Five Star Wine Tour

It's been a while since I've done a Five Star Wine tour and as dining in a Michelin Star restaurant is on the itinerary, I had to check to see what restaurants in the Pyrenees Orientales were awarded this coveted prize in 2009.

After a little bit of research, I discovered there are 5 Michelin star restaurants in our area :

Pascal Borrell in Maury
La Galinette in Perpignan
Parc Hôtel in Perpignan
L’Ile de la Lagune - Saint Cyprien
Le Relais des Trois Mas - Collioure

Collioure and Saint Cyprien both have very pleasant views and are by the coast so it will be a toss up between these two for our tour of 8 yanks visiting from NY City.

So! What makes a Michelin Restaurant so special? According to the guidelines in the Michelin guide it's a combination of :

The quality of the products
The mastery of flavor and cooking
The "personality" of the cuisine
The value for the money
The consistency between visits

Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants offering the finest cooking, regardless of cuisine style. Stars represent only what is on the plate. They do not take into consideration interior decoration, service quality or table settings.

Yum, getting hungry and it's only 10am ! Will report back anon ...

These boots were made for walking..

And that's just what they'll do
And one of these days
These boots will climb the Canigou!

After living here for over 7 years and admiring the pic de Canigou every day, I am finally going to climb to the summit with a group of friends on 3rd July of this year.
The Canigou, one of the highest peaks in the Pyrenees, is a sacred place, revered by the locals and can be seen as far as Marseilles and all the way down past Barcelona in Spain.
The Canigou stands at an impressive 2,784 metres. Carrauntoohil, Irelands highest peak is at 1014 metres and Scaffel Pike is only a mere 978 metres , to put it into perspective.
So, I've taken the first step (pardon the pun) and I've bought a proper pair of hiking boots. I've got 5 weeks to prepare for the hike , and weather permitting, we will be planting our Irish flag at the summit of Canigou on 3rd July!

Also, this week, along with a qualified and highly experienced local guide, we are introducing walking tours into our portfolio of tailor made tours that we offer. The area is perfect for walking enthusiasts, with the rolling Roussillon plains, the challenging mountains and the stunning scenery on the Cote Vermeille.

Check out our tours on www.thefrenchtourco.com for the inside track

Sophisticated Hen Party in Perpignan

While the stylish Festival of Cannes takes place just down the road from us on the Cote D'Azur, we have been rolling out the red carpet for a few classy chicks for a sophisticated hen party in Perpignan.

The English bride to be is a mature lady, marrying for the first time and while she wanted to celebrate "l'enterrement de vie de jeune fille"( catchy, eh?), she really didn't want the usual fake boobs and willies in a nightclub scene.

The 8 ladies , ranging from 30 to 55 were here for 3 days and we really celebrated in style.
We started off their trip with a visit to a local spa where they totally unwound, relaxed and pampered themselves - they loved it so much that they decided to start every day with the same treatment!!! This superbe spa is on the outskirts of Perpignan and with blue skies and views of the snow capped mountains and it's no children policy, the ladies were in heaven!

We also enjoyed a Red Beret Wine Tour, ate in suberbe restaurants with sea views, did some rambling on the Cote Vermeille, visited an oyster farm and tasted the goodies and soaked up the atmosphere in wonderful Collioure.
The only prob now is that the bride to be wants to change her wedding and get married here !!! Think there could be a new business in that : wedding planner!!

Best of luck with the upcoming nuptials from all the team at The French Tour co xxx

Happy Hippy Kids in France

What a wonderful time of the year it is here in the Roussillon - the countryside is blooming , the temps have not yet reached feverish proportions, the beaches are uncrowded and the traffic flows freely.
Ahhhh, heaven.

We've had a good few enquiries from clients who are interested in things to do for their kids while they holiday here, so much so , that we are going to put a "kiddies tour" on our website.
With two little rascals eager to test them out, we'll have fun doing the research!

Watch this space!

Senior tour

I've just spent a lovely week with a group from a small town called Crewe, East Chesire in England. The group , who were all in their mid to lates sixties, were here for a week and staying in Perpignan.

Their hotel, whilst in the city centre, is on the outskirts of the town , and they were a little bit stranded, so every morning, I would call and collect them to whisk them off for a guided tour.

It was quite a challenging program for me to organise, as a) they couldn't walk very far and b) they weren't interested in wine, walking, adventure tours, spas, mountains, art, shopping and all the usual tours I run.

So! with that in mind, on day one, we visited Carcassonne , a medieval fortified town, steeped in history , which is about an hours drive from here. They enjoyed the visit, and meandered around the cobblestoned pedestrian streets and found some nice little bars to hang out in.

Day two : we headed off to Villefranche sur Conflent, another fortified town and very interesting to visit. From there, I put them on the yellow train and collected them on the otherside for their journey back to Perpignan

Day three : We visited Banyuls sur Mer for the Sunday morning market, tasted some of the beers in the "tour de monde" bar which has 80 different beers for you to taste and had lunch beachside in Canet

Our next day, we took in an amazing coastal tour, starting at Cap Bear, through to Port Vendres, Collioure, St Cyprien and ending in the Casino in Barcares.
They have a free day today and then will be heading back to their home in Crewe after a very enjoyable and relaxing stress free stay in the Sunny South.

Contact us for a tailor made tour, whatever the age group, we will organise a tour for you to remember..

Sexing the Cherry

Are cherries the sexiest fruit on the planet?

Our neighbours called in last night with a humongeous bag of red cherries which were devoured by my two little rascals in rapid quick fire time.
The generous neighbours picked their crop from their own garden and had too many for themselves ...
Cherry season has officially begun!
The cherries will be in all the shops soon and of course, the cherry festivals will commence ; the biggest one is on in Ceret 'La Fête de La Cerise' on 23 and 24 May.

Don't just go on holiday , have an experience of a lifetime!

Contact us for the local inside track:
www.thefrenchtourco.com

Beaches in Perpignan

Summer has arrived and the countryside in the deep South of France has never looked so beautiful, with dancing red poppies lining the roads and the coutryside awash with glorious colourful flowers.

The mercury hit 28 degrees here last Wednesday ( no school for the little ones on Wednesdays) so we hit the beach. The closest beach to where we live is Canet , a perfect sandy safe beach for children. The kids had a ball, diving and splashing in the warm med ( 22 degrees already) and there was a carnaval atmosphere with all the children enjoying the first 'plouf' of the season.

For the older kids , the beach clubs are all opening soon. This is where it all happens in the summer time and they are the places to be seen. Some of them are already open like La Perla in Le Barcares, le Ludo Bulle and Les Voiles Blanches in Canet Plage. Others like L'Ovalie Beach in Toreilles, La Casta in St Cyp and Le Temple Beach in Saint Cyprien will be opening in the next few weeks.
Time to defuzz the legs and start doing those sit ups!!!!

The region has so much to offer in the way of diverse beaches, with the long sandy beaches of the North to the rocky inlets of the Cote Vermeille ~ there is something for everyone with safe kiddies beaches, good snorkelling and kayaking waters and stunning seaside walks.

Contact us for more details on our coastal tours:

http://www.thefrenchtourco.com/coastal_tour.html