Hotel Splendid - Cannes

An obvious distinguished landmark in Cannes, and a beautiful looking one at that, the Hotel Splendid has captured many a heart.

This soothing white, 4-star hotel with its gracious touches of curves, wrought iron and light awnings give a feeling of romance, and once inside you’ll find there is a warmth and character that can be hard to try to emulate in the newer and more modern hotels of today.

The choice to stay here was not planned; in fact I was out at a friend’s birthday dinner party in Le Suquet.  After the dinner and then drinks at a couple of local bars, Hotel Splendid seemed to be beckoning me to book a room.

It was very late when I checked in and I did have to be up early to leave Cannes the next day so I did not have a chance to see everything the hotel has to offer, but being very happy with what I did experience, I think it is worth a mention and of course a stay.

Sitting at the foot of the port and across from the Palais des Festivals, Hotel Splendid is conveniently located…to everything.  The address of the hotel is: 4 rue Felix Faure.

You will be surrounded by a vast amount of fabulous restaurants to choose from, along with shopping to suit every taste and budget.  Need to catch a bus or a train?  It’s all within walking distance.

Being late, and since I didn’t book a room ahead of time, the front desk receptionist was gracious and able to give me a great classic double room.  I found that not only is the outside of the hotel enticing, the interiors are elegant with a touch of old world charm and certainly not ostentatious.

My room was the perfect size with high ceilings, plenty of closet space and very comfortable with a large, fully stocked bathroom.  For some reason in Europe I have this thing for checking out the size of the bathtub compared to a North American size, and the one in my hotel room was of normal North American size.

And even though I had to get up early, my sleep in what seemed to be a very soundproof room was one of the best I’ve had in such a cozy double bed.

Hotel Splendid Cannes

Hotel Splendid has been a part of Cannes wonderfully long history since 1871, something of which I love.  I’m glad I finally had the opportunity to stay at this hotel, if you get the chance and need a place to stay in Cannes, book yourself a room at Hotel Splendid.

The New Cancan

It’s been awhile since I have been to a nightclub where there is such a diverse group of people in attendance, but it seems I had found just that the night I went out with a group of friends to The New Cancan nightclub in Marseille.

Heading inside the club, I just expected it to be like any other nightclub around, and to an extent it is, I have just never seen so many cool groups of people of every background all having a great time.

It was a pleasant surprise, it was like anything goes.

There was the go-go boys, punks, fashionista crowd, leather groups, hip-hop, rockabilly, and drag queens… a total scene!  With people of all ages, looks and desires, that just means more choice and there was certainly no lack of it here.  It really confirmed it for me that Marseille really is a true melting pot of cultures.

The New Cancan is a large club, in fact it takes up three street addresses, 3, 5 & 7 of rue Sénac.  It has a roomy entrance and coat check area that then leads you up a few stairs to the main bar, lounge and dance floor location.

The staff is cute as hell, the service is quick and the drinks seemed to be of average price.  The DJ spinning the night we went was playing fantastic music, total pumping beats, and the dance floor was packed the whole time we were at the club.

There is something else interesting about The New Cancan this club, in the lower level is a dark room play area that is nothing but huge.  My only caution is to be careful when first entering the area as when I mention it is a dark room, it is pitch black dark.

One way to find it is to head down the stairs between the main bar and the coat check area, and at the bottom of the stairs you will see the men’s bathroom entrance but instead of turning right in there, head towards the darkness, and really take your time finding your way around.  Your eyes will eventually adjust to the surroundings.

There is an exit at the other end of this blackout area that leads you up the spiral staircase to the smoking room section that is back on the main floor of the club found close to the lounge area.  For safety reasons, women aren’t allowed in this part of the club.

