Ciao!
Last September, we spent a wonderful weekend in Italy to celebrate Eric’s birthday 🎉.
We chose to discover the towns of Bordighera and Sanremo 🇮🇹, both of which can be reached in less than 2 hours from Vence or Tourrettes sur Loup.
Like the Côte d’Azur, September is a pleasant time to discover Italy. The weather is still good (although we were unlucky on Saturday) and, above all, the Italian coast is much less crowded than at the height of summer.
If you’re interested in this type of holiday, you’ll find our weekend itinerary below 😊 !
Friday, September 23 : Bordighera
We left in the afternoon and headed for the town of Bordighera.
ount on about 1h30 to reach the town of Bordighera from Vence or Tourrettes sur loup if you take the fastest option, i.e. the A8 freeway 🚗.
On the outward journey, we preferred to drive along the coast via the corniche, as this is a much more pleasant route for the eyes 👀. In this case, allow around 2 hours for the journey.
Bordighera is located in the Liguria region, just 20 kilometers from the French border. Here you’ll find long black beaches ⛱ as well as several small beachfront hotels (the road between the hotels and the beach is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists). Enough to ensure a pretty view when you wake up!
We stayed at the Hotel Parigi in Bordighera for 2 nights.
Hotel Parigi features 55 rooms with sea or hill views, a restaurant, a private beach as well as a fitness center and Spa. We found the hotel to be ideally located, as it enabled us to reach the city center on foot in just 10 minutes and take full advantage of the seaside 🌊.
On Friday evening, once we’d settled in at the Hotel Parigi, we went for dinner at the restaurant of one of the hotels next door: Le Piccolo Lido.
The food there was very simple, but I remember the Minestrone (traditional Italian soup) and pastas were good.
Saturday, September 24 : Bordighera in the rain
Rainy Saturday ☔️, happy Saturday 😃!
In any case, the rain didn’t dampen our spirits or our desire to make the most of Saturday.
By the time we arrived the day before, it was already dark and we hadn’t been able to take full advantage of the sea view.
So this morning, even if the sun wasn’t out, the view was worth a look 🙌.
Be aware that you can have breakfast delivered to your room 🥐 which is what we did once we woke up.
We then booked two massages 💆♀️ with the hotel Spa, an ideal program on a rainy day!
The massages were really pleasant and very professional 👌, I’d recommend them!
We then enjoyed a moment in the Spa’s private area 🧖♀️: jacuzzi, sauna, bucket shower…
In the late afternoon, we headed for the city center, joining the main street Vittorio Emanuele II.
After a few minutes’ walk, we settled into Buga Buga, located on the rather chic Corso Italia. The place is friendly lounge 😎 and lively. We had a drink 🥂 and a few antipasti.
Then we headed back to Via Vittorio Emanuele II to find a good pizzeria 🍕.
We had in mind to dine at Il Cappero, but no luck, the pizzaiolo was exceptionally absent that evening! So we fell back on another restaurant a few meters away: the pizzeria Napoletana. And it was very good 😉 !
Sunday, September 25 : Ciao Bordighera, off to Sanremo!
The sun is back ☀️!
The view from the room the day before was beautiful, but this Sunday it’s wow 🤩! We feel like we can dive into the sea from our balcony.
But now it’s time to collect our car and hit the road for Sanremo 🚗!
The town of Sanremo is really close to Bordighera, since in just 20 minutes we’re already there. Especially as we drive along the pretty Italian coast, time flies by.
Sanremo has a population of around 55,000, making it much larger than Bordighera (around 10,000).
The Italian town is famous for being the finishing point of the 🚴♂️ Milan-Sanremo cycle race every March, but not only that… Sanremo also has its own Italian music festival 🎶, organizes a car rally and calls itself the City of Flowers 🌸.
But back to the point!
We were staying at the magnificent Royal Hotel in Sanremo ❤️ for our last night in Italy.
The Royal Hotel is set in 16,000m2 of gardens and boasts a beautiful swimming pool overlooking the sea.
Within the hotel you’ll also find several chic restaurants 👨🍳, a snack bar by the pool, a private beach, a kids’ club, a Tennis course 🎾 as well as a wellness area and Spa.
While waiting to pick up our room, we headed for the port ⚓️ to find a restaurant for lunch.
The port and city center are quickly accessible on foot from the hotel, as it will take you around ten minutes to walk no more.
We followed the Royal Hotel’s advice and went for lunch at the trattoria Da Nicò, located on Piazza Bresca right next to the port.
We weren’t disappointed, this restaurant is more than friendly and the food is very good. Go there 😃 !
I remember we couldn’t wait to discover our room 😃, so we returned to the hotel to collect the keys and enjoy some sunshine on our terrace.
I highly recommend choosing a room with a balcony/terrace, you’ll be able to make the most of it in fine weather and the view is crazy 🌴!
Then it was back to strolling the streets of Sanremo in Dolce Vita mode: a romantic stroll ❤️, shopping 🛍 and delicious snacks 🍨!
Back at the hotel, we indulged in the hotel Spa. Here you’ll find a swimming pool, sensory showers 🚿 and a hammam . The place is as elegant as the rest of the hotel, so enjoy!
We were so comfortable in our pretty room at the Royal Hôtel that we preferred to stay there for the evening and order our dinner on room service 🍝.
Here again, the service is up to the standards of the establishment and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves 😋.
Monday September 26 : back to Tourrettes sur loup
It’s already time to head home!
But before we hit the road again, we enjoy an in-room ☕️ breakfast to prolong the pleasure 😊!
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go 👋… we get back to Tourrettes sur Loup in 1? hours by taking the A8 freeway, which is really fast!
How about a weekend in Italy 😊? What are your favorite Italian spots near Nice?
See you soon!
Julie
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