Cannes is a luxurious town in a part of France known not for budget travel but for opulence and elegance. So how do you experience this most famous of French Riviera towns on a budget?

It’s not easy but if you’re willing to be creative and work a little harder than the normal vacationer, it’s entirely possible to experience the luxury of Cannes for less! I spent several days this spring touring the city and I found out there is a way for almost anyone on any budget to enjoy themselves.

If you’ve come to Cannes for the fashion, you’ll want to start on Boulevard de la Croisette. Boutiques like Celine, which represent the very best of French fashion, will inspire and inform you as to what’s currently in style yet other high-end designer stores like Chanel, Hermes and Cartier will make your wallet groan. So, head instead to Sandro or Maje for chic French style at half the price tags found on Boulevard de la Croisette. There are even outlets and less expensive, but still luxurious, boutiques back on Rue d’Antibes, which runs parallel to Boulevard de la Croisette. For affordable, yet luxurious, men’s fashion seek out San Francisco.

Perfume is another draw for many shoppers in Cannes. Instead of buying the latest designer scent at an astronomical price, take a day trip to Grasse which won’t cost more than 12 euros on the train, and make your own customized scent in the same place the high end perfumeries take their inspiration and science from. The personal nature of making your own perfume there is most definitely a luxury that’s still accessible.

Also on Rue d’Antibes in Cannes are wholesale pharmacies where you can stock up on French skincare at prices significantly less than full retail. Sizes are the same, the brands are the same, there’s no sacrifice in luxury – only a less painful impact to your wallet!

It won’t take you long to notice Cannes is filled not just with luxury clothing but with luxury cars as well. If you want to fit in and drive such a car along the palm tree-lined boulevards, consider renting a convertible for just a day or a portion of your trip, instead of the entire length of your holiday. Plan accordingly so you can really show off the car while you do have it, and then spend the rest of your time walking Cannes or utilizing its inexpensive bus system to get around!

If you’re visiting Cannes to experience the great restaurants and culinary culture, there is a way to experience that almost painlessly as well. Most of the best restaurants in Cannes have lunch menus that feature lunch-sized pricing attached to food that is every bit as luxurious as that found in the evening menus, for less. Often lunch is even cooked by the same chefs and features the very same ingredients. For instance, a restaurant that in the evening would cost 80 euros total for just one person could be experienced during the lunch hour for less than 25 euros. Most restaurants feature a prixe fixe menu enabling the consumer to enjoy wine, a starter and a main entrée, all for one set price. Choose to then cook dinner at home in your HouseTrip apartment and you could cut your food expenses in half without sacrificing experience.

The number 200 bus departs regularly from Cannes and can be taken all the way to Monaco for only one euro. While Monaco is even less inclined to be ready for budget travelers than Cannes, a save in the transportation department means you can splurge a little once you do get to the city that is actually a country, made famous by Princess Grace and James Bond.

By renting a HouseTrip apartment and following even a few of these simple tips to experience the luxury of Cannes for less, you should be able to have an affordable dream holiday in one of the French Riviera’s most sought after destinations – even during the film festival!

There is something of the spaghetti Western about the Villas Salobre, Gran Canaria, with its parched landscape and baking, empty streets. But the only thing I’ll be going mano-a-mano with is an over-sized G&T at the clubhouse.

I love the Canary Islands. I never fail to be amazed that it only takes just over four hours from London for the plane to put you down, blinking in a year-round haze of brazen sunshine the like of which you ignorantly thought you had to suffer at least twice that for. Others may look down on them as brash and inauthentic, but I’m with Oscar Wilde when he said ‘Being natural is simply a pose, and the most irritating pose I know.’ I have done the authentic experience with HouseTrip before in Amsterdam and loved every minute of it. But authentic isn’t what Gran Canaria was made for. It’s for sun, sea and surfing your way to the nearest cocktail.

JF Marrero

In Gran Canaria, only the phoney feel the need to call themselves travellers and bother the indigenous people; those who by nature believe in keeping it real have no trouble at all being tourists and frequenting purpose-built resorts. The Salobre – with its two huge golf courses, umpteen swimming pools, and perfect villas with plunge pools – fits this description to a tee-off.

bortecristian

Only ten minutes in a taxi to Maspalomas promenade and the delightful inauthenticity continues. A girl croons New York, New York on the seafront. We go to a gorgeous Mexican & sushi restaurant. A white man sings the blues at The 19th Hole, a golf-themed bar, restaurant and shop where the waiters wear plus-fours and show you the menu on a tablet. The strange lunar sand dunes of Maspalomas are made of sand blown straight over from the Sahara. The Canaries are a mixed-up, shook-up shlock of the new, and I’ve never had a bad time there. I invariably stay in 5-star hotels and limp off the plane at Gatwick having lost much of my life-blood through over-generous tipping (a better rush than any drug, in my experience) so I was interested as to what the benefits of borrowing someone’s house would be.

