In May I decided to go on a solo trip to the French Riviera.  The area of the South of France that is famed for luxury and decadence is larger than you think and unless you stay on the main autoroute, journeys between the towns in the summer are going to be hideously long.  I chose to stay close to Cannes and Antibes – admittedly I did go to Cannes during the international film festival, so the town was overflowing with both tourists, festival goers, press and general wannabe hangers on, but it was still a fun visit.

Travelling alone is not something to be scared of, rather it’s an opportunity to really relax and find out what makes you tick.  You can fill your days exactly how you like and it’s weirdly more difficult than you might think.  Thoughts of ‘What should I do?” are hard to give up, but with a little effort they can turn in to “What do I want to do?”  One of my favourite days was spent on a sun lounger on the little private beach of my 1960’s hotel, followed by a hot bubble bath and then out for a Michelin star dinner at Les Pecheur in Juan Le Pins – a brilliant day combining my two favourite things – the beach and good food!

Nice is the most fabulous city – easy to get around on foot, close to the beach and full of shops and restaurants.  If you only manage a two night visit, that’s plenty of time plunder the amazing french pharmacies, get a haircut, buy some french chicness, drink coffee outside people watching and then return home refreshed.  Just do it!