Seillans, a tiny town in Provence, is one of the prettiest villages in France. But you don’t have to take my word for it, or even decide based on these photos. That’s because Seillans is officially one of Le Plus Beaux Villages de France. This prestigious association began in 1981 when the mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge […]

Where would I like to be right now? Submerged in the infinity pool at Terre Blanche, looking at the incomparable views of Provence. Truly, there are few things better in life than being in a beautiful pool in beautiful surroundings with beautiful landscaping. Over my two-night stay at Terre Blanche, a five-star luxury resort in […]

The kiddie pool at Terre Blanche, a five-star luxury resort in Provence, has to be the best kiddie pool in the world. No, I haven’t been to them all but I don’t see how there could be better one in existence. First, you’ve got the incomparable Provencal setting. But beyond that, look at how beautifully this French pool has been constructed with its trio of fountains and mosaic-tiled bottom.

My whole South of France and Geneva itinerary came about because I had a persistent daydream of my husband, toddler and me playing on a beach in the French Riviera. There were plenty of fabulous Cote D’Azur towns to choose from but once I realized that a sandy (as opposed to rocky) beach was a must, my choices narrowed considerably. So now all we had to do was find a vacation rental in Antibes … in less than two weeks from our departure date!

I just came back from my 10-day trip to the South of France and Geneva, which I took with my husband and our very active two-and-half-year-old son. And you know what? It just may have been our best family trip yet! I have so much to blog about…
It’s no secret that I was worried that this trip would be more difficult than it would be enjoyable. Two-and-a-half-year-olds are challenging and traveling can be challenging so would the whole thing just be too, well, challenging?

Greetings from my rental in Antibes, France, where I’m staying for three days. My rental is terrific, and I will be giving it a full review after I leave (next stop is Provence, and I just came from Avignon). But first, I wanted to share with you my five tips for finding a great vacation rental. In addition to Antibes, I’ve stayed in rentals in Lisbon, Seville, Copenhagen, Newport, Breckenridge, Park City and St. John, USVI, so I consider myself somewhat of a pro.
Here are the five things that I always ask about when I inquire about a rental (even if it’s in the listing):

Remember when I was worrying about how difficult it would be to travel with a two-and-a-half-year-old? Well, I got over that… Switzerland and France, here we come!

Every time I thought about where I wanted to go this summer, my mind kept coming back to the South of France. I was last there 12 years ago with my sister, and I just loved it. I knew I needed some sort of beach destination for my beach-loving toddler, but I also needed some culture to satisfy my own wanderlust.

I love museums, and I have a memory from a couple of years ago (in my pre-blogging existence) of reading a travel magazine (have Googled this article to no avail) and seeing beautiful photos of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I can recall thinking, I’d really love to go there. I can remember feeling puzzled why something called the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art was in Denmark. And then, upon realizing that this museum is not even located in Copenhagen, I dejectedly thought to myself, I’ll probably never get to go. Well, I got to go! And it was fantastic!

Sandhammaren is the best beach in Sweden. It’s also the only beach I’ve been to in Sweden, so don’t take my word for it. The Aftonbladet (the famous Swedish newspaper we all know about from the Steig Larsson novels) said it was the best beach in Sweden. And with the long stretch of uninterrupted coastline, warm (surprisingly warm!) Baltic waters, soft, light sand and inviting dunes, I’m more than willing to believe that Sandhammaren is the best beach in Sweden. It’s located in Osterlen, the southeastern tip of Sweden.

Did you know that Sweden has its own version of Stonehenge? Neither did I until shortly before I visited this mysterious Megalithic monument called Ales Stenar (which translates to Ale’s Stones) in Kåseberga, Sweden. For our second day of sightseeing in Skane, Elisabeth told us we were going to Ales Stenar, a historic site that’s like Stonehenge. I was instantly intrigued. I’ve never been to Stonehenge, but I’ve always wanted to go. A Swedish Stonehenge sounded pretty good to me. After an amazing lunch at Olof Viktors in Glemminge and then we were off an uphill trek to Ales Stenar.