Davina's Holiday Memories • 13/09/2011

Every summer for the last 12 years we spend three glorious weeks in the south of France. I think this is where the rumour started that I live in France....but just for the record...I don’t! Apart from being the most phenomenal wind down, it feels a bit like going home.

Having spent a lot of time in France visiting my mother when I was a child it's a comfy glove that fits and Matthew always jokes that I become French the instant I step off the plane.... which I do...Shades on, scarf on, attitude on....love it.

I genuinely adore France. I love the culture, the style....and I really really LOVE the language.

Rowing in French even sounds sexy...it's so expressive and passionate....I speak it and it's important for us that our kids grow up speaking it too.

Six years ago we were lucky enough to be able to buy a house in St Tropez and we go there whenever we can. I've got to know it pretty well over the years and I wanted to tell you about it because it’s pretty crazy!

St Tropez out of season is HEAVEN!!! A beautiful coastal village, not too busy with some GREAT restaurants. At Christmas, the central square "place des Lices" has its car park turned into an ice rink and the square is festooned with Christmas trees covered in fake snow, there are fairy lights everywhere and a little train takes families for a free trip round the town. On Christmas Eve Santa arrives on a speedboat/iceberg into the harbour to rousing music that always makes me cry and makes a lovely speech to the kids and they all stand there marvelling at how clever Santa is for speaking so many different languages!

Now... St Tropez Loves a fireworks display. They have them Xmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Bastille day, my birthday....ok that last one was a lie but these fireworks display are regular and LAVISH!!!

I suppose as a village they must be LOADED because the port alone must bring in squillions so they can afford a display that makes every public holiday feel like the millennium. The port in St Tropez is nothing short of obscene. It’s a tiny port, quintessentially French with lots of cafes looking out to the boats. But in high summer...the boats are SO big.... it’s like an eclipse.....they LOOM.... luxuriously.

All the tourists come to the harbour to look at the boats and the people that rent/own the boats come to the harbour to be looked at. It’s the strangest thing, Watching people on a boat have dinner....watching you...

Why would you do that? Have dinner with 30 people staring at you?

This year I had an urge to go out clubbing... I live for music and when I need to dance...I NEEEEEEEED to dance so I suggested to our mates holidaying with us that we go to Les Caves. This club is the stuff of legend. Brigitte Bardot used to go there, it is THE club to go to in St Tropez but the shocker was that in all the time Matthew and I had been going to the south of France we had never been there. The last time I had gone there I was 18 and a lunatic!

Dancing on tables...leaving at 6. I had very fond but fuzzy memories of it and was determined to go back...but how were we going to get in? 

There were 8 of us...all over 40...not a great sell. So, we decide to go to the bar beforehand upstairs for a drink and see if we could slide in that way....The bar was fascinating. It was full of 18 year old girls having a brilliant time with a bunch of middle aged clearly loaded men..

Fascinating but...a bit ....grubby? These girls were STUNNING....I mean ridiculously so. They could all be models and they were all wearing the same thing. Not much. Their skirts were ridiculously short but to be honest if I had long legs like they did (they seriously went on for miles) I would also only go out in wide belts...

I needed to get on the dance floor so we went downstairs...I don’t know how we managed it but we got in...and headed to the bar...how about a table we asked?

They had tiny tables by the dance floor that you can buy the right to sit at. With this purchase you got a bottle of grey goose a couple of bottles of champagne and as many free mixers as you liked...sounded good..."How much?"

That'll be 10,000 Euros.

TEN THOUSAND EUROS......

TEN         THOUSAND           EUROS      !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It made me want to leave straight away....10,000 Euros??? And PEOPLE PAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhow, we got a round in at the bar.. my coca-cola was 15euros...I just wanted to have my dance and go....

Then....as if by magic..a proper tyooooooooooooooon came on and I thought let go of all your anger at this silly place and find a podium pronto....

So, Georgie and I clambered up onto the nearest podium and danced our little hearts out....doing it for the over 40's....(thank god my kids couldn't see they would have DIED of embarrassment) Feeling satiated... I was ready to leave...I left the others there having a brilliant time...and drove home. The good thing about not drinking is that you always know when it's time to leave...

And judging by the hangover Matthew had the next day I think he wished he'd left with me...bless.

A fun night...yes...but will I ever go back....no.

St Tropez is the playground of the rich and famous but if you look hard enough you can find real beauty spots hidden away. We found a practically deserted beach this summer...a little walk but so worth it. It had lovely clean water...a little seaweed but not a problem...It was just around from Pamplonne. Pampelonne is the most famous beach, with all the glitzy restaurants, but the problem there is all the obscene boats come down and the water get horribly polluted. St Tropez is falling victim to its own popularity. Still brilliant, still fun but in danger of burning out I fear...

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