The New Cancan discothèque is very easy to find, just follow the main avenue of La Canebière in the direction away from the main port area and on your right you will find the nightclub at: 7, rue Sénac de Meilhan:

They are closed Monday to Wednesday but otherwise the hours of operation are as follows:

Thursday 11:30pm – 5:00am
Friday 11:30pm - 6:00am
Saturday 11:30pm - 7:00am
Sunday 11:30pm - 5:00am

If you are in Marseille, make a night of it and head to The New Cancan, with a variety of events going on, you are certainly going to find plenty to like about this nightclub.

Le Métropole Bar- Brasserie

One evening after having a delicious meal with friends, we were in the main port area of Marseille when it was suggested we all head to Le Métropole which is known as a very gay-friendly bar/brasserie to have some drinks.  Not being one to say no to a social gathering, I happily went along with everyone else.
 

As soon as we turned the corner on to Place Gabriel Péri, you could tell this was the spot to be, Le Métropole Bar – Brasserie had all the makings of a ‘before’ club event judging by the beautiful and stylish crowd that was in attendance.

In fact there was a special club event happening there that night, The Glam Sound Party, and let me tell you, I am still trying to hunt down the DJ’s podcast from that night, the music that was played totally set the tone for the whole evening.

People were gathered outside, either sitting at tables or even standing and chatting with friends.  Inside the party continued on;  men, women, gay, straight, bisexual…no one cared, everyone mingled around, and some were even dancing at the back near the bar.

Le Métropole to me felt decent in size and has a very modern look in its overall design; it also seems to fit in well in this, one of the main shopping and hotel areas of the city.

I loved the mood of the place, I found the people to be very friendly, smiling and quickly introducing themselves to one another.  Le Métropole was busy, the staff was totally running off their feet, drinks were reasonably priced and they take their time mixing them, they weren’t just throwing these drinks together, each one seemed treated like a work of art with garnishes, etc.

It was such a good time that we almost lost track of time as we were there that long and still had other clubs we wanted to check out that night.
Le Métropole Bar- Brasserie is located steps from the port at: 2, Place Gabriel Péri

I understand they are open Monday – Saturday, from 7:00am onwards.  My only regret is that I did not have enough time on this trip to try one of Le Métropole’s meals but from the reviews I hear from friends, they tell me that the food is nothing but fresh and the portions are of good value for the money.
I know I will be back.

Photo Credit: Gabriel Art Fotograf
Thank you: The Glam Sound Party

LGP Marseille

Personally I had never gone to a LGBT community center growing up and in fact I do not recall where one had been around at the time so I never really knew what to expect from such a place.

It’s only been in the past couple of years I have started to check out various community centers where ever I might be traveling, just to get an idea on how they work, meet the people involved and find out more about what information they might be providing.
Late one afternoon when our group in Marseille was making our way out to dinner, one of our wonderful hosts took us for a walk from our hotel through the neighborhood to see where the LGP Marseille community center is located and once there we would get to see where all the action for EuroPride 2013 and everything else takes place.

Approaching the outside of the center, I felt a connection immediately, I was struck by its clean, crisp design and once we stepped inside, I felt instantly comfortable with my first thought being how they have found a real treasure of a space here.

LGBT community centers are great for meeting new people, especially if you have just arrived to the community, you can get all kinds of information on anything from AIDS prevention to where the hottest nightclubs are in town, but what I like best is that there are safe, laid back places to socialize.  And LGP Marseille is right up there with the best of them.

LGP Marseille is located close to the port and within a very mixed cultural community that I found to be funky and fun.  One of the other guests asked our hosts how the area has responded to them moving in, we were told that they were very much welcomed, because with the other minority groups around, everyone seems to understand where one another is coming from.

If I were living in Marseille, or making my first visit to the city and wanted to find out more on what to see and do, this would and will continue to be one of my first stops every time.
The hours of operation are: Monday to Friday, 10am-12pm and 2pm-6pm You will find LGP Marseille located at: 11, rue Moustier

LGP Marseille did not disappoint, the center provides a wealth of information and you will never meet a greater group of people.