We spent four days (with a travel day on either end) in and around Nice in September 2025 to celebrate our 20th (!) wedding anniversary. We booked this trip approximately two weeks before, so needless to say we did very little research on the best, most sought-after places. We got away with it because it wasn’t the peak busy season of June-August. September in the Côte d’Azur is majestic — fewer crowds, less heat. I saw so many people walking around with tiny babies (like, infants in strollers that sleep most of the day) and felt secondhand joy that these parents had cracked this code of this great age for travel.
Day 1: Saint-Paul-de-Vence
We arrived early in the morning and spent the first two nights at Domaine du Mas de Pierre Hôtel Resort & Spa, a spa and resort. We packed pool clothes in our carry-on so we could change when we arrived and rest at the pool until our room was ready. [Spoiler: We napped.] Our room was gorgeous, as were the grounds, and also the whole place smelled amazing. It was absolutely restorative.
We had dinner at the resort, not at their fanciest restaurant (La Table de Pierre) but at their more casual poolside restaurant (Dolce Provenza). It was good but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to eat at the resort.
Day 2: Saint-Paul-de-Vence
The next morning, I was eager for a mini-adventure so Uber-ed to a local bakery (La Boulange) and shared an excellent square of quiche lorraine and wedge of cherry crumble tart. We had coffee at the Salon de Thé next door that was less “salon” and more liquor store and lottery tickets, but the coffee was perfect for us. We had appointments at the resort’s spa and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying their pools, saunas, and, for approximately three seconds before we wimped out, their “snow cave” (picture the very opposite of a sauna, snow and all). It turns out I was just not meant to live a difficult life, ok?
We had dinner that night at Fleur de Sel, a short drive away. Ready for a story time?! This was an extremely lucky find, blindly searching restaurants in the area on Google Maps, spotting one with fantastic reviews, and emailing the night before for a reservation. [See above: I wouldn’t expect to pull this stunt off successfully in the busier season.] Very close to the Château Grimaldi (if you’d like to walk around the area first), it could not have been more charming, tucked into the steep slope of a street that can only exist in a town that was built in the 1600s.
When we arrived, Alex asked if I’d looked at the menu online and why, no, I had not. Is this something one should do before one walks blindly into a restaurant? The menu arrived and two things immediately struck terror into my heart — one, that it was tasting menu only (some people love them; not me) with options for three, four, or six courses, and two, that underneath each, the only description was “this is a blind menu, let yourself be carried away by the chef’s creativity.” Thank goodness the secret to a long marriage, of which I’m officially now a tongue-in-cheek expert on, isn’t never raising your eyebrows and tilting your head as to suggest that this could have been avoided with a mere five minutes of research before we arrived. I said a silent prayer that there would be no … entrails on the menu (again, some people love them, just not me) and went for the four-course option.
Friends, it was phenomenal. Probably some of the best food I’ve ever eaten at a fancy restaurant, yet somehow not so fancy that it seemed pointlessly fussy or padded with expensive finishes nobody asked for. A creamy corn soup! A giant ravioli with braised beef inside in a puddle of intense broth. Grilled red mullet on flavorful grains. And a crème anglaise with fresh, local figs and some meringue. Nothing too big or heavy; not a bite under- or over-seasoned. If you’re looking for one fancy meal on your vacation, I cannot recommend this enough.
We had a nightcap back at the lounge/bar at the resort while one guest played the piano and drunk French people sang Les Champs-Elysées (I loved it).
Day 3: Nice
The next morning, we checked out of the resort and headed to Nice, proper. We stayed two nights at the Hôtel du Couvent, which I loved impossibly much (the calm aesthetic, the idyllic courtyard, the soaps and lotions, I swiped them all) and was not in any way influenced by the room upgrade we scored (we’d paid with credit card points) and ended up in such a fancy suite, we were provided with a butler. Totally normal everyday stuff for us! We were greeted with warm madeleines and coffee and then set out for a day of wandering. [Do note that the hotel is at the top of a multi-block hill, a perfect amount of cardio for weirdos who crave it but might not be for everyone — although I am sure the hotel will send a golf cart down if a lift is needed.]
