Saturday 10 May 2014 - Juan-les-Pins day 2

So day two in Juan Les Pins.  For no particularly good reason we slept very late. We didn’t want much breakfast because we are going out to lunch, so we just has a bit of cereal.  The weather is disappointing for our exciting day.  It is overcast and misty.  Also it is not very warm, but then it isn’t really cold, but I did want a nicer sunny day for my outing.  So the secret is we are having lunch at the Eden Roc Hotel on Cap D’Antibes!  I have wanted to go there since I was a teenager and read all about it in the novels of F Scott Fitzgerald and now it will happen.  One lifetime ambition for Richard (boat in St Tropez) and one for me.

There was some talk of us walking there, but it is over a half hour walk so hang the expense we took a taxi.  The place was everything I imagined it to be.  Obviously it has been done up since the 1920’s, but they have kept it in period style.  Sort of a cross between classic French and Art Deco.  We sit out on the terrace overlooking the pool and sea swimming area.  There is no beach (it is all perched on rocks), but there is access to the sea via ladders and an old fashioned wooden diving board.  Some brave souls are in the sea and even dive off the board, which is quite high up.

The restaurant does not rate a Michelin rosette, but the food was great.  The problem with Michelin is that they only give top awards for restaurants that do very fancy dishes, whereas this one cooked straightforward food perfectly.  We made real pigs of ourselves with three courses a la carte and a glass of wine with each course.  We spent a fortune, but what is this all about if you cannot fulfil your dreams.  The staff were lovely and we had lots of laughs with them (mostly in English I blush to say- but I could translate the name of a fish for one waiter).  On the way out we looked at the reception to the hotel and the shop while we waited for a taxi. I saw a beautiful red silk beach cover up, but was not tempted at a price of over 400 Euros!  Dreams have their limits.

So back to town to buy some dinner for tomorrow and then to the boat.  We are done in by our lunch and despite it now being after 9 pm, we are not in the least bit hungry!  We shall probably move from here tomorrow.  Where we goes depends on the weather.  Richard thinks bad weather is coming in and we need to be tucked up in Nice in two days time to fly to Oslo.