If you're looking at a map, it's hard to know where Antibes ends and Juan-les-Pins begins. These Riviera neighbours are lumped together in brochures, giving the impression that it's all one big cohesive sprawl along the Cap d'Antibes peninsula between Cannes and Nice. It isn't, of course β not when you've got ancient Antibes with its Greek origins and 16th-century ramparts sitting next door to the art deco elegance of beach-lined Juan-les-Pins.
They couldn't be more different, nor would you want one without the other. I wasn't sure which town to stay in last summer, so I tried both. There are surprisingly few hotels in Antibes itself: most are in Juan-les-Pins or tucked away further along the peninsula. Renting a flat, however, is an affordable option. English expatriates Louise and Paul have a couple of studios on the fringes of the old town near the adjoining beaches at Ponteil and Salis. Mine was on the first floor, with the sea right in front.
Breakfast was on the balcony, with a view of the ramparts of Vieil Antibes just to the left of the vivid Mediterranean. I could think of worse ways of starting the day. A three-minute stroll through the stone bastions leads to one of the more evocative Picasso museums. The imposing 16th-century chateau fell into the artist's hands for a mere six months in , but he left behind a decent number of works in what became the first museum dedicated to the artist. It also houses his La Joie De Vivre, which he painted here.
The joy captured in the painting is evident when you walk out into the sculpture-strewn garden and take in the sea view he woke up to every day.
It's so easy to get carried away by the produce here: olives, cheese, tapenade, fresh fruit and veg, plus the wonderful charcuterie brought in by Corsican traders. Once the stallholders pack up at 1pm, the restaurants lining the market spread their tables out for lunch. For a surreal aperitif, head downstairs to the Bar Absinthe in the basement of an olive-oil shop just off the market.
