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We have spent considerable time over the last few years advising on what to take
when visiting the Riviera. Because of this, we provide you our
thoughts and recommendations here. We have also linked to several reputable sources e.g.
Amazon.Com. We use many of these maps and references
ourselves, so can readily vouch for them. Others are provided
based on the feedback we received from our Guests. A few books are no
longer in print or available in bookstores, but because we value
ours so much, we've provided them through ABEbooks.com ,
an online bookseller specializing in used and out-of-print books. Click on
a thumbnail photo below and a new window should open with details
about any item.
You might find some items
locally, but if not then these can be delivered within several
business days directly to you. Delivery times
might vary if you're in the UK, Europe, Australia, etc.
Regardless, we're always available to help
answer questions, so feel free to contact us anytime.
Insurance - Travel, Medical and
Trip Cancellation
So when does it make sense to
buy travel insurance? You may want to consider it if you suspect
you may need to cancel your trip at the last minute (e.g. a sick family member). You might also consider insurance if
you have a complicated itinerary with many connecting flights.
While some banks that issue Visa cards offer travel interruption
insurance, notes Janet Yang, a Visa USA spokeswoman, it isn't a
feature on all cards.
Regrettably, over the years we
have had several Guests seriously affected by adverse events: cancelled
trips due to family emergencies, street thefts, automobile accidents, serious
falls requiring medical evacuation, etc. We have some very interesting
accounts related to us from our Guests! We've also had minor things happen to
ourselves, so we know how important it is to have someone reliable to turn
to for help. Based on our experiences, and those of our Guests, we
strongly
advise others to protect themselves from unforeseen events,
or at least protect
their financial investment. Property Owners cannot make refunds once
they have
committed their staff and resources towards a holiday plan.
Because of this, we offer links to reputable firms who offer such
services. When you're on the road it's good to have
peace-of-mind - you just never know when you'll need
help. Plan ahead.
More info here...
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Travel Insurance |
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World Travel Center - Senior Market Sales, Inc. (SMS).
8420 W. Dodge Rd, Suite 510; Omaha, NE 68114. 1-800-786-5566
or +1-402-397-3311 (ask for Travel Dept). These folks have
it all. Global medical insurance, travel insurance, trip
protection plans, and more. No matter where you are or where you're
going; you're covered. They also provide international
medical insurance for expatriates and citizens of all
nationalities either traveling or residing anywhere. Instant
online quotes and convenient online purchasing. |
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HTH Worldwide Insurance Services - 12900 Federal Systems
Park Drive, Suite 2A, Fairfax, VA 22033-4421 USA.
1-888-243-2358 or +1-703-322-1515. Travel insurance through
Unicare.
TripProtector includes cancellation & medical
evacuation coverage. TravelGap Multi-Trip provides
maximum health & accident coverage for frequent domestic or
international travel and TravelGap Vacationer for
single trip health and accident insurance for international
travel. |
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International
Medical Insurance |
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Long term Global and Expatriate Insurance
Benefit plans form the
TravelInsuranceCenter.com provide essential
insurance benefits for all nationalities working and living anywhere in the world. The following types of insurance are
available for individuals, families, contractors, and employer groups worldwide: Global Health and Medical Insurance,
International Life Insurance, International Accidental Death; Dismemberment, and International Disability/Income Protection.
Coverage that includes War and Terrorism are also available.
Customer Testimonials.
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Maps
Frankly,
we've found it difficult to go touring anywhere without maps and
the more detailed the better. If you're heading "over there," then
we strongly recommend you have a good map - Michelin is the historically
preferred favorite. Pépé always
planned our summer "voyage" on the kitchen table with his
trusted Michelin maps. You can find these yourself on Amazon
or Michelin, or save yourself a little time and effort by using
the links compiled below. We have and use many of the maps,
but am less familiar with the "Green Guides", which other travelers
have rave about. Knowing the area here, our tendency has been to forego
any guides, but were this not the
case - and knowing how much there is to see, it might be a good
idea to have one or both Green Guides. Consider also a good car
compass ,
preferably illuminated. You can get one as cheap as $10, or as
much as $160. We have found this handy especially in built up areas (Nice, Marseille, Paris etc.), when
each block
looks the same and you simply need to stay oriented on a direction, especially
at night.
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Michelin Map #115. Michelin French Riviera - East with
maps for Cannes and Antibes. Includes road numbers,
distances, political boundaries, parks, castles, ruins, and
churches. |
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Michelin Green Guide Practical info with
up-to-date suggestions on what to see and do, as well
as background on area history and cultural heritage. |
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Michelin Green Guide to the Riviera. "The" area guide to
glamorous coastal towns & quiet hilltop villages perched
among olive groves, snow-capped mountains, and bright blue
skies! |
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Michelin Map #528. Regional map with comprehensive road
information. This or Map
#114,
#115 or
#341 are recommended for area
daytrips! 1:200,000 Good "GP"
map I like to have in glove box |
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Michelin Map #341.
