Report Serge Barret / Photos Alain Parinet
TO FIND OUT MORE
Region
Provence Côte d'Azur Events
3/5, rue Beauvau. 13 001 Marseille - Tel : 04 91 87 72 20 - Email : info@-provencecotedazurevents.com - Internet : www.provencecotedazurevents.com
Comité Régional du Tourisme Côte d'Azur
455, Promenade des Anglais - Bâtiment horizon. CS 53 126 - 06 203 Nice Cedex 3 - Tel : 04 93 37 78 78 - Email : info@cotedazurfrance.fr - Internet : www.cotedazurfrance.fr
Marseille
Metropolitan Tourist and Convention Bureau
11, La Canebière, CS 60 340 - 13 211 Marseille Cedex 01 - Phone : 0826 500 500 - Email : information@-marseille-tourisme.com - Internet : www.marseille-tourisme.com
Var
Var Tourism
1, bd de Strasbourg, BP 5147, 83 093 Toulon Cedex - Tel. 04 94 18 59 60 - Email : info@vartourisme.org - Internet : www.visitvar.fr
(Business tourism: www.visitvar.fr/fr/planifier/seminaires-et-incentives)
GETTING THERE
Marseille
Aircraft
Air France offers up to six flights a day on weekdays between Paris CDG and Marseille Provence. From Orly, the airline organises a Shuttle service to Marseille with 13 daily flights.
Tel: 3654 - Internet: www.airfrance.fr
Train
The SNCF operates between 16 and 18 direct services a day in just over three hours between Paris Gare de Lyon and Marseille Saint-Charles.
Internet: www.oui.sncf
Toulon/Hyères
Aircraft
Air France operates six daily flights from Paris Orly to Toulon, each lasting 1? hours, as well as one daily flight from Roissy. The port from which the boats leave for Porquerolles is around fifteen minutes away. For business groups, there is a "tarmac" welcome at the airport, with two meeting rooms available.
from 18 to 60 people.
Tel.: 04 94 00 84 07 (sales department) - Internet : www.toulon-hyeres.aeroport.fr
Train
The SNCF serves Toulon from Gare de Lyon in Paris with eight high-speed InOUI trains a day, giving a journey time of nearly four hours.
Internet: www.oui.sncf
Cannes
Aircraft
Air France operates up to eight flights a day on weekdays between Paris CDG and Nice, just a thirty-minute drive from Cannes. From Orly, the airline offers even more, with up to 17 daily flights.
Tel: 3654 - Internet: www.airfrance.fr
Train
The SNCF is running eight InOUI high-speed trains a day between Paris Gare de Lyon and Cannes, with a journey time of 5 hours 26 minutes.
Internet: www.oui.sncf
MARSEILLE
HOTELS
Hôtel La Résidence du Vieux-Port
Its strong point is its location, directly on the quayside of the Old Port. And on the right side of things, as the balconies of the rooms have a direct view of Notre-Dame de La Garde. In the lights of the night, over the forest of pleasure boat masts, the show is exceptional. For the rest, the hotel is unpretentious, with a warm welcome and service, all in an almost totally 50s décor. Colour, lots of colour, and in the entrance hall, a gigantic tapestry by Jean Luçat. 50 rooms, restaurant, bar, cocktail lounge, meeting room.
18, quai du port. 13 002 Marseille - Tel : 04 91 91 91 22 - Email :
info@hrvpm.com - Internet : www.hotel-residence-marseille.com
Radisson Blu
Absolute modernity on the legendary Old Port of France's oldest city. Right next door to two institutions of their own kind, the Théâtre de la Criée and the Bar de la Marine. The result is a totally open space, with a bar practically in the centre of the restaurant, wood mixed with earthenware tiles, duck-blue banquettes and pale yellow armchairs. A contemporary world with its terrace on the quayside. Access to the upper floors is enhanced by a gigantic bay window running the full height of the two floors, behind which the moored dinghies laze. The whole is airy and bright, especially on the first level, which not only has a sunny patio, but also a swimming pool and even a petanque area. 189 rooms, some with breathtaking views of the Old Port, a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, fitness centre and 12 meeting rooms.
