My 8 Favorite Experiences Small-Ship Cruising Off The Coast Of France

The French Riviera in summertime delivers a dreamy, passionate string of uninterrupted times stuffed with blue skies and mid-80s temps. When the sun sets, the skies acquire on shades of pink and purple in advance of yielding to starry nights and warm gentle breezes. 

This idyllic location is why tourists flock to the south of France, and we’re enthralled, far too, as we sit on a teak deck beneath the billowing sails of Star Clipper, our four-masted sailing ship. Star Clipper is a a few-ship boutique cruise line that sails all about the environment on Star Clipper (170 passengers), Royal Clipper (227 travellers), and Star Flyer (also 170 passengers). 

This is small-ship cruising at its best. When Star Clipper carries up to 170 company, we’re sailing with just 122 throughout our weeklong journey. This gorgeous ship feels like a new residence, our non-public yacht for the 7 days as we make new friendships and a great number of memories. 

It is intimate. It is romantic. It is a carefree way to enjoy your vacation. 

Star Clipper features a method that matches vacationers who take pleasure in solutions but are not too thrilled about pursuing a rigid schedule. This is your cruise to get pleasure from your working day, your way. 

Our fellow passengers came from a variety of locations, with American and British passengers trailing in figures powering the French and Germans. It’s a pleasant blend that provides rather the international flavor. 

Browse on to understand what we cherished about little-ship cruising off the coastline of France. 

1. Blissing Out On Seaside Days 

Star Clipper stopped in a port each working day on our spherical-trip voyage from Cannes, and at every location, cruisers experienced the choice of hitting the beach for some swimming, sun worshipping, snorkeling, or having fun with a range of water sports activities. 

The ship visited Portofino, Italy. Then, L’Ile Rousse, Calvi, and Plage Saint Antoine, Corsica, as effectively as Cavalaire sur Mer and Saint Tropez. We wandered the marina and followed the shoreline to find wonderful seashore places at L’Ile Rousse and Calvi. 

Right after time swimming and snorkeling in the blazing scorching situations, we uncovered relief at a beachside tavern on L’Ile Rousse with chilly beer. The days at Plage Saint Antoine and Cavalaire Sur Mer were also made all over acquiring ashore for time at a seaside — or your possess leisure in close proximity to the marina at Cavalaire Sur Mer. 

The Star Clipper functions staff convey ashore the toys from the ship, this kind of as kayaks, sailboats and paddle boards, soccer balls, volleyballs, and a football. So there are all sorts of ways to be active at these seashore outings. Or, as many did, you can just delight in the views, take refreshing minimal dips in the surf, and nap under an umbrella. 

Professional Tip: To get ashore, you’ll just take tender boats from the ship, which calls for some agility. Pack flippantly when going ashore, use sound footwear, and preserve your hands absolutely free so you can grab onto the tender boat and supporting palms from crew associates.

2. Exploring Enchanting Port Towns 

In Portofino, we were being charmed by the bustling horseshoe-shaped marina. Minor dining establishments and pizza eateries lined the region, which has centuries-previous stone walkways. Travellers are tendered ashore to all but one of the port stops in the course of this cruise, and at Portofino, we had not taken far more than 20 methods from our drop-off position before we noticed rock and roll legend Rod Stewart and his spouse earning their way by the group (almost unnoticed by all besides my sharp-eyed spouse) to a megayacht. Turns out, Sir Rod and his wife, Penny Lancaster, wed on the island years ago and typically return for summer time visits. 

A number of of our new buddies from the ship established out for a hike to the lighthouse at Portofino, though we determined we would get a pizza and beer for lunch. When in Italy, I have to get a Margherita pie, of system. A small lunch, men and women watching, a stroll for some window procuring, a awesome gelato, and a movie star sighting. Not a negative day in Portofino. 

We had no lousy times, in truth, at any of these stops, with each charming historic town giving a handful of fun points to do.

3. Taking pleasure in On-Shore Activities With Fellow Travellers

At Calvi, we hiked to the Citadel ahead of heading to city, exactly where we bumped into a couple from our ship, Brooke and Tyler Sellhorn from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who gave us a heads up about a pub serving craft beers. 

Colleen and I ducked into the busy cobblestone alleyway, handed the prolonged line of individuals acquiring gelato, and located tables exterior Loch Ness Pub, in which the friendly bartender appreciated my fumbled makes an attempt at ordering in French and recommended a couple of high-quality brews to quench our thirst. 

We built our take a look at to Cavalaire-sur-Mer into a fun lunch date with new mates. Our group identified a pleasant place amid the various dining alternatives at the really marina. Our stroll into city took us previous a Ferris wheel and a team of people engaged in a energetic match of petanque, the well-liked video game of Provence that is most identical to garden bowling or bocce. 

Our crew found a restaurant with open up-air seating, a good watch of the yachts and fishing boats at the marina, and a assorted menu to fit all of our preferences. A pair of us selected pizzas, Colleen nabbed a big bucket of fresh mussels, and other individuals picked refreshing seafood and an appetizer of foie gras.

All over again, it was pretty warm, so we desired gelato to refresh. Can you really say that you’ve been sailing in France and Italy without the need of your daily gelato serving?