The local area map for our Maritime Alps area. This map also
has City Plans for Nice and Cannes as well as a local place
name index. New map! |
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Michelin
Map #103. Battle of Provence covers big picture details
for troop movements of the
August 1944
battle. This historical reprint has legends in both French
and English. |
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Michelin Map #114. Western French Riviera, Var and
magnificent Gorges du Verdon. This map is recommended
if you plan to visit this French "Grand Canyon"!
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Michelin Tourist and Motoring Atlas (Spiral) #1092. This
famed guide has been used for years by French truckers and
tourists. It covers all of France, is 240 pages, and has a
detailed city, town and village index with 75 city maps.
Scale 1:200,000 (1cm=2km) This is a
little large, like an oversized magazine, but fits easily in
my suitcase. I use it whenever we tour outside the area -
it's an excellent comprehensive road atlas and ALWAYS come
in handy when I am planning our routes.
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Books
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Good background! |
Côte D'Azur: Inventing the French Riviera - Mary Blume
explains how the Côte came to represent fantasy, escape, or a
place of dreams for so many such as Queen Victoria, Picasso, Coco Chanel, Tobias Smollett, Fitzgerald, Huxley, Maugham and many
more of the great, merely dubious, or the wildly eccentric of
each generation.
 Barnes
& Noble |
Personal favorite! |
Michelin "In Your Pocket" (South of France: Riviera) -
This is a great daytrip and weekend guide and one we
personally refer to. It has four sections: "Background"
with history, culture, and geography; "Exploring"
with must-see sights; "Enjoying Your Visit" has a calendar
of area events, shopping, restaurants; and an "A-Z
Factfinder" section. |
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Marling Menu-Master for France - This is a handy and
fantastic little menu translation guide. We carry it whenever
we go out to eat here! It explains many of the regional
dishes, local preparation styles, and other French culinary
and menu terms, which we often find ourselves puzzling over
when we're "exploring" restaurants.
Very helpful in ANY French restaurant! |
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The Birth of France: Warriors, Bishops, and Long-Haired Kings
- The story of ancient France, 5th-8th c. of which so little
is written. A compelling read of the fierce Celtic/Teutonic
warrior chieftains, and Merovingians who bridged the collapse
of the Roman Empire to early medieval France; Clovis, Lothair
& Charles Martel, and the early Christian bishops who
re-constituted a foundation for the beginning of France. |
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Hidden France -
Richard Binns. This fellow "mapoholic"
and author of the "French Leave" series shares
his vast personal knowledge of "la belle France" that most tourists
never see. His magical guide enables you to truly
savor the sights, sounds and tastes of the most scenic and
unspoiled back country of rural France.
SUPER! |
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France: A Phaidon Cultural Guide
- Richly illustrated comprehensive guide and index to the
cultural treasures of France - towns, churches, châteaux,
museums, theaters ... 800 pages + photos. Packed with
only the very best examples of French art and architecture and
indexed by town. Hardback only 8x5x2
inches! |
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Southern France (Off the Beaten Track) - Hard-to-find guide
provides 14 guided area itineraries tracing the history of
Southern France, from the windy dunes of Aquitaine to the Pyrénées, the quiet areas of the Camargue, the medieval
villages of early English kings, and to the Côte
d'Azur. We also love our companion
Northern France (Off the Beaten Track) |
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The Champagne Campaign
- Robert Adleman & George Walton recount the spectacular
Allied airborne invasion that turned the tide for the
Battle for Southern
France in 1944. Excellent historical perspective filled
with numerous anecdotes, photos, and illustrations.
Fascinating narratives of the area's liberation from the
Nazis. |
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Operation Dragoon (1999) VHS - Video describing one of
the most controversial campaigns of World War II...the
liberation of Southern France. Film covers the campaign's
operational details, as well as larger and more
controversial national, political, and international strategic
issues that raged behind the scenes and dominated planning and execution of the second largest invasion
of World War II. |
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Operation Dragoon: The Allied Invasion - William Breuer
recreates the technical and human stories of the Allied
liberation of the French Riviera. Provides enough background
for a reader to understand operational actions and fills these
in with colorful and personal stories of American,
British, French and German participants.
Hardback. Good companion to
The Champagne Campaign. |
Travel Guides
Our personal choice has been the Michelin
guide (above), but it is hard to imagine going wrong with any of the
following travel guides, each offering their own
unique insights, and each with its
own loyal following. Through Amazon.Com, you can link to each and
read the reviews of other readers' comments and
ratings to determine which is best for you.
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