Tag Archives: france

bon anniversaire ala France et Monaco

birthday fun – vive la lola!

happy birthday

lola got birthday treats all trip long. from a macaroon cake & wine at the Four Seasons Provence to champagne at Villa Gallici! i was treated like quite the b-day gal.

yummy cake!

sante - birthday girl!

on my actual birthday in Monaco i was brought a cake with a sparkler type of candle at dinner and yet another at the bar where i was having after dinner drinks. apparently they DO like flashy things in Monaco! AND of course i had some of both…it would have been rude not to.

lola loves sparkly things!

and cake number deux

sometimes turning a year older can be a drag but i truly had the best birthday this year. i mean, who couldn’t love 2 cakes? i was made to feel magnifique everywhere i went & why not?! i am kinda special because i’m lola after all!

ps – i highly recommend spending your birthday in France/Monaco but no matter where you are, do it up BIG. it is YOUR DAY!!

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staying fancy pants in France

Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche: a little slice of heaven in the South of France

Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche

Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche is situated amongst beautiful scenery in the village of Tourrettes just 45 minutes from Nice. this hidden part of Provence has always attracted artists and Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche is no different as it offers a haven of peace surrounded by pure, wild nature. all of the property’s 115 suites cling to the slopes of the hill the same as the homes in view from surrounding mountain top villages. it’s absolutely lovely. so is it’s gorgeous spa. total luxury! BUT that is not the story I want to share…

stunning pool of FS Provence

i began communicating with Four Seasons Provence through twitter and email. they were extremely responsive and made booking my stay a piece of cake sending me a link for the room & rate i requested. next, when i began to inquire about restaurants & wine tastings, the reservations department put the concierge in touch with me. this is when it gets really impressive. the options were so nicely organized by local cuisine or gastronomic dining experiences. i requested to try one of each and for the concierge to choose his favorites. not only did he choose, but went straight on to make the reservation for me. his choices were perfect! (more on this in my eating post) i also challenged this sweet man to finding me a beret to don upon arrival in Provence. he was unwavering in his efforts! (you know this if you read my raspberry beret post) the above & beyond effort is my favorite trip memory and for this, i will always adore both him and Four Seasons Provence.

upon arrival, i was personally welcomed by the travel industry sales manager and a very gracious and eager staff. it’s low season in Provence and the property was very quiet with only 8 rooms booked Friday and 12 on Saturday. it might seem that perhaps this is why i got such exceptional service but in retrospect i believe this is just how they do it at the Four Seasons Provence. they take extreme pride in doing their job perfectly – what a joy!

other perks from the stay:

An upgrade to a nicer room

watercolor notecard of Four Seasons Provence with a message from the General Manager

A birthday cake to welcome me, a handwritten note from the General Manager, plus 2 bottles of the region’s wines, gratis

A smiley staff willing to drive me to and fro at a moment’s notice

one of my happy drivers

A portfolio pre-made for me with details of dinners & wine tastings (including marked & highlighted maps)

A warmed car with driving directions when i was dropped to the car for dinner

i kid you not - the BEST

An inclusive breakfast with the BEST bacon i have ever had (America – adopt this European tradition, si vous plait)

A bartender who kept the bar open for one last drink although no one else was there

meet Jimmy bartender extraordinaire

A reception staff that knew who i was – greeting me by name each and every encounter AND did everything to ensure i was happy (including giving me a delicious Four Seasons Terre Blanche candle at check out)

AND a head of concierge that planned my visit better than i could have hoped and got me my treasured pink beret

what a cute pink beret!

i don’t believe Four Seasons Provence would have denied me anything. it was as if they anticipated my every wish and thought. it’s worth every penny when you receive this kind of exceptional service, i must say. i may be ruined now because i was spoiled so much. it truly was the VERY BEST service i have ever experienced.

AND since then, i have received follow-up emails from Andrea Ramseyer – Travel Industry Sales Manager, Jean-Jacques Yonnet – Head Concierge (who made all my dreams come true) and Mauro Governato – General Manager of Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche, all expressing the wish that i enjoyed my stay, thanking me for my patronage plus inviting me back as soon as possible.

merci beaucoup, i will be back – you can count on that!