Without children to complain every time I wanted to check out a shoppy-shop or pop my head into a church, I was unleashed:
- An adorable umbrella store that now sells jewelry!
- Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate de Nice
- Fenocchio for gelato and sorbet (briefly considered the bubble gum flavor but went with raspberry and vanilla ice cream instead)
- A cute little shop where we got an embroidered apron and chef’s hat for my niece!
- Cookies from Fournil Zielinska, a sweet little bakery with a “no croissants, no baguettes — you deserve better!” sign. (They make babka too, but were out when we got there.)
We also wandered down the Promenade des Anglais and gawked at the color of Baie des Anges/Mediterranean Sea. We had a cocktail (the lambrusco spritz was perfection) and a snack at one of the restaurants along the promenade, I’m sorry I didn’t note the name, but all will provide drinks and snacks, promise. We sat on the beach for sunset and I continued to obsess over the specific, dulcet sound the water makes over the smooth rocks on the beach.
We had a great, cozy dinner at Le Petit Lascaris and enjoyed this delicious local beer. We tried to order the “caille rotie au trou du cul farci de gousse d’ail translate” (I’m going to let you run that through Google Translate yourself) but, sadly, the next table got the last one. My chicken leg with a creamy mushroom sauce was excellent, however.
Back at our room at the hotel, we’d discovered we’d been left sparkling wine and a bowl of reine claud (greengage) plums from their trees. The hotel ruined me for returning to real life, ruined.
Day 4: Monte Carlo (not really) + Nice
Monte Carlo: “This never happened” is how Alex describes the hours of 10am to 1pm. But, for the sake of transparency or Why I’ll Never Be A Travel Writer, I thought it might be fun to “pop into” Monte Carlo — it’s right next door! — for a morning, perhaps have oysters and champagne for lunch by the water, and then head back for the rest of our final full day in Nice. We’d planned to take the train but when we realized we could get an Uber relatively inexpensively and get there in no time, did that instead. If, however (see ongoing theme: no advanced planning! just going on vibes!) we’d done more research, we might have realized that 1. Monte Carlo is really not so walkable, or at least not where we started at a marina. We took a bus or two but with a car, perhaps, a brief trip makes more sense. 2. The primary attractions are Monte Carlo Casino, the historic Opera House, and some posh hotels, cars, and shopping and in the end, with precious hours left in our last full day of vacation, we realized it wasn’t how we wanted to spend it and decided to course correct. So, we took the train back (as planned, but do note that Uber doesn’t operate in Monaco) and carried on as if it had never happened. Which it didn’t. Except for the potato chips we ate on the train back, which might be my new favorite potato chips on this earth.
Back in Nice, we checked out ICI Concept Store, which has locally-made clothes and homewares and we absolutely loved it. When we walked in, I commented that it smelled fantastic, and the shopkeeper convinced both of us to check out some of their local perfumes. We both walked out with new scents we can’t get enough of and I also bought a small, pretty platter from a local ceramicist, my favorite kind of souvenir since you’ll hopefully see it in food photos soon.
We stopped back at the courtyard cafe at our hotel, which has to be the most calm, quiet place in Nice, for Hugo spritzes and lunch (we were, after all, a little beat after our whole “day of international travel (that didn’t happen)” and went back out later for dinner at Peixes. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it to us — the oysters were salty and delicious.
Day 5: A little pre-airport shopping
We dashed through a bunch of shops to pick up gifts and goodies to take home. But first we went to Chez Thérésa at the market for a perfect socca snack, warm and crisp at the edges off the griddle.
- Nicolas Alziari (bought some olives and olive oil)
- Trésors Publics — This came recommended by a few people but felt, to me, like an overly curated selection of French products people in Brooklyn like to buy, i.e. of course I liked everything but far preferred the experience of more local, interesting finds at ICI Concept Store.
- La Cave de Stéphane (bought a white wine we’d enjoyed at the resort two days before, and a champagne we’d never heard of because how bad could it be)
- Maison Auer (for chocolate, candied fruit)
- Fragonard Boutique Nice (for pretty soaps and scents)
And then we flew home and I horrified my husband (who watched four movies in this time) by reading the nearly-entirety of my (apparently loathed by some?) book and only turning on my screen to check our flight progress. Does anyone else do this?