Nice

Wander around old town's narrow cobbled streets: despite it being Sunday many shops open, althought as with Villefranche many small one-owner businesses appear to have closed since we were last here. The atmosphere is gently buzzy - young people with lots of shopping; old people enjoying being out: elderly men chasing onerous small coffees, their younger counterparts putting the world to rights over long beers; gaggles of young girls, all short skirts, long golden legs and laughter.

Down at the seafront -Promenade Anglaise we stop for coffee, sitting outside one of the many, indistinguishable cages that line the pavement.

Later we eat at Restaurant Franchin on rue Masseney, a stones throw, around a few corners and down a few streets from the Hotel Windsor. Restaurant has an atmosphere of elegant art deco, those wonderful old tiles on floor, series of posters lining the walls, amazing wrought-iron entrance porch and corniche'd ceiling . It is run by the indominatable Madame Florence. A dynamo of energy with a 'Chanel' bob, a bright smile and who operates as a tornado of perfection. We eat: husband: onion soup, Crevettes of prawns and monkfish and glass of house White, finishing with an espresso; I've fish soup - love mustard mayonnaise and grated Parmesan that is part of this soup, Crevettes too,carafe water and green tea. Bill: €89.70 - no service charge.

Anyone who loves shops should visit Galeries Lafayette on avenue Jean Medecin - four floors of clothing for men, women and children, as well as a wonderful household section, and a restaurant which is bright, airy and spacious and serves the best lunch in Nice. Sample the salmon and spinach quiche and I guarantee you won't taste better.

If you like Italian food, La Baie d'Amalfi on rue Deloye serves the best.  It's decor is pleasingly golden, the service friendly. We had Taglioni Rocher and Spaghettata Pecher with a green salad, as well as one extraordinarily pleasant coupe.

Villefranche-Sur-Mer

We spent a week in Villefranche on the Riviera last year, and liked it and our hotel so much that we returned again, and found the experience even more enjoyable second time around.

The family-run Hotel Versailles, is just a few hundred yards down a hill to the town. It has a bus stop outside - the number 100 runs every 15 minutes to and from Nice and the number 81 cuts into the hinterland - it seems you can go up and down the glorious Cote for €1 a time.

The Hotel Versailles is cut into the cliff face with reception and dining area, as well as bedrooms looking out to the constantly azure bay. We opted for the same room again: number 104 is large, wooden floored with a huge bed and all mod cons. It's expensive but after finishing the first draft of my latest book, it was a glorious and much appreciated luxury.

We woke each morning to a streaky pink sunrise, and wondering if a cruise boat had arrived during the night. This year there were only two during our 6-day stay. Last year there was at least one a day, sometimes three. It'a subtle sign of the recessionary times, as were the number of the small shops in teh town that had ceased trading or were opening for reduced hours.

We breakfasted in hotel - vista across bay is gorgeous as are local cheeses, seasonal fruit - totally divine peaches, nectarines and melons. As we were slap in the middle of a heat wave we spent time at the pool as well as wandering and climbing the narrow streets, which date back to the 14th century when it was peopled by pirates and desired by kings. Once of the sights is the Chapelle de Saint Pierre, once a store for fishermen's nets but since being decorated with ghotly biblical scenes by Jean Cocteau in the 1950s is now a tourist attraction.

If you're wandering around the town a good buy is cotton - shirts, dresses, shorts and trousers in the finest of fine Egyptian cotton. Top quality cotton shirts cost around €49. Markets are held regularly - the market up the town concentrates on foodstuffs: local cheeses, fruit, herbs, breads, whereas the market around the harbour is aimed at capturing the lucrative cruise-ship market, and sells loads of inexpensive but attractive jewelery; leather goods, and general bric-a-brac, but of particular note are the wonderful cotton bags, designed and made by the stall owner who employs 3 people.

The culinary delights of harbour eating lured us each evening, despite the menu up town being considerably cheaper. We watched the sunset change from golden to rose and then streaked violet as we ordered and ate in the warm dusk, watching the ribs ferry in passengers from the privately owned cruisers that anchored a little way out. The girls, all golden and long-limbed put on their heels as they left their little boats.

The tables line the water's edge and each restaurant has its own colour-schemed theme. Travestere serves a bit of everything from fish to pizza but its speciality is a particularly delightful main of veal with creamed mushrooms, as well as pleasant service and good local wines and cheeses.

Commanding an excellent spot on the quay of Villefranche since 1938, la Mère Germaine is part of the fabric of the port The restaurant is haunt of celebrities who roll up in Rolls Royces, Porsches and Lamborginis or are ferried in from their cruisers by the restaurant motor boat. The night we were there a large party dominated with laughter and comraderie, not to mention their unusual taste in dress - trilby hats and tweed capes in the sweltering heat. They departed in two chauffeur-driven Bentleys after being kissed on both cheeks by Monsieur Halap, grandson of Germaine Halap, founder. We chose the set menu at €42 a head: crab cakes/fish soup to start; we both had prawn curry - the best we've ever eaten and finished off with trio of creme brules in coffee, chocolate and natural flavours. Excellent from start to finish.

Les Corsaires, a few steps from the Welcome Hotel, the hotel frequentd by Jean Cocteau, was our only culinary disappointment. The food and service left a lot to be desired: the duck was half raw, although 'well done' was requested; the soup was cold and the service not only abomable but bordering on rudeness.

Nice: Hotel Windsor

Arrived in Nice is afternoon primarily transported by the number 81 bus which on Sundays runs hourly along the Cote coastline - during the week it's half-hourly. For a fare of €1 each we landed in centre Nice, took tram for 2stops (€1 each). Got off at Massena, walked the 10 minutes to Hotel Windsor, sited on the gloriously named rue Dalpozzo.

It should be noted that last year as we were not familiar with efficiency of Cote transport we paid a taxi fare of €60+ for same journey.

We've stayed in the Windsor on many occasions. It's well located in the cobble-streeted old town, and is an architectural gem with wonderful stucco work and a tree-filled garden.

The hotel is run by the Redolfis family, all six play prominent roles ensuring guests comfort. We love it's zany, creative ambiance from lobby and bar artwork and daft slogans: 'Art is Alone', 'Sale Egoiste', 'The Importance of No Importance' and 'Pour au Contraire' to mention but a few, and which are for sale - to the mirrored lift with it's angel riding on a rocket and spookily voiced countdown from 8 to 0 and promise of 'lift-off' on upwards journey - downwards is blessedly silent! As well as individually named themed rooms.

We're on the second floor in Vecchio with Venetian mural in shades of eau de nil, corner jaccuzzi and long, shuttered window looking out over gardens with lemon trees, aviary, swimming pool and sun loungers where breakfast is served. The hotel breakfast has little to recommend it: the fruit is past sell-by, not to mention eat by-date; the bacon, sausages and scrambled egg cold and unattractive, bread of poor quality and not a croissant in sight, and as for the coffee!! We discovered a small bakery down the street where the croissants are fresh and warm and the coffee nectar-like.