Juan les Pins

Port Vauban, the harbour of Antibes was full, certainly for us, though not I suspect for the odd passing fifty metre super yacht, but Port de Gallice at Juan les Pins had space and would be pleased to see us and was remarkably cheap.  We arrived in the afternoon and were met at the visitors’ quay by a uniformed marina official on an electric scooter.  The marina office smelt of cologne and after some of the loos and showers we had come across at Frioul and Bandol, which would have disgraced a boy scout camp in the 1960s, the facilities were, well, palatial.  The atmosphere of the marina is summed up, I think, by the Manager, who wore white shirt, shorts and long socks and was always courteous.  We stayed five days, making full use of the loos and showers and the charming public beach, less than 100 metres from our berth.  However, we didn’t I regret to say make use of the Helipad.

During our stay we did little except sunbathe and stroll around Juan les Pins and nearby Antibes, drinking in the atmosphere and the occasional beer and sometimes dining out in the least pretentious restaurants we could find.