the most desirable rooms -- are in a section not yet renovated. Our preferred nest is The Belvedere, costing about $175 a night, but opening onto a panoramic view of the rooftops of Arles. This one is a winner, especially when all the renovations are completed.
Eze
In this village of charm on the Eastern Riviera, seek out Le Vielle Bergerie, 585 route de la Revere (tel. 04-93-41-10-22), where Roselyne Carpentier is the gracious innkeeper. This B&B is like living in an old-fashioned Provençal home. Highly recommended.
Marseille
In France's second largest city, which is increasingly being taken over by immigrants from North Africa, even China and the sub-Sahara, change is in the air.
The architect Le Corbusier has long been associated with Marseille. In the post-war era, he constructed Unite d'Habitation, his experimental concrete housing project, completed in 1952. Horrified residents called it Maison du Fada (House of the Crazy) because it was so ugly. Alban and Dominique Géradin have taken over the Hotel Le Corbusier (tel. 04-91-16-78-00; www.hotellecorbusier.com) and set about to recapture some of the architect's original vision. The hotel takes up two floors in the building which also includes shops and apartments for 1,500 residents. They have installed 1950s furniture by Charlotte Perriand as well as La Roche lamps, the light fixtures Corbusier originally designed for the building. They have also added Corbusier-designed chaise lounges and armchairs. The small "cabin" rooms begin at $66 but are very cramped. The price goes up to $115 a night for large studios, opening onto terraces. The small rooms, incidentally, don't have bathroom doors. Corbusier thought they were a "distraction."
Small ethnic restaurants, often serving a North African cuisine, continue to open in Marseille. Visitors are discovering Restaurant du Tagine, 5 rue Crudère (tel. 04-91-48-08-47) where a husband-and-wife team turn out such delicious dishes as "sucre," chicken tagine with walnuts and raisins in a thick honey broth. Naturally cous-cous comes as a side dish.
One of the newer attractions is Friche la Belle de Mai, 41 rue Jobin (tel. 04-95-04-95-04), a government-sponsored artists' building in a converted tobacco factory by the train station. You can wander through its art-filled corridors.
Murs-en-Provence
Near the town of Gordes, which is visited for its chateau and mysterious stone "beehive" structures, Le Mas du Loriot, Route de Joucas (tel. 04-90-72-62-62), is an undiscovered gem, a haven of tranquility set in the foothills of that mighty mountain, the Luberon. Each room has a private terrace opening onto a view of lavender fields, and there is also a most welcome swimming pool on a hot day. The décor is in the old Provençal style of rich fabrics, white walls, and tile floors. The cuisine is provincial and Provençal, and exceedingly good.
Nice
The capital of the Riviera is in the process of being reborn as a kind of "Miami on the Mediterranean," as the press calls it. It is replete with newer and hip hotels and a resurgent restaurant scene. All it needs now is to attract the Matisse or Picasso of the 21st century. Many urban improvements are being made at the fifth largest city in France. By early 2007, an electric tram will zip around town, alleviating traffic congestion and pollution.
The Brice Tulip Inn Hotel, 44 rue Maréchal Joffre (tel. 04-93-88-14-44) is a newly renovated, government-rated three-star hotel, close to the Promenade des Anglais. With attractively furnished guest rooms, it opens onto a lovely garden and charges moderate tariffs.
The most discerning diners are splurging on a $40 taxi ride and heading into the hills to dine at Parcours Live, 1 place Marcel Eusebi (tel. 04-93-84-94-57), in Falicon. It has already won a Michelin star and not just for its sublime view -- the menu of Jean-Marc Delacourt is just as sublime. Try his Mediterranean tuna crusted with sesame seeds on a soy-soaked potato purée.
Back in town, Kei's Passion, 22 rue de France, Place Croix de Marbre (tel. 04-93-82-26-06), uses southern French ingredients and works them into delicate and imaginative dishes. Try his red tomato gazpacho with a scoop of bright green basil and almond sorbet.
At night head for such new clubs as White Lab, 26 quai Lunel (tel. 06-88-08-26-15), drawing a 20-something crowd to its elegant confines, or else go to Guest, 5 quai des Deux Emmanuel (tel. 04-93-56-83-83), with its soft lighting and elegant chandeliers focusing on the see-and-be-seen crowd below.
St-Paul-de-Vence
Those wishing to escape the tourist haunts of this hill town, the most famous on the Riviera, are retreating to Les Messuges, Domaine des Gardettes (tel. 04-93-32-53-32), a 15-room inn that's nearly adjacent to the Maeght Foundation. Another good choice is La Grande Bastide, Rte. De la Colle (tel. 04-93-32-50-30), with 11 attractively furnished bedrooms and 3 deluxe suites.
St-Raphaël
Just west of this resort, the fabled Villa Mauresque (tel. 04-94-83-02-42; www.villa-mauresque.com), long blocked off to the public, has opened its doors at last as a 15-room B&B, the most elegant B&B along the entire French Riviera. This was the former abode of author W. Somerset Maugham, consisting of two neo-Moorish castles surrounded by century-old palms and umbrella pines. The greats of the artistic world came here to call on the aging author, and today's rooms are named after the likes of Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer) and Baudelaire. Doubles begin at $250 per night.
Sanary-sur-Mer
More and more savvy visitors are fleeing the high prices of St-Tropez and heading for this tiny fishing village, lying 50 miles southwest. The French themselves come here for their vacations, leaving the more famous mecca for the tourists. Wednesday is grand market day at Sanary, as 300 vendors hawk their wares, selling everything from strawberries to foie gras.
Drop in at the portside café, Coquillages Philippe, 8 place de la Tour (tel. 06-23-95-77-56), a shellfish bar with ultra-fresh oysters. Here is your chance to try the famous sea urchin. On another front, L'En K Fé, 13 rue Louis Blanc (tel. 04-94-74-66-57), is known for its Moroccan tagine of chicken with dates. For a hotel, check out Hotel de la Tour, 24 quai Général de Gaulle (tel. 04-94-74-10-10), run by the Mercier family. Rooms are simple but have a view of the harbor.
Toulouse
St-Claire, 29 place Bachelier (tel. 05-34-40-58-88), is a government-rated two-star hotel that has undergone a complete renovation. Today it is one of the best value hotels of Toulouse, lying in the heart of the city. The hotel offers personalized service, provides a high level of comfort, and is decorated in a homelike way and immaculately kept.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
In the "City of Violets," 13 miles (21km) northeast of the perfume capital at Grasse, La Demeure de Jeanne, 907 route de Vence (tel. 04-93-59-37-24) is a gem of a B&B. This is a large Provençal house with attractively furnished bedrooms, each with a private terrace and a panoramic view of the sea, the garden, and the on-site swimming pool. Rooms, named after cats, are luxurious, but prices are affordable.
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