38-40, quai de Rive Neuve, Vieux-Port. 13 007 Marseille - Tel : 04 88 44 52 00 Email : reception.marseille@radissonblu.com - Internet: www.radissonblu.com
Les Bords de Mer
Just 400 metres from the Palais du Pharo, Les Bords de Mer - aptly named - overlooks the Mediterranean and promises dazzling sunsets when the weather is fine, which is almost all the time. The backdrop is the Frioul islands and the Château d'If. Much more than a renovation, the hotel, which succeeds a Marseilles institution, the Hôtel Richelieu and the Eden Roc restaurant, has been totally reconceptualised. Unfortunately, its 19 rooms, all overlooking the sea, cannot accommodate large groups, who can console themselves with a cocktail party overlooking the rooftop. The hotel, which opened in December 2018, belongs to the "Le Domaine de Fontenille" group. Restaurant, beach café, spa and small rooftop pool.
52, Corniche Président JF Kennedy. 13 007 Marseille - Tel : 04 13 94 34 00 - Email : direction@lesbordsdemer.com - Internet : www.lesbordsdemer.com
RESTAURANTS
Les Halles de la Major
The concept is fantastic: specialist stalls - fish, shellfish, meat, wine, greengrocer, etc. - spread out over the ground floor of a former warehouse. A taste of the market of yesteryear, with each counter offering plates of specialities prepared in front of the customer. You can choose what you like and sit down at a table either on the ground floor or the first floor, or even on the terrace in fine weather. It's unquestionably one of the hippest places in the new Marseille, near the Mucem district. This innovative restaurant can also be privatised, making it perfectly suited to business tourism.
12, quai de la Tourette. 13 002 Marseille Tel : 04 91 45 80 10 - Email : hello@leshallesdelamajor.com - Internet : www.leshallesdelamajor.com
Chez Madie - Les Galinettes
Madie's is no pushover... just lunch and dinner. à la bonne franquetteThe restaurant's specialities include offal, sweetbreads and other kinds of feet and packages. Lovers of fish prepared in the Provençal style will be delighted by the freshly caught red mullet, scorpion fish, Saint-Pierre and white fish. It's delicious, and the terrace on the quayside of the Vieux-Port makes it easy to immerse yourself in a typically Marseillaise atmosphere.
138, quai du port. 13 002 Marseille. Tel: 04 91 90 40 87 - Email:
restaurant@madielesgalinettes.com
Miramar
Bouillabaisse, bouillabaisse and more bouillabaissewhich this gourmet restaurant specialises in. If any guarantees of excellence were needed, the chef, Christian Buffa, is a founding member of the Bouillabaisse Charter. The only downside - but is it really a downside? -is that the portions are absolutely gigantic, not to mention the croutons, topped with as much rouille as you like. The chef also runs cookery classes in partnership with the tourist office.
12, quai du port. 13 002 Marseille - Tel : 04 91 91 41 09 - Email : contact@bouillabaisse.com
PRIVATE AREAS
Casa Delauze
It couldn't be more hidden, since Casa Delauze is located at the end of the Old Port, on the Quai de Rive Neuve side, just below the ramparts of Fort Saint-Nicolas. On one side, a bend gives access to the harbour basins and on the other - on the street side - a high palisade with a luxuriant park below. At the centre of it all, a sublime house on stilts designed by Henri-Germain Delauze, an adventurer, treasure hunter and oceanographer who was at one time a companion of Cousteau, and later the founding president of COMEX. This house was clearly influenced by his wife, who was of Asian descent, so much so that the U-shaped, single-storey layout is inspired by Far Eastern aesthetics. Terraces, wooden walls completely open onto a swimming pool transformed into a mega Koi carp pond, plus a cartoon scuba diver, a garden that smells of the Mediterranean, gigantic spaces, travel souvenirs scattered everywhere... The whole place can be made private from 20 to 700 people, for seated dinners or cocktail receptions. A truly exceptional venue.
