Things I’ve Learnt On Holiday With Kids in Cannes (So Far)

So we’ve been in Cannes for the last week after a blissful 6 days in Avignon where we’re returning on Thursday-and it must be said, holidaying by the coast with my kids is totally different to my usual champagne-fuelled film festival shenanigans (naturally)- but it’s been just as awesome (despite the constant urge to get booty shaking by night)!

Spending many a summer in the South of France as a child, I literally couldn’t wait to bring my own offspring here, and each year at the fest, I’d get all misty-eyed as I passed little ones bobbing up and down on the carousels on my way to a movie premiere-making this holiday a dream for me.

You see, because I’m always at the festival in April, the husband and I always choose somewhere else for our summer holiday and that my friends, in retrospect has been all kinds of silly, because Cannes is such a babe, it’s worth a bi-annual visit every year for sure.

And while I’m all for travelling the world and hope to hop around the globe to as many countries as possible en famille, Cannes will always have a special place in my heart…it’s somewhere I’ve made memories since I was a baby and now my kids are!

Cookies the size of your head are everything!

Now on to the meat (or beef carpaccio!) of my post… After sharing my piece on the things I’ve learnt on holiday in Avignon, I wanted to share more lessons racked up in Cannes.

I’ll be writing a big round-up travel post as per, bursting with pics of our holiday (standard) when I get back to Blighty of course (so get the pot of Earl Grey and Rich Teas at the ready for that one) but first…

Here are the things I’ve learnt on holiday with kids in Cannes-

1.  Yes Cannes will always be synonymous with the film festival to me- and a lot of partying (hic)- but it’s also the perfect location for a family holiday with its pristine coastline, bright sunshine with a breeze thanks to the sea, playgrounds in the shade at every turn and the most delicious, child-friendly food… I’m not sure we’ve ever collectively eaten as many croissants!

2.  Speaking of food…even in one of the culinary capitals of the world, I’ve learnt my kids will still ask for McDonald’s when they see one (because…kids)! To be fair, it was the best McDonald’s we’ve ever eaten (because…South of France)! Insert crying with laughter emoji!

3.  Travelling by TGV to Cannes from Avignon was easy as apple pie (tarte de pommes). So speedy at just 2 hours 20 minutes, clean and with plenty of space on board, it was a joy to travel by train to the coast. We also nabbed First Class tickets for less than Standard (I know!) and the kids loved peering out of the window as we passed the Southern French countryside on our travels.

4.  Kids want to buy everything they see (this much I knew) but in places like Cannes, those things are far pricier than pretty much anywhere else in the world… So, take the fairground in the centre of the Croissette for examp10-minuteminute play with an electric toy boat on a makeshift pond was 5 euros (!)- and with two kids, everything doubles too (eek). Food, drinks, ice cream, toy cars are definitely not cheap and while you can look around for deals at restaurants, or hit the supermarket for picnics, be prepared for spending le dosh!

5. The sea is EVERYTHING. I’m a total water baby and am happiest by the ocean. However in April/May during the fest, the sea here tends to be a little too cold for a dip, so it’s been utter bliss to enjoy the warm waves here and spend hours by the beach.

6. Siestas are the way forward people. If only it was hot enough to justify them in the UK hey. Having a midday snooze meant going out later at night and feeling like we got the most out of our day allowing us to enjoy the bright lights of Cannes by night- and that extortionate fair again (!)

7.  Finally, I’ve learnt that I’d like to be a Kimye-style squillionaire please so my family and I can basically spend half the year in Cannes living the good life, ideally with our own yacht. Just putting it out there to the universe!!!

À bientôt for now folks, there’s a croissant with my name on it! 

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