It was very, very cheap, comparatively, which until recently I would have only used as a diss – but desperate times call for desperate economies, and when you could go on four of these trips for the price of one week in a 5-star sleep-factory, needs must. Another pleasing aspect was the privacy angle, which if you’re as keen on loud, sweary marital combat and equally vocal making up as I am is much nicer for the neighbours in a detached villa rather than a hotel room. Though I missed being on a beach, a shuttle bus left for a beach club on Maspalomas prom several times a day.

The week passed in a blur of blazing sunshine (while there was springtime snow at home), extreme drinking and aggressive splashing in the various pools and once more I left the Canaries keen to return ASAP. You can keep the authentic pleasures of Tuscany and Provence – I prefer my peasants wielding tequila guns and pirate hats.

The tumultuous and roiling Atlantic means that Cornwall has some of the best surf spots in Europe, so even if you aren’t much of a surf-dancer, Cornwall is a great spot to chill and soak up the laid-back surfer lifestyle.

Have a fantastic weekend whatever you do.

Kfein

miletbaker

Swiv

Stuart Madeley

R~P~M

jamesmellor

miletbaker

mike_pratt1957

Featured image by teosartori.

And there are many good reasons why; the small island with long, sunny summers and white sand beaches has more family fun potential per square mile than most entire islands. Read on for just the tip of the sand castle of what you and your family can do on the island of Majorca.

Palma de Mallorca

Vvillamon

The capital city of Majorca island and the surrounding Balearics has a reputation for being a haven for the rich and famous during summer months and along with the paparazzi, this has brought a certain class to this historic city. That’s not to say it’s not family friendly; because it is. From the miniature village museum of Poble Espanyol showcasing Spanish and Balearic architectural history, to the famous Palma Aquarium or the curious museum of antique dolls there is a wide variety of child-friendly activities. Depending on how much of a funny face your kids pull when you mention the word “Cathedral” see if you can head to the city’s cathedral to grab a quick glance at Gaudi’s Chapel and you can reward  (or bribe) your patient kids by then spending the afternoon at the beach which is only a ten minute walk away.

Theme and Adventure Parks 

Burkazoid

Love ‘em or hate ‘em amusement parks are a parent’s best friend on holidays for tiring out children and providing plenty of entertainment in one spot, albeit at a cost. You can afford to be picky in Majorca when it comes to choosing a theme park to suit your little ones. There’s the Amazen Laberintos theme park dedicated to mazes, the Jungle Park at Santa Posna, the upside down house and interactive rides at Katmandu Park in Magaluf and a trio of waterparks in Magaluf, S’Arenal and Port d’Alcudia. That’s not even mentioning the many adventure and nature parks dotted across the island. For something a little different head to the Ostrich Farm in Artestruz where you can get up close to these giant birds and even ride an ostrich if you’re feeling brave enough.

Trains and Trams

DanTheBeastMan

Over on the west side of Majorca is the peaceful countryside town of Sóller, an ideal location for a relaxing family holiday, though for kids the adventure will be getting there if you hop on a train from Palma. Zig-zagging across the island’s mountainous and exotic terrain, children of all ages will be fascinated by this journey in an early 20^th century train, which chugs through a tunnel in the mountains. Once in Sóller make another excursion – this time by tram – to reach the nearby coastal town of Port Sóller where there is a beach with child-friendly shallow waters and beautiful views of the Tramuntana Mountains across the horseshoe bay.

Food, glorious food!

Bill on Capitol Hill

While Majorcan families don’t eat until late at night, most places on the island are used to serving food earlier to small (and big) ones not used to waiting that long for their food. Local foods that you can see growing across Majorca and then enjoy on your plate include olives, almonds, oranges, lemons and wild mushrooms though we of course, recommend letting the professionals do the picking. Pork and fish are often the staples of meals and if you want to indulge hungry children with a local specialty maybe order Sobrassada, a Majorcan sausage, though we anticipate they’ll be more impressed by the sugary sweetness of bunyols, small doughnuts made from a potato batter and dipped in sugar.

And did we mention that summer has already well and truly begun over on the island of Majorca? With over 1000 holiday homes to rent easily and affordably, you should start to think about planning your family break there now.

Featured image by Luis Hernandez

But, much as we like a film set entirely on a circling plane waiting for a convenient ‘crash landing slot’ and featuring air stewards in body-con uniforms lip-synching disco anthems, we can’t deny feeling a little cheated by the notable lack of one essential in this latest Almodovar outing: Pedro, where’s Madrid?

dMad-Photo

The director may have been born in La Mancha and his home town, Calzada de Calatrava, is very proud of its famous son, but when it comes to making movies Pedro Almodovar is Madrileño to the core; he doesn’t do adoring, he doesn’t do postcard, he seldom does pretty but his take on Madrid is the city at its louche, sexy, seedy, enchanting and irresistible best.

We’ve no doubt Almodovar will be back filming in Spain’s capital very soon. In the meantime here are a few of his finest Madrid moments for you to enjoy. As the man says, ‘I like the idea of helping people to have fun.’