Protocole Agency. 26, bd Bensa, 13 007 Marseille - Phone : 06 19 44 10 94 - Email : thalie.testot-ferry@protocole-agency.com - Internet : protocol-agency.com
Fortin de Corbières
First, there's the view. Sublime, overlooking the entire bay of Marseille. Then there's the building, a fort built in the 19th century.e century to control the movements of merchant ships. Finally, there's the design of the venue: elegant, spacious and perfectly thought out. to host special eventsThe hotel offers a wide range of activities, including business events such as seminars and product launches, as well as popular summer evenings by the pool. From the Old Port, it can be reached by road, but also, and above all, by taxi boat to nearby Estaque. It's the perfect place for a mini cruise.
Quai de la Lave, route du Rove. 13 006 Marseille - Tel: 06 27 53 65 60 -
Email : contact@marqueteamevents.com - Internet : www.fortindecorbieres.com
Degaby Island
Just 250 metres from the shore, Ile Degaby has been part of the Marseilles landscape since the early 18th century.e century. However, what we see today is the happy result of an overhaul in the 19th century.e century of the building that occupies almost the entirety of the tiny island. A perfect setting for an incentive operation in the spirit of Fort Boyard. Buffet lunch or seated lunch for 170 people, 300 people for cocktails.
André Gay. Tel: 06 72 53 28 15 - Email: iledegaby@live.fr - Internet : www.iledegaby.com
WATER TAXIS AND NAUTICAL ACTIVITIES
Localanque
More than just a water taxi service, professional skipper Yannick Long offers excursions and water sports activities departing from the Old Port. Discover the calanques in a RIB boat, visit the harbours and wild creeks, enjoy an aperitif on one of Marseille's typical pointus boats, private evenings at the Château d'If, shuttle buses to the Mucem, a historical tour of the Old Port, a traditional fishing trip, treasure hunts and team-building activities. Up to six semi-rigid boats, each six to eight metres long and holding 10 people.
22, rue de la loge. 13 002 Marseille - Tel : 06 10 11 43 58 - Email : contact@localanque.com - Internet : www.localanque.com
EMBIEZ ISLAND
Accommodation
As we know, Paul Ricard thought big. Including for his personal needs and his hotel projects, aimed at both individuals and groups of business tourists. So it was that in 1958, he bought the island of Les Embiez outright - 95 hectares and a 12-minute crossing from the small port of Le Brusc - to build his house, which was quickly followed by a hotel complex. The result today is a vast estate, almost a village, made up of four different, highly distinctive districts. Firstly, the Hôtel Hélios, right on the harbour. A classic four-star hotel with 61 recently renovated rooms, all with sea views. Then there are the flats, with 150 very functional units, each sleeping between two and eight people. Next is the Customs House, a listed building dating from the eighteenth century.e century, offering eight different types of accommodation. And last but not least, the Mas des Romarins, a genuine Provencal house that can be privatised and is perfectly suited to special events such as product presentations. For meetings, with 15 rooms for 60 to 750 peopleAll are fully equipped and open to the outside world, so you're spoilt for choice. Bars, foodtrucks and four restaurants, including the recently renovated Sarti. There are plenty of activities available on the island, including eight tennis courts, a petanque pitch, a guided tour of the island on a mini-train, mountain biking, treasure hunts and canoeing...
