FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 517

er, tel. [phone], toll-free tel. [phone]—works only within France, fax 04 92 09
82 94, www.villahostels.com , [e-mail] ). From the center of town, ride the
tram (direction: Las Planas) to the Compte de Falicon stop, then either walk 10 minutes, or
take the free shuttle from the Casino supermarket by the tram stop (no service 12:00-17:00).
Near the Airport
Several airport hotels offer a handy and cheap port-in-the-storm for those with early flights
orwhoarejuststoppinginforasinglenight:EtapHôtel(thecheapest, www.etaphotel.com ) ,
Hôtel Première Classe ( www.premiereclasse.com ), and Hôtel Ibis Nice Aéroport
( www.ibisnice.com ). Free shuttles connect these hotels with both airport terminals.
You'll find greater comfort at the airport for a bit more (and free private shuttle vans)
at these hotels: Novotel ( www.novotel.com ) , Holiday Inn ( www.holidayinn.com ), and Cam-
panile ( www.campanile.fr ) .
Eating in Nice
Remember, you're in a resort. Seek ambience and fun, and lower your palate's standards.
Italian is a low-risk and regional cuisine. The listed restaurants are concentrated in neigh-
borhoods close to my recommended hotels. Several offer fixed-price, multi-course meals
(menus) . Promenade des Anglais is ideal for picnic dinners on warm, languid evenings.
VieuxNicehasthebestandbusiestdiningatmosphere(andbestrangeofchoices),whilethe
Nice Etoile area is more local, convenient, and also offers a good range of choices. To feast
cheaply, eat on Rue Droite in Vieux Nice, or explore the area around the train station. Al-
low yourself one dinner at a beachfront restaurant in Nice, and for terribly touristy trolling,
wander the wall-to-wall eateries lining Rue Masséna. Yuck.
In Vieux Nice
(See “Vieux Nice” map, here . )
Nice's dinner scene converges on Cours Saleya, which is entertaining enough in itself to
make the generally mediocre food a good deal. It's a fun, festive spot to compare tans and
mussels.Evenifyou'reeatingelsewhere,wanderthroughhereintheevening.Forlocations,
see the map on here .
La Voglia has figured out a winning formula: Good food + ample servings + fair prices
=goodbusiness.Comehereearlyfortop-valueItaliancuisine,orplanonwaitingforatable.
There's fun seating inside and out (€12-14 pizza and pasta, €15-25 plats, open daily, at the
western edge of Cours Saleya at 2 Rue St. Francois de Paule, tel. [phone]).