El Rastro Flea Market, Barrio de Ebajadores

orse

When 17 year old Pedro Almodovar first arrived in Madrid in 1967 he worked Sundays at El Rastro. 16 years later this huge flea market, one of the oldest and most famous in Europe, featured in the opening sequence of the young director’s first movie ‘Labarinto de Pasiones’ (1982). El Rastro is in the centre of Madrid and open from 9am to 3pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Get there about 10.30 for a browse around the 3500 stalls and shops and you’ll be ready for a tapas lunch in one of the local bars or cafés. Then spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on what you missed in the morning. Good for: young designers selling clothes, bags, shoes, jewellery; rare and collectable books; paintings, drawings and art supplies; and at Calle Mira el Sol, movie memorabilia – of course. Kids furiously trading cards and magazines is a not to be missed moment of young Madrileño passion.

Café del Circulo de Bella Artes, Calla Alcala 42

Victoria Abril and Peter Coyote sit surrounded by ludicrous Belle Epoque opulence, she looks gorgeously sinister and he muses on the ease of murder. The film is Almodovar’s ‘Kika’ (1993) and the opulence is courtesy of Café del Circulo de Bella Artes. As part of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the Café del Circulo is almost sacred in Madrid (the Academy’s former pupils include Picasso and Dali and the Café has an astonishing art collection spanning five centuries – yes, that Goya on the wall is authentic). This is a superbly decadent place to pay tribute to the lush, overblown, melodramatic darkness of Almodovar and it’s also excellent for breakfast – popular for Sunday lunch so get there early – and there is no shame whatsoever in taking a drink at the bar as early as 10am (you’re on Spanish time in Almodovar’s Madrid remember).

Plaza Mayor, Calle Mayor

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‘La Flor de mi Secreto’ (1995) involved quite a bit of dancing and while we couldn’t find the location for the pas de deux with Marisol Muriel and Joaquin ‘any old excuse to get my shirt off’ Cortés, we can point you to Plaza Mayor right in the centre of Madrid. Here, one of ‘La Flor de mi Secreto’s’ main characters dances alone in the early morning across the vast deserted square surrounded by upright bourgeois architecture. We’re thinking you won’t have Almodovar’s clout with the local council so you’ll have to brave some crowds but Plaza Mayor’s worth it for deep fried calamari sandwiches and cold cider.

Cine Doré, Calle Santa Isabel

.  SantiMB

Cine Doré is one of the unsung heroes of Almodovar’s disturbing and touching ‘Talk to Her’ (2002). In Madrid’s hectic but seductive Anton Martin District it’s a beautifully restored 1912 cinema showing up to four programmes a night for a few euros. Classics, foreign language (not Spanish), documentaries and indies show every evening except Monday. The cinema is also next door to the National Film Library and doubles as their screening room so little seen gems are not unusual.

Cementeria de la Almudena

dr_zoidberg

If you like a cemetery (Almodovar does) this is the largest one in Europe. Over 5 million souls rest in 120 acres under monuments ranging in style from Neo-Classical to typical Madrileñan. Don’t expect leafy and wistful like Highgate or parts of Montparnasse, this is a typically austere Spanish cemetery but fascinating all the same. Almudena makes brief appearances in quite a few Almodovar movies notably ‘Volver’ (2007) and ‘Carné Trémula’ (1997).

Lavapiés District (close to El Rastro)

Librarygroover

With its narrow winding streets and alleys, skinny buildings and endless balconies Lavapiés not only turns up regularly in Almodovar films it’s also one of our favourite places to stay in Madrid. Lavapiés was originally the city’s Moorish quarter, then mainly a working class district and now it’s Madrid’s centre for alternative, artistic, ethnic and 24/7 something going on somewhere.

Museo Chicote, Gran Via

Fernando Carmona Gonzalez

Not strictly a location in any Almodovar film (although the neon and traffic insanity of the Gran Via are writ large in ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ (1988)) Museo Chicote is a Madrid icon and has played host to the likes of Hemingway, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren et al in its time. Today it still attracts movie stars, Madrileño ‘it’ types and Pedro Almodovar. 1930’s decor, seriously good DJ’s after midnight and claims that over 100 of the world’s most famous cocktails were first mixed here.

Bocaito, Calle Libertad

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One of the best tapas bars in Madrid and a favourite haunt of Almodovar who’s quoted as saying, ‘Bocaito is the best anti-depressant ever’. Fantastic olives and jalapeno peppers are another good reason to go.

Madrid is all over almost all Almodovar’s movies and, while he’s had flirtations with the likes of Barcelona and Toledo and even Santiago de Compostela, it’s the capital he comes back to time and time again.

We’ve scratched the surface and given you a few ideas (we hope). But to be honest Madrid, like every great European city, makes you feel like you’re in a movie anyway. So our last word on the subject has to be: visit Madrid and make sure you’re as glorious as Penelope Cruz or as elegant as Antonio Banderas at all times and you’ll be just fine.

Los Amantes Pasajeros (I’m So Excited) opened in the UK on Friday 3^rd May 2013.

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