4. Boutique Experiences In Larger sized Ports Of Connect with

While most ports on this itinerary are remote and rather serene, passengers did appreciate the likelihood to see Portofino and Saint Tropez, equally of which ensured a wonderful variety of beach time, purchasing, sightseeing, and gourmand cuisine. 

Saint Tropez gives a marvelous coastal path, Sentier du Littoral, that goes for miles and requires you by way of a breathtaking and huge marine cemetery. The present day space of the town has nice parks and outlets, when the Previous City spot winds into a hillside with slim cobbled streets. 

We went off the ship for a supper, and our team of five lucked into seats on a busy Friday night time. We selected the well known Thai restaurant Koh Petrie and settled in for appetizers, bellinis, and beef, shrimp, and rooster curries.

The cooler night temps and light breezes did not deter us from having a gelato night time cap, of course, as we strolled the lively avenue scene and gawked at the large yachts in port.

Professional Idea: If you’re organizing to try to eat dinner off the ship in busier towns like Saint Tropez or Portofino, do some analysis and make a reservation on-line in advance of time so you are not remaining disappointed — and hungry!

5. Diving Ideal In For Water Sports 

Star Clipper cruises function a range of bundled h2o sports activities for travellers to get on. The routines team introduced the devices to the beach a couple of situations but also dropped it in the water just off the facet of the vessel so that we could spend a excellent portion of the afternoon tooling close to in the shadow of our picturesque sailing ship.

Snorkeling masks have been furnished at the start out of the journey and are yours to maintain for use at your leisure during time ashore (the masks are returned at the conclude of the voyage). 

When the paddle boards, kayaks, and sailing boats are set in the h2o, cruisers donned life jackets and descended the gangway to hop on their toy of option to navigate the waters all-around Star Clipper. 

Lots of simply just required to hop in for a swim in the pleasant blue waters, and you could normally glimpse in excess of the aspect of the ship all through these situations to see your fellow cruisers blissfully bobbing in the ocean like the happiest small corks you can think about.

6. Unleashing My Inner Sailor 

One of the distinct charms of a sailing ship like Star Clipper is the prospect to be on the decks amid the significant white sails and what would seem like miles and miles of ropes. 

The rigging and pulleys are all all over you, and cruisers can even have a go at hoisting the mainsail in the course of the late-afternoon sail absent. 

Grab the large wheel and make like you’re steering the ship for the excellent photograph op to make your friends at home envious and to carry out that sailor spirit in you.

I was especially looking forward to climbing the mast up to the crow’s nest. Star Clipper has a steep rope ladder that commences at the edge of the deck and rises much more than 50 toes over the deck for the most unbelievable panoramic sights.

Courageous wannabe pirates are harnessed in in advance of they boldly scale the heights to crawl through a modest opening and emerge onto a viewing platform. This is the spot to grab a picture with a bird’s-eye check out of the ship’s deck down below.

Professional Tip: If you have your heart set on climbing the mast, clearly show up early — at the very least 30 minutes before the scheduled signup time — so you can promise a timeslot for that working day.

7. Dancing The Night Absent

The sunshine goes down, but matters retain on cooking onboard Star Clipper, with concept events that move ideal into disco and line-dancing marathons. On our sailing, a main team of travellers gathered each individual night immediately after meal on the teak flooring of the Tropical Bar at the top of the ship. 

The bartenders served up Champagne, beers, and drinks of the working day, like impressive rum punches, to gasoline the things to do. We comprehensively savored taking part in the Pirate Challenge and songs-themed trivia contests. Choose cruisers and crew customers even wowed us all through the talent present at the close of the 7 days. The tender drivers from Goa, India, carried out a traditional dance routine our bartender Robert belted out a highly effective track from his homeland in the Philippines and we observed a magic act and a pair from Austria who tore up the dance ground with a steamy tango overall performance.

Even our yoga instructor Astrid set her gorgeous voice on exhibit when she teamed up with resident DJ and musician Kirby for a superb model of the strike song “Shallow.”

Nights usually lasted until eventually 1:30 a.m., when the past couple folks at last left the dance floor.

8. Savoring The Sunlight Deck 

Star Clipper represents a type of small-ship sailing or yacht-type cruising that is developed to get you outdoors in the sunshine and contemporary air. The ship has two modest swimming swimming pools and loungers splashed all close to the top rated of the ship. When not ashore, cruisers scatter all-around the decks to rest and get a great deal of sunlight. 

I alternated dips in the pool with time on a lounger under a person of the shaded canopied regions. 

The ship also has a masseuse, and the remedies have been fairly priced at 60 euros for an hour-extensive therapeutic massage. The massage therapist Abigail did this kind of a nice career that many of the cruisers, Colleen and myself provided, went two moments. The locale of the treatment tent on the quite major of the ship authorized us to escape with the mild seems of the ocean and refreshing breezes coming into via the flap.

Star Clipper also was cruising throughout our week with a guest yoga instructor, and Astrid, from Belgium, led very well-attended morning and afternoon lessons. We attended pretty much each individual working day, and it was a excellent way to get our minds and bodies appropriate for the day’s actions.

The activities group also offered exercise classes outdoors on the sunshine deck by the Tropical Bar.

Star Clipper Captain Dominique Rollin also provided a converse about the sailing lifetime and how the ship performs.

Certainly, the outdoor house on a sailing ship is normally a highlight and a prime rationale tourists e book this kind of boutique cruise practical experience.

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