Île des Embiez. 83 140 Six-Fours-les-Plages - Tel. 04 94 10 66 66 - Email : service.commercial@ilespaulricard.com - Internet : www.lesilespaulricard.com/seminaire-evenement/
RECEPTIONS AND EVENTS
Sodalis (South-East branch)
14, impasse de la Figuière. 83 210 La Farlède - Tel: 04 89 79 45 32 -
Email : contact@sodalisevenement.com - Internet : www.sodalisevenement.com
L'échappée Bleue Events
560, Impasse de la Grande Cabane. 83 160 La-Valette-du-Var - Tel. 04 94 20 63 46 - Email : eb@tourisme.com - Internet : www.ebtourisme.com
PORQUEROLLES
HOTEL
Les Medes
The hotel is charming, with a hint of holiday spirit no doubt due to the marine world hanging on the walls of its lounge-lobby, driftwood and ceramics of marine animals, all set against a backdrop of subdued colours, blues and woods greyed by the sea. Les Medes is just like Porquerolles, absolute calm. The 50 rooms are not huge, but apart from the sea, is there anything huge about this island of paradise? Some overlook a garden enchanted by the gurgling of an artificial waterfall. Situated in the heart of the village of Porquerolles, just a few steps from the port and not far from La Courtade beach, the hotel offers two flexible meeting rooms for up to 100 people.
2, rue de la douane. Île de Porquerolles. 83 400 Hyères - Tel: 04 94 12 41 24 Email : hotel@lesmedes.fr - Internet : www.hotel-les-medes.fr
RESTAURANT
Le Porquerollais
This is one of the institutions in the village, a must, especially as it is magnificently situated under the eucalyptus trees in the Place d'Armes. Wicker armchairs, white tablecloths and a very warm welcome. On the plates: all - or almost all - the freshly caught fish of the Mediterranean.
7, place d'Armes. 83 400 Porquerolles. Tel: 04 94 12 32 70 - Email:
contact@auporquerollais@gmail.com - Internet : www.auporquerollais.com
WATER TAXIS AND NAUTICAL ACTIVITIES
Espace Mer
Taxi boats, of course, but also sea walks and cruises on the Brigantin, a 19-metre former tuna sailing boat. Kayak, paddle, scuba diving, snorkelling.
Tel: 04 94 58 94 94 and 06 71 73 28 91 - Email : info@espacemer.fr -
Internet : www.espacemer.fr
CANNES
HOTEL
Radisson Blu 1835
First, there's the Croisette; the Croisette and the Radisson Blu at the far end. Then there's the port; the port, its yachts and the hotel practically on its quays, a seven-minute walk from the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. And finally, there's the quality - a quality guaranteed by the brand, and which is here to stay. sublimatedIn the lobby, in particular, you'll find some slightly eccentric designer furniture. The armchairs, for example, are fully upholstered. As for the rest, it's all in keeping with the theme: gigantic sofas, a profusion of coffee tables arranged like flying saucers, designer chandeliers and lampshades in beiges and soft purples, as chic as they are relaxing. The rooftop terrace is breathtaking, with an uninterrupted view of the city and its famous bay. The same goes for the restaurant, also located at the top of the building. Both can be hired for lunches, dinners and cocktails. The spirit of Cannes in all its splendour. 134 rooms and suites, spa, five meeting rooms.
2, boulevard Jean Hibert. 06 414 Cannes Cedex - Tel. 04 92 99 73 00 - France
Email : info.cannes@radissonblu.com - Internet: radissonblu.com
WATER TAXIS AND NAUTICAL ACTIVITIES
Black Tenders Events
A breathtaking experience on a semi-rigid boat, which seats its passengers in single file on a sort of long pommel horse fitted with handholds. Perfect for corporate events. Six boats, each able to carry a dozen people.
9 025, boulevard du Bon Puits. 06 210 Mandelieu La Napoule - Tel. 06 30 83 88 72 - Email : emilie@blacktenders.fr - Internet : www.blacktenders.fr
PRACTICAL GUIDES
Petit Fûté, Geoguide, Lonely Planet, Le Routard Côte d'Azur.