Villa Gallici: a hidden treasure in Aix en Provence

the charming Villa Gallici

the Villa Gallici in Aix en Provence has existed for two centuries before becoming a hotel devoted to the French art de vivre 20 years ago. the property has 22 gorgeous, individually decorated rooms as well as some fabulous common areas to enjoy. it is just as the Baglioni/Relais & Chateaux families desire – comme a la maison “just like at home”. it’s no wonder Villa Gallici has been named one of the best 500 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure and has an impressive standing on the 2011 Conde Nast Traveller list. when you are at the Villa Gallici it’s as if time has stopped and all of life is enjoyed at a slower pace. there’s a simple ease in your time spent there that’s divine in this day and age of lightening-speed life. i wish i could bottle up that feeling and sip it every now and then!

so very true

similar to FS Provence, i began communicating with Villa Gallici about dinner reservations while staying there. they, too, were very responsive and recommended & booked a fantastic restaurant for my one evening in Aix en Provence. (also to be reviewed in my eating post)

beautiful blue room

i prompted Villa Gallici as well that it was my birthday and upon arrival, after an easy check in (with an upgraded room!), i was brought yummy little sweet treats and some veuve clicquot champagne along with a handwritten note from the Managing Director welcoming me. the French know how to do it right!! kinda makes me wish i had a birthday more often!

birthday champagne - sante

Villa Gallici made sure i had a well-marked map and directions to all of my evening’s destinations. after a fun night out, i came back to Villa Gallici to find rose petals scattered about in my turned down sheets. how lovely. i was well attended to but left to enjoy Villa Gallici at my leisure. my only regret is that i didn’t have more time at this special place but i had to get onto Monaco.

TRIP TIP

if i’ve said it once, i’ll say it again. DO NOT hesistate to let the hotel know you are there for a special occasion (that is, of course, if you are)! it’s a very competitive business and i find that hotels across the board want your loyalty so it’s important to make you feel special.  the concierge is there to help you – so take advantage of that too. i haven’t asked for anything in my travels that i haven’t gotten or received help with. so ASK and YE SHALL RECEIVE!

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Filed under france, swanky luxe stays, travel

she wore a raspberry beret!

ooh lala lola

if you read my blog often enough you know that my trips are usually quick jaunts here & there. my getaway to France and Monaco was no different. you probably also know that lola likes her props…ie “the boa”.

when i started putting together my trip plans for France i decided i would need a beret (and hopefully a pink one) in order to really get into the French spirit. BUT i didn’t have time to go search this out. i needed to hit the ground running. plus, i thought it would be a fun exercise to see how much i could get the Four Seasons Provence concierge to do for me in advance of my arrival. BOY did they ever rise to the challenge! here’s what happened:

i asked via email about getting a beret to which i was told a nearby village had a store where i could get one. since this was the very same village where i’d be having dinner my first night in Provence, i figured it would be easy enough to pick up myself. next, the Four Seasons Provence concierge followed up with the store and apparently they were no longer carrying “proper berets”. this put the concierge on a mission to search high and low to find the nearest beret store and did indeed find one in Cannes (about 30 or so minutes from the resort). obviously, this wasn’t really convenient for me to obtain so the concierge personally went and fetched it for me and i had it perched on my little head less then 30 minutes after arriving at the Four Season Provence. how is that for service and making this girl’s French dreams come true?! 

MERCI BEAUCOUP, jean-jacques yonnet, for all of your effort!!! i love my beret AND, as it turns out, Provence was unseasonably cold so i needed it and wore it faithfully every day!

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joyeux anniversaire to moi!

happy birthday lola

lola’s second trip of the new year will be a “whistle-stop tour” of Provence and Monaco! (thanks Iain Mallory for the great adjective) 🙂 this, again, seems quite apropos for lola as it will be over her birthday weekend and lola just LOVES to go away to celebrate. it’s the BEST GIFT a gal could get – if you ask me!!

while away tooling around the South of France countryside, lola will rest her head at what is sure to be gorgeous – the 5 star luxury Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche.  how VERY ooooh la la!

Four Seasons Provence at Terre Blanche

AND on top of that – her birthday eve, lola will be pampered and treated like a princess at her ALL TIME FAVORITE – Villa Gallici in Aix en Provence.  it’s been 12 years but i’ve thought about you nearly daily Villa Gallici.  May you be as fabulous as when i last stayed with you…it is, after all – MY BIRTHDAY!

Villa Gallici Aix en Provence

je voyage beaucoup – France! au revoir until then

XO – lola

photo credits: Four Seasons Provence, Villa Gallici & molly b photography thank you for the LOLA cake!

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why i heart to pack

the boa is going international this week! look out France & Monaco!!

Française de Barbie

even though these destinations sound glitzy (and they are) i love to pack even if it’s just to go overnight to New Hampshire. a getaway is often an excuse to wear a fun outfit that isn’t a part of my everyday life. when i start to pack for my escape it affords me the opportunity to daydream about what i’ll be seeing, learning, eating, drinking, meeting, buying – you get the idea. to me, it’s a big part of the process of the actual vacation. i truly enjoy it!

i’m not quite sure what all i’ll be up to this getaway. there will be delicious meals and fantastic wines consumed, that’s for sure! AND lola definitely needs her own beret! do we think France & Monaco are ready for my cowboy boots, bikini, beret & boa?! i will be reporting back to let you know how lola was received & what was discovered.  in the meantime, back to packing…

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Filed under france, monaco, travel