Jim & Ann - I arranged the various private tours that we took with Kathy & Frank and Wendy & David and have found as much contact info as I can. (Full disclosure here, as they say on the cable news networks - Pat & I are very biased in favor of private tours and are not big fans of bus tours.)
Honfleur - I agree with Wendy that it's a great little town in which to wander about. A nice lunch of mussels at one of the waterfront cafes is quite a treat. Skip the harbor tour by boat, as all it did when we took it was show us the bridge from underneath and then take us close to the "fancy American cruise ship" (as the guide described Regent Voyager) to wave at the passengers.
Bordeaux - St. Emilion is beautiful. We visited two wineries and had a pleasant lunch at a little cafe overlooking the whole city. Try to limit your time at the underground church, however. It's interesting; but the 45 minute tour is about 30 minutes too long. Kathy gave you the contact info for Alain, who has been used by many people here on LCT, as well as several on Cruise Critic. He is quite good.
Nice - Our favorite place in Nice is the Marche, particularly early in the morning when all of the vendors are setting up their stalls. It's the perfect place for a cafe au lait & croissant for breakfast. On one of our Nice days, we took an all-day private tour, which included a good review of Nice, following which we had a lovely day in the hills to the northwest. We visited the wonderful little towns of Saint Paul-de-Vence, Gourdon, and Tourrettes sur Loup.
The highlight of the day was our visit to La Ferme des Courmettes, a goat farm high on the mountainside where fine organic goat cheese is made. I had arranged for a "tasting" of their products, assuming that it would be just a little snack event. After meeting and playing with the herd of extremely friendly goats and learning a bit about the cheese-making process, we were shown to a picnic table near the farmhouse with a magnificent view all the way to Nice and the sea. Then our little "degustation" took place. To our surprise and delight, it was an outdoor feast: a pitcher of local wine, a lovely salad compose, a splendid wicker platter of seven different goat cheeses (including one that had been made that morning, along with several superb aged varieties), a basket of sliced baguettes, baked chevre on toasted baguette, and, of course, a delicate goat cheese dessert. It was one of those marvelous surprises and travel memories that seem to belong on the pages of "A Year in Provence".
Our guide had never been to the farm. He said that he would indeed add it to his file for clients who wanted something extremely French and unique. Here is the website for the farm:
La Ferme des Courmettes You can get the English Version by clicking on the bottom icon on the left on the home page.
The guide service we used in Nice, as well as for transfers from the airport and from Nice to the ship in Monte Carlo, was Dream Tours:
Hmm, another Alain: infos@dream-tours.com
Have fun planning your cruise. Give Molly a scratch of the ears from us. Our bichon, Tatiana (now waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge), was not a major fan of our travel. Our two current furry kids, Misha & Katyusha, also do not take kindly to cruise brochures and try to chew them to shreds before we can read them and thereby be tempted to travel.
Cheers, Fred
